Nearly 30 years ago I was the deputy head teacher of a school in England. Beyond the main school building were a number of remote classrooms, including the music room. The school stood between a popular local bar and an area of housing that provided students for the school. Lunchtime drinkers at the bar would often take a shortcut through the school grounds and pass the music room.

On one particular occasion a young messenger arrived at my office saying that the music teacher wanted my assistance—urgently! A drunk had entered the music room and was loathe to leave.

Employing well-honed diplomatic skills, I extracted the inebriated gentleman from the room and explained that his presence was disturbing the singing lesson. He staggered gently and then apologized profusely. “The singing was so beautiful,” he remarked, “that I just wanted to sit and listen to it.”

And, as I sat and listened to the beautiful music in the Edward Jones Dome yesterday, I wondered what would happen if a similarly inebriated gentleman were to stumble into the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Would he be reminded of the evils of alcohol and politely asked to leave, or welcomed into the fold and encouraged to become a regular in our church, rather than at the bar?

You would, surely, forgive anyone for being drawn into this America’s Center by the amazing quality of the music. Soloists, ensembles, choirs, orchestras—music of the highest quality—music that you would pay a great deal of money to hear in concert halls elsewhere around the world.

But, are men, women and children, other than Adventists, flocking into America’s Center to hear this wonderful music? There is little evidence that this is the case and it seems that the musical equivalent of preaching to the converted is occurring—and, as they say in America, they’re singing to the choir.

Well, if the audience won’t come to the performers, the performers must go to the audience, and it is for that reason that lunchtime concerts will be staged throughout the coming week. Performers who have traveled to the World Session of the Adventist Church from across the globe will present music ranging from classical pieces to Caribbean steel and jazz. It provides the singers and musicians with a chance to connect with the people of St. Louis at 11.30 a.m. each day in the Kiener Plaza. On Saturday, July 9, a three-hour concert will be staged at the same venue at 2 p.m. 

And, whatever the persuasion of those in the audience, they won’t be reminded of the evils of drink or politely asked to leave. But, they will be encouraged to explore the fold and offered an invite to become a regular at the Adventist fountain.

Editor’s Note: John Smith was a BBC producer and broadcaster for 14 years and part of the team that won a Sony Gold award for the radio coverage of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is serving as operations manager for the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s communication team at the St. Louis meeting.