Worship Ideas You Can Use
Messiah - WELS in South Windsor, Connecticut - www.messiah-ct.com
The pastor Tom Mielke referred to at Messiah is no longer there. He has been at St Matthew (WELS) in A-town since December.
Who is this Keith Getty guy who appears in our new Hymnal Supplement?February 25, 2009 at 1:23 pm · Filed under Music, Worship Music ·Tagged Hymnal, Keith Getty
I’ve written about Keith Getty’s music in the past, particularly those new songs that have been included in our new Hymnal Supplement, most notably “In Christ Alone”. Keith and his wife Kristyn were interviewed recently. You readers just have to read this interview. Copyright laws prohibit me to reproduce it in its entirety so I am including a few excerpts to whet your appetite. You can read the entire interview here:
http://www.ctlibrary.com/le/2009/winter/withonevoice.html
“If I’ve got non-Christian friends coming to church, I’d far rather give them four verses of comparatively heavy theology with some theological words which explains the gospel, than give them twenty repeated words that could be said about your pet horse or your girlfriend.” - Keith
“It seems to me that if a church splits up over music, that music has become more important than togetherness in itself. Music is merely a servant to the body of believers.” - Keith
“Every generation needs music in its own vernacular.” – Kristyn
“Also, when we write hymns, we deliberately try to tell stories, because people will sing doxological truth and theology within a story ’til they’re blue in the face. Take “In Christ Alone” for instance. A lot of people are moved by the fact that through the verses, Jesus takes on flesh as a helpless babe and ends up on the cross. They’ve sung through half of Romans by the end of the song, but because you’ve taken them through a story rather than just giving them didactic truth, it really communicates to them.” – Keith
“As we write, we’re also aware of where a song would fit in the service. That has led us write things like “The Communion Hymn” and “Speak, O Lord,” which is like the old hymns of illumination that could be used immediately before or after a sermon.” - Kristyn
“We often cite “Be Thou My Vision” as an example. The lyrics date to around the sixth century, but it’s still being sung. And you’ve heard it with a big rock band, and you’ve heard it just voices and nothing else. It’s incredible what you can do with that folk melody. That’s a great example of how a song continues to be relevant. It’s not bound by any generation or style. “ - Keith
“On paper, the pastor and musician are a great partnership, because one has a bent towards theology and message, and the other is creative and has a bent towards the arts. When the two work well together, like the Wesley brothers or Cliff Barrows and Billy Graham, it’s a one plus one equals three.” – Keith
“Our primary motivation is the need for twenty-first century hymnody that articulates the truths of the faith and builds up the young, vibrant, and increasingly persecuted church worldwide.” - Keith
How to Start a Blended Worship Service Program at Your ChurchFebruary 21, 2009 at 9:05 pm · Filed under Blended Worship, Worship, Worship Tools, contemporary christian music ·Tagged Blended Worship
How to Start a Blended Worship Service Program at Your Church
Note - You can download a copy of this file in my “file download area” (right column, grey box at the bottom)
At our church, we used to do only Traditional, Liturgical, Lutheran Worship. We used the various liturgies included in the hymnal, but we never varied from the organ-based accompaniment and the singing of hymns. And by the way, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this.
Two or three years ago, we hired WELS Parish Assistance to evaluate our worship practices and to assess the needs of our local community. Included in their recommendations was a suggestion to consider using more contemporary music in worship. We were a bit bewildered with this idea and only knew of one contemporary artist and one or two songs; i.e. Amy Grant. Being a guitarist and a servant at heart, I volunteered to spearhead the effort. I still remember our Pastor at the time (Tom Mielke) sitting down with me and telling me that there was more to contemporary music than “Amy Grant.” Of course he was right, but neither of us knew where to turn. I started out by buying compilation CDs (WOW Worship for example) and building up a personal music library. I cannot overemphasize the importance of listening to a lot of music and paying attention to lyrics. Following is a chronological list of what we did; along with some other suggestions should you want to consider trying this yourself. The italicized paragraphs are personal reflections that I have experienced in our journey down this road.
The first thing you will need is someone who is passionate about contemporary Christian music (CCM). And this does not have to be a pre-existing character trait, as it wasn’t with us. You simply need someone who is open minded, enjoys music and is willing to really get into it. It would be helpful if this person is also a musician but it isn’t required. This person will become the driving force behind your blended service initiatives and will ultimately work closely with the Pastor. This person needs to be solid in their faith, have a heart for God and leadership qualities. Pastors, pray whole heartedly for help in finding this person. It’s critical to your success.
If possible, attend a blended service at a nearby sister congregation and talk to their leaders. Go to lectures and seminars if they are available in your area and run by our Synod.
Try a sample service. Keep it simple at first. Do a traditional service with all of the usual worship elements, including things like organ-backed psalm-of-the-day singing. The only thing different is the substitution of contemporary songs in place of hymns. Do your best to pick songs that go along with the readings and it goes without saying that your Pastor needs to review the lyrics for doctrinal accuracy. Since it’s your first service, most people will be forgiving when it comes to lyrical and thematic adherence to the readings. We actually held our first blended service on the night before Thanksgiving because evening, mid-week worship formats are often more contemporary feeling to begin with. And, Thanksgiving, by nature, is a praise-focused service so it went well. I remember one song was “Father I Adore You” because it was familiar and wasn’t in our hymnal!
For help in evaluating CCM songs, check out “Text, Music, Context: A Resource for Reviewing Worship Materials” by LCMS Commission on Worship (ca $5 from CPH item# S05505).
You will need at least a pianist and it helps to also have a guitarist and a few lead singers who can sing contemporary styled music. You will find that singing contemporary style is different than singing hymns. It takes a while to make this transition so be patient.
Be sure to get the music into the hands of the instrumentalists and singers at least a week in advance and plan for some group practice time before the actual worship service as well as encouraging individual practice time at home.
We actually struggled for more than a year with just a guitar, or using MIDI, or asking our organist to plow through the songs on the piano as best they could. The results were satisfactory, but I prayed like mad for more musicians. My prayers were answered; at least in part. A music teacher by trade, pianist and vocalist with a passion for contemporary music was transferred to us from another congregation, the results of a job transfer. Interestingly enough, she had not been using her talents much, because her church hadn’t tried blended worship. It was a blessing to both of us and to our congregation. To God be the glory.
Pick songs that are easy to learn and to sing. Once you find music, you will need to obtain permission from the publishers to copy the lead sheets for your bulletins or for overhead projection. Some publishers will be accommodating, especially if you explain that you are just giving this a try, while others might not. Ultimately, you will need to purchase a copyright license agreement or songbooks but we’ll touch on that later. There are a plethora of music resources on the WEB and some are free and offered legally. Look around.
I’ll never forget the opening song of our second attempt at blended worship. We now had me on guitar and six ladies (including two teenage girls) who helped out with singing. We did not yet have the luxury of a pianist. As a pre-service selection, we sang Tim Hughes’s song “Here I Am to Worship.” It was an incredible worship experience for me. There I was, the lone accompaniment, and to me, it sounded like there was a full band behind me. Right in the heat of the moment; I was genuinely “affected.” I was supposed to sing with the ladies, but I couldn’t. I was too choked up. Twenty five years of attending WELS worship services just came crashing down on me. Twenty five years of holding back my gifts to the Lord just started to gush. I was moved. I don’t think anyone else in the congregation felt the emotions that ran through me at that moment. Thank you God for allowing me to praise you through my gifts, which you gave to me and for forgiving me for waiting so long to use them to glorify your name. Thank you for filling me with your spirit on that glorious day.
Another option might be to use MIDI accompaniment if you have that capability. Again, there is a lot of free, high quality, MIDI files available on the WEB for most of the popular contemporary songs.
After the service, poll your congregation. Did they enjoy the music? Did it enhance their worship experience? Do they want to try it again? What do they want to do differently?
Assuming that you get positive feedback, you next need to decide on the frequency of your blended worship services. We started with one blended service per month and are still doing it that way. We chose the second Sunday of the month which happens to be a non-communion service for us. I think this is important because Communion has additional liturgical musical pieces which are more work to convert to contemporary accompaniment. Having a regularly scheduled format is also better for your congregation because they can plan around it. Especially if you have more than one service per week because people might want to make adjustments, either being sure to be at the blended service, or, choosing to go to the alternate traditional service on that week.
We also added a small group of volunteer singers to belt out the lyrics over the congregation. This helps to teach your congregants the new songs quicker and it helps to change the musical singing style from hymn-like singing to contemporary singing. Don’t be afraid to have your “band” sing the song first, followed by congregational join in, especially for new songs.
It is helpful to get your singers listening to the songs that you will be learning. There’s several ways to do this. For the more popular songs, each singer can search for the song on YouTube, at their leisure, and usually find a version that they can listen to for free. Some of your singers might have the funds and the means to download their own MP3s. There’s also a Christian MP3 download service called “Songtouch” that allows you to make up to 10 copies of each downloaded song for your band members. “Songtouch” is associated with CCLI and is accessed through their website but I don’t believe that you have to be a contract holder to use it.
Gradually, your blended service formats will start to change. At our church, we completely phased out the organ during contemporary services. The entire hymnal sung responses were eliminated. You need to work with your Pastor and your worship team to add in contemporary replacements. For example, for the psalm of the day, we sometimes read the psalm responsively or sometimes the pastor reads it followed by a contemporary song based on the text of the Psalm. Keep all of your current traditional worship elements, things like the prayers, benediction, creeds, confession of sins and absolution of sins. These are vitally important. You will find that you are doing more talking and reading than singing. You will also find that your people are reading more scripture as opposed to being read to. This is OK. This is part of the package.
As you pick up steam, you will need a permanent solution to your copyright needs. This actually needs to be addressed fairly early. There are a number of options. Here’s what we did:
We purchased a CCLI license agreement, identified a Lay coordinator of the contract, and assembled our own songbooks from music that was downloaded off the WEB through the CCLI songselect service.
Each month, we added four or five new songs into 3-ring binders that were used as our congregational songbooks.
The CCLI coordinator worked with the Pastor to identify good song choices, downloaded the song sheets, tracked song usage, reported copy activity to CCLI (when asked to do so) and got all the necessary copies made.
We did this for about a year, then decided to purchase song books. Again there are several choices. NPH offers a songbook called “Let All the People Praise You” and there’s another book called “the Best of the Best” from Fellowship Ministries. We actually use both, and still maintain a CCLI license and a Onelicense agreement as well. This gives us maximum flexibility but it’s not necessary. There are additional song resources on the WEB, for example “Sovereign Grace Ministries” and “Getty & Townend” offer digital sheet music downloads for reasonable prices and their lyrics are usually beautifully crafted.
We had another memorable moment when it came to songbook purchases. These can be expensive. We covered most of the cost of our books by a memorial donation from a member who had passed away; a member who enjoyed the contemporary services and even played guitar. But we fell short, and needed an additional couple hundred dollars. Two retired ladies, who both prefer traditional worship approached me and volunteered to purchase the remaining books. I don’t remember their exact words but the sentiment they voiced was that they prefer the hymnal and the traditional services but they saw the passion that the Lord has stirred in me and the excitement of several members, especially teens, over the new music and that they wanted to help out. Now that is a loving heart and a wonderful outpouring of faith.
As you grow, you can add more contemporary ideas into your blended services. Our Pastor started to use PowerPoint for his sermons for example during the blended services thinking that the people are more tolerant of “new ideas” in the more relaxed contemporary mood of the blended worship services.
We also started a children’s message during the blended service that eventually led into a weekly offering at our church.
On occasion we use worship videos for either sermon illustrations or for sing-along musical accompaniment. There are many products available from outfits like Integrity, Igniter Media and Worshiphousemedia.com.
On two occasions, we have even used art in worship. One was a sermon based on a Renaissance piece by Matthias Grunewald titled “the crucifixion” and the other was using a piece of art from one of our teenage members depicting the seraphim in the Isaiah 6 account.
Don’t forget to include occasional hymns in your blended services. Give some of the newer arrangements a try. Indelible Grace offers song sheets for free off their website that includes many of our Lutheran hymns.
We had another memorable service once when we included “Amazing Grace” but accompanied it with piano and guitar. It was another one of those worship moments when you just felt God’s fire inside of you. At some point in the song, our pianist just stopped playing. I continued strumming and the congregation continued singing. On the very next verse, the pianist joined back in but the Lord started to affect me. I got choked up again. I’ve been playing guitar for 35 years and this three chord song was all of the sudden beyond my reach. I was humbled right there before God and stopped strumming. Something inside me just said to “stop”. As the last verse rolled around, I joined back in. After the service, I asked our pianist what happened to him. He said, “I don’t know, I just couldn’t play.” Incredible!
Use pre-service music and Offertory music as a vehicle to introduce new songs to your congregation. We used to use “next month’s” new songs as pre-service for “this month’s” blended service. This requires you to do worship planning a few months in advance but it is worthwhile.
We also use a lot of Lay readings and other Lay participation during the blended services. This is exciting and should be encouraged.
Build up a library of favorite songs and after several months, try to limit new songs to only one or two per blended service. Phase into this, after two or three months, your library will be small, so try to have one familiar song per service. After six months, have two familiar songs, then finally, after a year, maybe limit yourself to one new song per service.
Be mindful, loving, respectful and considerate to those in your congregation who oppose the new music and/or instrumentation. Pastor Mielke once told me “keep your lyrics biblically based” and you can’t go wrong. It’s good advice. Make sure that you keep attending the traditional services and keep your energy and spirit levels up while singing those hymns! It’s not about favorites or our personal likes and dislikes. It’s about God and God is infinitely above style. Style doesn’t matter to Him, nor should it to you. This should not become a divisive issue. Something’s wrong if it does escalate.
If your Pastor sings, ask him to solo or duet a contemporary song with you. This “buy-in” will go a long way with people that are opposed to the musical style.
It also helps if your Pastor quotes the lyrics of a contemporary song in his sermon where appropriate – even during the traditional services.
I’ll never forget the time that Pastor Mielke quoted the lyrics of Richie Mullen’s classic song “Awesome God” in a sermon. I was smiling from ear to ear because it showed open mindedness on his part, some acceptance, and it made a good point with respect to what he was saying.
There are sound system and visual projection issues that come with contemporary media that will need to be addressed. I’m not going to do that in this posting but be forewarned that you will need a good sound person to man the soundboard or to listen in the congregation (during sound check and during the service). His or her job is to make sure that there is good volume and a good mix, so that the singers are loud enough to lead the congregation and the instruments (in the background) are loud enough to be heard (but not too loud that they distract).
If you are the lead musician and work with your Pastor, become familiar with how worship is designed around a theme. Learn to use the Lectionary Calendar, read your bible, and use your songbooks scriptural and thematic indices. After you do this for awhile, you will begin to see common threads running in all three scripture readings for each Sunday. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as you select music.
Exercise your religious freedoms in these services. You are not following a rigid script as its printed in your hymnal. We have done such things as “Earth Day” creation based worship services in April, flag folding ceremonies on Veteran’s Day and Mother’s Day Litanies in May. Just keep the focus on God.
Here are some web resources mentioned in the above list and other resources that you might find helpful as you consider blended worship:
Copyright Resources:
http://www.ccli.com/
http://www.onelicense.net/
Songbook Resources:
http://online.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?servingyou/music/songbook
http://www.thefellowship.com/?page=bob_songlist
http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/category.aspx?categoryID=842
http://www.gettymusic.com/usa/shopindex.asp
http://sjbrown58.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/which-contemporary-songbook-should-we-choose/
MIDI Resources:
http://www2.mlc-wels.edu/dbauer/resources.htm
Video Resources:
http://www.ignitermedia.com/home
http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/
http://www.sermonspice.com/
http://www.integritydirect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category__10151_-1_10051_15735_15735_Y
http://sjbrown58.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/music-videos/
Song Sheet & Lead Sheet Resources:
http://www.leadworship.com/resources/songbook.html
http://www.worshiptogether.com/
http://www.greatworshipsongs.com/
http://sjbrown58.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/ministry-tool-where-to-find-free-legal-sheet-music/
New Hymn Arrangements:
http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/home.html
http://www.freewebs.com/sonsongs/
http://hymncharts.com/
Song & MP3 Resources:
http://musicstore.songtouch.com/
http://www.greatworshipsongs.com/
Choosing and Evaluating Contemporary Music:
http://www.cph.org/cphstore/Find.asp?find%5Fcategory=WEB%5FALL&find%5Fdescription=&find%5Fpart%5Fdesc=
http://sjbrown58.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/a-few-of-my-favorite-contemporary-song-choices-for-the-church-year/
http://sjbrown58.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/how-to-choose-music-wisely/
http://sjbrown58.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/files-for-download/
(CCM Songs.xls by John Kehl)
“Blended Worship that Works” by James Tiefel (Forward in Christ, January 2004)
“The Church and Its Ministry - Music/Worship (01) WELS available here:
http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1518&cuTopic_topicID=65&cuItem_itemID=2078
“Lutheran Hymnody: Orthodoxy in Song (Lutheran Worship: Why we do what we do) by Dr. Chad Bird available here:
http://www.lmsusa.org/tt-05-03.htm#05034
“Pietism: Past and Present” by John Brenner available here:
http://wlsessays.net/files/BrennerPietism.pdf
“Choosing Hymns” available here:
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2755
“It’s about Substance” by Pastor Johnold Strey available here:
http://pastorstrey.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/its-about-substance/
“Proclaiming the Gospel in Worship” by Johnold Strey, available here:
http://pastorstrey.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/gospel-in-worship-version-4-3-wlq-corrected5.pdf
Source: A special note of thanks goes to John Kehl (from Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Appleton, WI) for proof reading this document before publishing and for adding comments and additional helpful information.
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Learn a Song - Bless the LordFebruary 20, 2009 at 9:38 pm · Filed under Guitar, Music, Worship Music, Worship Tools, contemporary christian music ·Tagged Free MP3, Guitar, Laura Story
If you’re a guitar player (especially a beginner), videos like this one below can be very helpful:
If you are a member at “Greatworshipsongs.com” you can grab a free lead sheet of this song and the MP3 as well. They run these give-aways often. They also include the story behind the song as well! Its a great way to build up your library! Here’s their link:
http://greatworshipsongs.com/
Consider joining today. They require you to register with an email address. It’s also a great place to download sheet music for very reasonable prices.
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Happy Valentine’s DayFebruary 13, 2009 at 11:21 am · Filed under Scripture ·Tagged Isaiah 43
Near as I can tell, there is only one place in the bible where God specifically says the three words together “I love you.”
This is what the LORD says—
he who created you,
he who formed you,
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
- Adapted from Isaiah 43
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society
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A few of My Favorite Contemporary Song Choices for the Church YearFebruary 12, 2009 at 10:54 pm · Filed under Blended Worship, Music, Song Ideas, Worship Music, contemporary christian music ·Tagged Song Choices
For Advent, we play “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel”
For Christmas, we play “Joy to the World”
For Palm Sunday, we play “All Glory Laud and Honor”
For Easter, we play “Christ, the Lord is Risen Today”
For Trinity, we play “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty”
For Reformation, we play “A Mighty Fortress”
For Thanksgiving, we play ”Now Thank We All Are God”
For Saint’s Triumphant, we play “For All the Saints”
These are all no-brainers; but what about some contemporary “stand-bys”? Not so easy. Here’s some help:
Advent: “El Shaddai”* by Michael Card or “Light One Candle”*(B) by Natalie Sleeth
Christmas: stick with Carols and Hymns because that’s what people like and expect to sing.
Epiphany: “One Small Child”*(L) by David Meece or “A Joy Has Dawned”* by Keith Getty or “All Hail King Jesus”*(B) by Dave Moody
Ash Wednesday: “At the Foot of the Cross (Ashes to Beauty)” (1) by Kathryn Scott
Lent: “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”* by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, or “Amazing Love”*(B) by Graham Kendrick, or “Above All”*(B) by Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc or “Once Again”*(B) by Matt Redman or “On My Cross” (1) by Jeremy Diebler or “the Power of the Cross”* by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty or “the Coloring Song”*(L) by David Eden
Palm Sunday: “He is Exalted”*(L) by Twila Paris or “We Bow Down”*(B) by Twila Paris
Easter: “Celebrate Jesus”*(B) by Gary Oliver or “On the Thrid Day” (1) by Matt Maher & Marc Byrd, or “Resurrection Hymn”* by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend or “Happy Day” (1) by Tim Hughes
Trinity:“Glorify Thy Name*(B)(L)” by Donna Adkins, or “Father, I Adore You”*(L) by Terry Coehlo, or “Our God Saves” (1) by Paul Baloche, or “Song of Love” (1) by Rebecca St. James
Ascension: “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” *(B) by Rick Founds
Pentecost: “Holy Spirit” * by Keith Getty or “Shine, Jesus Shine” *(B)(L) by Graham Kendrick or “Revival Fire Fall” *(B) by Paul Baloche
Reformation: don’t do it! J
Thanksgiving: “Give Thanks” *(B)(L) by Henry Smith, or “Forever” (1) by Chris Tomlin
End Times: “Days of Elijah”* by Robin Mark or “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?” *(B) by Martin Smith
Mission Festival or Friendship Evangelism: “Shout to the North”*(B) by Martin Smith or “We Speak to Nations” (1) by Israel Houghton, or “Here I Am, Lord”*(B) by Daniel Schutte, or “Pass it On”*(L) by Kurt Kaiser, or “People Need the Lord”*(L) by Phill McHugh and Greg Neslon
Baptisms: “Father Welcomes”*(B)(L) by Robin Mann
Communion: “What is This Bread”*(B) by Jean Neuhauser Baue
Stewardship Sunday: “the Heart of Worship”*(B) by Matt Redman, or “Offering” (1) by Paul Baloche, or “You Are” (1) by Mark Roach
Contemporary Arrangements of hymns: “Amazing Grace – My Chains are Gone” (1) by Chris Tomlin, or “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross – the Wonderful Cross” * by Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman, or “Take My Life and Let it Be”* by Chris Tomlin
Call to Worship: “Here I Am to Worship”* by Tim Hughes
I’d also like to mention two versatile songs that can be used on a number of occasions: “In Christ Alone”* by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend and “Shine Jesus Shine”*(B)(L) by Graham Kendrick.
And finally, I am a fan of responsive songs. Two of my favorites are “Victory Chant”*(B) by Joseph Vogels and “Lord Most High”*(B) by Don Harris and Gary Sadler. I like responsive songs because the smallest children can sing along.
Notes:
* = Congregational Friendly
(1) = Solo or praise band only
(B) = in the “Best of the Best” Songbook
(L) = in the LAPPY songbook
One final note, as a general rule, you can listen to most of these songs by going to http://www.youtube.com and searching on the title of the song enclosed in quotes.
Please feel free to leave a comment if you have some favorites!
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How the Digital TV Transition Might Affect Your Wireless MicsFebruary 10, 2009 at 9:41 pm · Filed under Equipment ·Tagged Wireless Mics
UPDATE - THIS WILL NOW OCCUR ON 6/12/2009!
I’m not sure where the US stands on the 2/17 Digital TV transition as I’ve heard some rumors that it might be postponed. If it does happen on 2/17 as planned, those of you that use wireless microphones or in-ear monitors need to look at the operating frequency range of your devices. If they operate in the 700MHz band, you will need to replace them. This is described on the Shure website here:
http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/PressRoom/WhiteSpaces/index.htm
As I understand the situation, if you do have 700MHz in-ear monitors, they will stop working completely and your microphones will sporadically drop-out if they also operate in the 700 MHz range. All brands of wireless microphones operating in the 700MHz band will be affected. I’m only commenting on Shure because they have addressed the situation on their website.
The good news is that Shure will offer rebates of up to $1,000 to upgrade your wireless equipment. See details at this website:
http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Rebates/us_pro_rebate_wireless
I’m told that any wireless microphones purchased before 2/1/2007 are potentially affected.
If you’re currently shopping for new wireless equipment, stay out of the 700 MHz range and look for products that operate in the 500-600 MHz band. Be sure to ask the salesperson if the new equipment is compatible with the upgrade.
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When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Isaac Watts meets Chris Tomlin)February 9, 2009 at 10:46 pm · Filed under Blended Worship, Lent, Music, Worship Music ·Tagged Chris Tomlin, Isaac Watts
BACKGROUND OF ISAAC WATTS & “WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS”
Isaac Watts was born in 1674 in Southampton England. “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is thought, by many, to be the greatest hymn ever written.
The eldest of nine children, he was the son of an educated deacon in a dissenting Congregational church. At the time of Isaac’s birth, his father was in prison for his non-conformist beliefs. Young Watts showed an unusual aptitude for study and learned Latin at the age of five, Greek at nine, French at eleven and Hebrew at thirteen. He began to write verses of good quality when he was very young. Watts is frequently referred to as the father of English hymnody. One of his early concerns was the deplorable state to which congregational singing had degenerated in most English-speaking churches. The singing consisted of slow, ponderous Psalms in which each line was first read by an appointed deacon and was followed by the droning of the congregation. Watts was a revolutionary producing “futuristic music” for his time. Because of this bold departure from the traditional Psalms, Isaac Watts was often considered to be a radical churchman. Watts not only rewrote the Psalms in this way, but he also wrote a number of hymns based solely on personal feelings. These hymns were known as hymns of human composure. Such hymns were very controversial during his lifetime. “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is an example of this type of hymn written by Watts. It’s the first known hymn to be written in the first person, introducing a personal religious experience rather than limiting itself to doctrine.
Isaac Watts, and his hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” helped to reshape the future of church music as we know it today. Mr. Watts would have been proud to know that Chris Tomlin is continuing his tradition.
The words of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” tell a wonderful story. They tell of the paradoxical beauty of sacrifice. They tell a story of pain and suffering woven together with joy and love. Who would have ever thought that these polar opposites could come together and form a paradoxical statement that on the face of it sounds ridiculous, but when taken to heart and pondered makes so much sense that even the simplest of minds can understand it?
The lost Verse:
Watts, actually wrote 5 verses but one has been dropped through the years (including in our hymnal). Here’s is the missing verse (it’s actually meant to be the fourth verse):
“His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree:
Then am I dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.”
BACKGROUND OF CHRIS TOMLIN AND “THE WONDERFUL CROSS”
Born and raised in East Texas, Chris Tomlin grew up on a steady diet of country music, learning his guitar style by playing along with Willie Nelson records. Not that you would ever guess it from listening to the gentle smoothness of his vocals.
“I love the simplicity of drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitars,” Chris explains. “We’re not about putting on a big show. We don’t want to be rock stars. We’re about connecting with people and having a shared experience of coming before God and worshipping Him.
Credited with venerable church choruses such as “Forever,” “We Fall Down,” and “The Wonderful Cross,” Tomlin is considered one of this era’s top songwriters. With millions singing his songs weekly, Chris is recognized as a pivotal voice of today’s modern expression of Christian worship. Yet, Tomlin has masterminded several remakes of classic hymns including Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) and “Take My Life and Let it Be.”
Here is the chorus that Chris Tomlin added:
Oh the wonderful cross, Oh the wonderful cross
Bids me come, and die, and find
That I may truly live.
Oh the wonderful cross, Oh the wonderful cross
All who gather here, by grace,
Draw near and bless Your name.
CCLI Song No. 3148435 © 2000 worshiptogether.com songs\Six Steps Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)\(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Chris Tomlin / Isaac Watts / J. D. Walt / Jesse Reeves
The scriptural reference to “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is Galatians 6:14.
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. - NIV
Tomlin’s chorus draws from Gal 2:20:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - NIV
You can listen to Tomlin’s version here (with a little help from Matt Redman):
Want to give this new version a try this year? Here’s a few places that sell the sheet music in digital form (can be downloaded instantly):
Here’s a free pdf of the lead sheet (no piano notation): http://www.musicatmars.com/worship/sheet/The%20Wonderful%20Cross.pdf
Here’s piano/vocal/guitar music for $3.99: http://www.sheetmusicdirect.us/search/productDetail.do?itemId=1000001419
You can also download a nicely done MIDI file of this arrangement for free here:
Listen to it here: http://www2.mlc-wels.edu/dbauer/midi%20files/oct%2024%202004/wonderful%20cross2.MID
Download the file by scrolling down to “Wonderful Cross” (right mouse, save target as) here: http://www2.mlc-wels.edu/dbauer/CCLI%20Resources.htm
Or, you can download it from my file download area (lower right hand column of this BLOG page).
Information Sources:
1. Isaac Watts Bio - http://www.webedelic.com/church/isurveyf.htm and other internet sources
2. Chris Tomlin Bio - http://pressroom.emicmg.com/artists/ChrisTomlin/files/uploads/filedownloads/Chris_Tomlin_Arriving_Bio.doc and other internet sources
3. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society
Please report song usage to CCLI if you have such a license. The song number for “the Wonderful Cross” is #3148435.
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The BeatitudesFebruary 6, 2009 at 3:42 pm · Filed under Music, Scripture, Worship Music ·Tagged Beatitudes, Matthew 5:2-12, Michael Schroeder, Music Videos
The Beatitudes are contained in Matthew 5:2-12. This video of the Beatitudes was made possible with the help of WELS musician Michael Schroeder and is presented here with his permission. Thanks Michael for sharing your song!
The video actually starts in silence for the first 40 seconds, so don’t turn up your speakers.
You can learn more about Michael Schroeder and his band here:
www.michaelschroeder.com
Or at his myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/michaelschroeder
And here’s his band members:
RANDY ERICKSON: ( Drums )
SCOTT BREAULT: ( Guitars )
DEB KNUTSON: ( Keys & Vocals)
BRODY KNUTSON (Video Tech )
MICHAEL SCHROEDER (Vocals, Keys, & Guitars)
Michael is a member at St. Paul’s in Wis. Rapids, WI
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Files for DownloadFebruary 3, 2009 at 10:11 pm · Filed under Worship Tools
I have added a new feature to my BLOG. At the bottom of the right column is a box where you can download files that I have posted for general use and distribution. There are two files right now. One is the revised lectionary from our Synod that goes with the Hymnal Supplement and the other is an EXCEL database of contemporary songs that has been compiled by BLOG reader and member of Mt. Olive Lutheran in Appleton, WI – John Kehl. John has listed many CCM songs, rated them for their lyrical content, identified themes, and included publisher information. It’s a great resource and thanks go to John for sharing. By the way, John’s band is known as “Joyful Noise” check them out if you are in or near Appleton.
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Music VideosFebruary 1, 2009 at 9:42 pm · Filed under Blended Worship, How To, Music, Song Ideas, Worship Music, contemporary christian music ·Tagged Integrity Worship Music, Music Videos
Several people have asked me for a good source of music videos to use as sing-a-longs either in worship or at youth events. These are great, especially if you have limited instrumentalists in your congregation. I have found the best videos to be produced by Integrity Worship. They have several families of music videos but the “iworship at home” series seems to offer the “best bang for the buck.” For about $15, you can buy one DVD that contains a half dozen or so professionally recorded song videos with lyrics to sing along with. You can purchase these at your local Christian Bookstore and on-line at Amazon.com (search on “iworship at home”)
You can also see the full line up of Integrity music videos at their website:
http://www.integritydirect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category__10151_-1_10051_15739_15735
You can view individual songs at this website:
http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/index.cfm?hndl=producer&id=25
One note of caution, please review the songs prior to usage and make sure that the lyrics are in line with your doctrinal beliefs. I have found most of these songs to be good, but I have not seen all of the DVDs.
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