Arts to Honor God

Timothy D. Turner - My Faith

	Cursillos in Christianity is a movement that, through a method of its own tries to, and through God's grace manages to; enable the essential realities of the Christian to come to life in the uniqueness, originality, and creativity of each person.  In becoming aware of their potential and while accepting their limitations they exercise their freedom by their conviction, strengthen their will with their decision, to propitiate friendship in virtue of their constancy in both their personal and community life.   The Cursillo Movement consists of proclaiming the best news of the best reality: that God, in Christ, loves us.  Communicated by the best means, which is friendship towards the best of each one, which is his being person and his capacity of Conviction, Decision, and Constancy.   And what needs to be emphasized today, now, and immediately in order to be on the cutting edge of today's debate is to facilitate and make possible for every person to encounter oneself always and absolutely essential in order to be able to encounter God and others. Timothy D. Turner serves as Music Coordinator for the Florida Presbyterian Cursillo and was a pilgram at FLPC #1.
Southern Baptist Convention	His father was raised Southern Baptist in Oklahoma, US, and his mother was raised Church of England in Portsmouth, England, UK. SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION Since its organization in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has grown to over 16 million members who worship in more than 42,000 churches in the United States. Southern Baptists sponsor about 5,000 home missionaries serving the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean, as well as sponsoring more than 5,000 foreign missionaries in 153 nations of the world. The term "Southern Baptist Convention" refers to both the denomination and its annual meeting. Working through 1,200 local associations and 41 state conventions and fellowships, Southern Baptists share a common bond of basic Biblical beliefs and a commitment to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world. You become a Southern Baptist by uniting with a Southern Baptist church, one in friendly cooperation with the general Southern Baptist enterprise of reaching the world for Christ. Typically church membership is a matter of accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord and experiencing believer's baptism by immersion. Copyright © 1999-2009, Southern Baptist Convention. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Churches and cathedrals are the most public indication of the Church’s role in the community, both as the places in which public worship takes place and as a focus for many events which reach beyond the worshipping congregation to society at large.  They have also been integral to this country’s history and development.  The Church of England has some 16,000 church buildings, in 13,000 parishes covering the whole of England, as well as 43 cathedrals.  Together they form a unique collection of buildings; between 12,000 and 13,000 churches are listed, i.e. are recognised by the Government as being of exceptional historic or architectural importance, and about 45% of all Grade I buildings in England are churches.  Though first and foremost a place of worship, churches are also often the oldest building in a settlement still in continual use.  Even in industrial or twentieth-century settlements, they are a focus.  Many churches – and cathedrals particularly - are the largest, most architecturally complex, most archaeologically sensitive, and most visited building in their village, town or city. Their variety is remarkable: ranging in date from St Martin's in Canterbury, already in use when St Augustine landed in AD 597, to new buildings such as the recently completed Trinity Centre, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough; in size from St Paul's Cathedral, London, to St Swithun's, just a room above Kingsgate in Winchester; and in complexity, from buildings of a single period to many which have been altered and developed over the centuries and new buildings which are being developed in our own age. © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2004
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) First Christian Church  Cushing, Oklahoma First Christian Church Stillwater, Oklahoma	Timothy's parents chose to raise him and his sister in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ.  He began his spiritual walk with our Savior at First Christian Church in Cushing, Oklahoma.  He sang his first solo "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" at the age of 5 and became immediately involved in the music and drama programs of the church.  He was baptized into the Body of Christ at the age of 8 on April 19, 1981.  He had the title role in the musical "Hark, the Herald Angel" in 1983.  By the age of 10 he was already a leader in the music ministry of the church for VBS and the children's choirs.   In 1986, his family moved and his church membership was transfered to First Christian Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma.  There he became involved in a touring youth choir Revelation Singers performing such musicals as "Joseph and the Amzing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Jesus Chrust, Superstar".  His activities increased as an officer in youth group, participating in handbell choirs, and serving as a Jr. Deacon.  He remembers fondly two mission trips: ECHO in St. Louis, Mo. and an Indian Reservation in North Dakota.  His senior year of high school he went on staff as Youth Assistant and for a period served as the Youth Director: developing programing, retreats, maintaining communication and mission trips for grades 6 through college. When Timothy left Stillwater for Millikin University, his membership was transfered to Central Christian Church in Decatur, Illinois, where he continued an active role in the Youth and Music Ministries of the his new church home.       Central Christian Church Decatur, Illinois THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Disciples of Christ), while founded on American soil in the early 1800s, is uniquely equipped to live up to its identity that it is a "movement for wholeness in a fragmented world." The denomination was born in the 1800s, and continues to be influenced by its founding ideals of our unity in Christ with openness and diversity in practice and belief.  The Disciples Vision, Mission, Imperative and Covenant statement calls the communion to be a faithful, growing church that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice.The church is identified with the Protestant “mainstream” and is widely involved in social and other concerns. Disciples have supported vigorously world and national programs of education, agricultural assistance, racial reconciliation, care of the developmentally disabled and aid to victims of war and calamity.  The denomination now counts about 700,000 members in the United States and Canada in about 3,700 congregations. Numerically, the strength of the Disciples of Christ runs in a broad arc that sweeps from Ohio and Kentucky through the Midwest and down into Oklahoma and Texas. Copyright 2009 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH OF AMERICA	Timothy responded to an ad posted on the bulletin board in the music building at Millikin University and ended up in a most blessed position with this African American congregation at Christ Evangelical Free Church of Decatur, Illinois. His first rehearsal was challenging as he soon found out.  The choir was used to being taught by call and response.  No written music.  Timothy would sing a harmony and it would be sung back and each part was added to the other until a beautiful sound was created.  This spirit filled congregation became a wonderful and welcoming family for Timothy as he composed new music for them and transcribed many selections of recordings from mass choirs throughout the United States to teach his choirs.  Besides the mixed adult choir, the mens choir was especially fun to work with, "those amazing bass voices!"  United by a mutual commitment to serve our Lord Jesus Christ with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and obedience to the Word of God, the Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of nearly 1,500 churches and church plants in a growing ministry that currently extends to some 75 countries of the world.
Millikin University  in Decatur, Illinois	In the 1990's, Timothy served Grace United Methodist Church in Decatur, Illinois in their contemporary worship on the drum set.  This congregation shared close ties with the Music Department at Millikin University as the Director of Choral Activities at Dr. Brad Holmes and his family made Grace his church home.  While at Millikin University, Timothy served as the choral conductor of the Millikin Inspiration Gospel Choir which also sang at worship services at Grace United Methodist Church each year as part of its concert series.  As THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and witness. To fulfill this obligation, we reflect critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the witness we make in our own time. No matter how or where they serve Jesus Christ, United Methodists do God’s work in a unique structure—referred to as “the connection." This concept has been central to Methodism from its beginning. Connectionalism comes to life through our clergy appointment system, our mission and outreach, and through our collective giving. We live out our call to mission and ministry by engaging in ministry with the poor, combating diseases of poverty by improving health globally, creating new places for new people and renewing existing congregations, and developing principled Christian leaders. No one congregation can do all these ministries, but together—through the power of our connection—we can make a tremendous difference. Copyright © 2006–2009 United Methodist Communications
Westminster Presbyterian Church Decatur, Illinois	Timothy attended Millikin University which was a Presbyterian affiliated University.  James Millikin himself was a Presbyterian and right across the street from the university music building was Westminster Presbyterian University of Decatur, Illinois.  The homecoming worship services featuring the University Choir were held at Westminster as well as other choral activities, rehearsals and the annual high school choral festival hosted by Millikin University. When Timothy moved to Orlando, Florida from the cold winters of the north, he quickly began look for a church ministry position and after interviewing with several churches found a home in John Calvin Presbyterian Church (JCPC) in Orlando, Florida -- known as the most culturally diverse congregations in the Central Florida Presbytery.  He served this loving family congregation for a number of years from January 2001- June 2003 and again from January 2008 until their close in October 2009 when the orange county school board purchased the property for expansion needs of a neighboring high school adjecent to the JCPC property. While Timothy was at JCPC he expanded the music and drama ministires of the church including seasonal multimedia theatrical productions as well as a full length musical which brought record attendance to the church. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.), with denominational offices in Louisville, Kentucky, has approximately 2.3 million members, more than 10,000 congregations and 14,000 ordained and active ministers. Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.  Copyright Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
	The EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA (ELCA) is a community of faith that shares a passion for making positive changes in the world. Our faith is built around a strong belief in God as made known to us in Jesus Christ. Through worship, service, and education, we practice our faith, grow our relationship with God and experience God's grace in our lives. We also work hard to put our faith into action. In today’s complex world, we strive to make a difference in practical, realistic ways. With nearly 10,500 congregations across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and nearly five million members—we welcome you to experience this church right in your community. Explore the ELCA, and help us celebrate our gift of faith—with action.  © Evangelical Lutheran Church in America