Mission
Praise Ensembles is a fine arts cooperative organization for homeschooling families with the purpose of providing an opportunity to develop an understanding and appreciation of vocal and instrumental music and the visual and creative arts as forms of worship and to prepare the students to begin using their artistic abilities to serve God through the fine arts.
From the singing of the morning stars at the dawn of creation (Job 38:4-7), to Jubal - the father of all who play instruments (Genesis 4:21), from the stunning artwork prescribed by God for his holy temple (I Kings), to the parables taught us by the Lord himself, voices, instruments, visual arts, and drama and storytelling have been used throughout time as vehicles of instruction, worship, and praise to God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
We also use the arts to express ourselves when words alone are inadequate. Joy, victory, peace, love, anger, sorrow, mourning - and every gradient of human emotion in between - are expressed through art! We use its beauty to teach spiritual truths (Colossians 3:16), soothe troubled hearts (Psalm 23, et al), and treat depression (I Samuel 16:14-17, 23). Even our physical bodies are profoundly affected by the performance or viewing of the arts.
Such a gift - such a powerful tool - should not be taken lightly; neither, should its strong influence be wrongly used. Therefore, Praise Ensembles has a fourfold mission:
1. To develop an understanding and appreciation of vocal and instrumental music and the visual arts as forms of worship and art;
2. To encourage individual and corporate excellence in the performance of music, art, and drama;
3. To bring students to the understanding that art in any form is not amoral, and that godly wisdom and discernment is imperative when choosing what one will listen to, watch, or perform; and
4. To prepare students to use their artistic abilities to worship God and bless man for the rest of their lives.
May God enable Praise Ensembles to accomplish its goals to the glory of Jesus Christ!!
From the singing of the morning stars at the dawn of creation (Job 38:4-7), to Jubal - the father of all who play instruments (Genesis 4:21), from the stunning artwork prescribed by God for his holy temple (I Kings), to the parables taught us by the Lord himself, voices, instruments, visual arts, and drama and storytelling have been used throughout time as vehicles of instruction, worship, and praise to God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
We also use the arts to express ourselves when words alone are inadequate. Joy, victory, peace, love, anger, sorrow, mourning - and every gradient of human emotion in between - are expressed through art! We use its beauty to teach spiritual truths (Colossians 3:16), soothe troubled hearts (Psalm 23, et al), and treat depression (I Samuel 16:14-17, 23). Even our physical bodies are profoundly affected by the performance or viewing of the arts.
Such a gift - such a powerful tool - should not be taken lightly; neither, should its strong influence be wrongly used. Therefore, Praise Ensembles has a fourfold mission:
1. To develop an understanding and appreciation of vocal and instrumental music and the visual arts as forms of worship and art;
2. To encourage individual and corporate excellence in the performance of music, art, and drama;
3. To bring students to the understanding that art in any form is not amoral, and that godly wisdom and discernment is imperative when choosing what one will listen to, watch, or perform; and
4. To prepare students to use their artistic abilities to worship God and bless man for the rest of their lives.
May God enable Praise Ensembles to accomplish its goals to the glory of Jesus Christ!!
Statement of Faith
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God revealing the love of God to the world. I Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 3:16
- We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Ephesians 4:4-6
- We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-4 and 1:29; Acts 1:11 and 2:22-24; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4 and 4:15
- We believe that all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ results in regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore we believe that God will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell. Luke 24:46-47; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Ephesians 1:7 and 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life. John 3:5-8; Acts 1:8 and 4:31; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Galatians 5:16-18; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:6-10
- We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Revelation 20:11-15
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the church. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 1:22-23
- We believe that the ministry of evangelism (sharing and proclaiming the message of salvation only possible by grace through faith in Jesus Christ) and discipleship (helping followers of Christ grow up into maturity in Christ) is a responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15; 1 Peter 3:15
- We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27
- We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or females. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)
- We believe that any form of sexual immorality or the use of pornography is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
- We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Praise Ensembles, and to provide a Biblical role model to Praise Ensembles, members and the community, it is imperative that all persons in leadership in Praise Ensembles in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality. (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22)
