Rural Episcopal revival

’m just a cheerleader for St. Paul’s,” said school principal, David Gish, active lay leader at
St. Paul’s (8320 Jack Finney Blvd., Greenville). He knows about cheerleaders, having served as high school football coach and associate principal of a local school. But he’s not talking about pom-poms and sideline gymnastics, here. Instead, he’s talking about his willingness to promote a winning attitude and lift up tired spiritual athletes to get out on the field of life and go after the victory that lies before them.

He’ll quickly tell you that, for him, it started at a Faith Alive weekend eight years ago in a dying small-town church when a music leader handed him a folder full of music and said, “Now it’s your job.” David had been storing his dusty guitar under the bed until that weekend when he played a few times with the out-of-town music team that led the weekend. He quickly remarks, now, that God doesn’t care about our ability; he cares about our availability. Maybe that’s the reason that the guitar was under the bed, his wife has disclosed.

Nonetheless, David picked up his dusty guitar and his new folder and started a music ministry. The choir had died down to three people sitting up in a lonely balcony filled with boxes of music from the
“glory-days,” long since gone by. The group started with four or five people committed to making just a “joyful noise unto the Lord” — not worried about performance quality. Over time, the group grew to
25 or more individuals with fancy, matching shirts embroidered with Episcopal shields. From one guitar, it has grown to many guitars, a violin, a flute, conga drums, a keyboard, and a traveling sound system for on-the-road performances at different churches. The group has traveled as much as five-and-a-half hours, one way, to play at congregations that have requested their music and an Episcopal revival that their rector leads. Often on the Saturday morning following a Friday night revival, David will do a church-growth workshop for the vestry and church leaders. His group asks for no fees, but many times, the love offerings of the participating churches cover their expenses. A big road trip is exciting for the members who, in many cases, take time away from their work. David Gish becomes “Coach Gish” as he organizes his squad for travel, and he schedules details.

Beyond the music ministry, David has led many workshops at diocesan conventions where he holds his audience’s attention with communication skills that his many school assemblies and locker room pep talks have polished. He leads his music with the same enthusiasm and brings out the best in every singer, whether in the music group or as a Faith Alive weekend participant. “God doesn’t care about your ability, he cares about your availability,” he reminds them.