Ms. Deborah Stone oversees the music ministry for Christ Unity Oceanside
Christ Unity Oceanside Music Ministry:
Our mission is to create a space for all to have a direct experience of their Divinity through music.
From the inception of Christ Unity Oceanside, much emphasis has been put on excellence in music. Music is a universal language that touches hearts and souls everywhere, and an effective way to reach people with our message.
Deborah Stone, music director, ensures that the music used in the celebration service is in alignment with the Unity message. Most Sundays we have a special guest vocalist and song leader. Frequently the performers are new thought recording artists such as Valorie Kay and Claudia Carawan of Richmond, Donna Marie Cary of northern Virginia and Soul Pajamas from Maryland.
To stay current on new thought music artists and education, Deborah attends the annual music conference at Unity Village known as Sound Connections. Well-known new thought music artists offer classes related to all aspects of church music in addition to performances.
Sound Connections also offers a monthly newsletter covering topics of interest to music ministries: http://www.unity.org/association/ministriesLeaders/musicMinistry/soundConnectionsNewsletter.html
Deborah started piano lessons at a young age, when the family didn’t even own a piano. She had practice at a neighbor’s house and never once had to be reminded to go! It was a natural love and appreciation. She studied piano well into high school, a good ten years of lessons.
In junior high and high school, she played French horn in a concert band, and flute and Glockenspiel (you know, bells!) in the marching band. Being part of a concert band was about the music as much as about relationships. It was a great training ground for the future.
On the home front, she taught herself to play mandolin. Soon after, guitar and dulcimer were added to the mix. Much later, hand drums appeared on the scene.
Playing music has always been central to her life. All that musical training combined with the love of Unity has streamlined into being the Music Director for the church. She started as a musician with Christ Unity Oceanside in the first year of the church. Several Music Ministers later, she returned to accompany one of the soloists and then moved into the Music Director position in September of 2005.
It is with great love and joy that she does her job, ever with a vision to facilitate a God experience through music.
