AUDIO
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Archbishop Peter Jensen's Christmas Message 2011 on the centrality of Jesus to human history
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Regular readers know that I became music director at my church early in the year, and I’ve sometimes used these columns to reflect on my experiences in this role. I’ve also published the occasional song list as well, and I’m doing so again today. I’m hoping this will give struggling MD’s a few new song ideas, and encourage others to prune and evolve their own lists.
Here is the current song pool at my church -
All The Nations (Hodge)
Amazing Grace (my chains are gone) (Tomlin)
Blessed Be Your Name (Redman)
Come Thou Fount (traditional)
Grace Unmeasured (Sovereign Grace)
He Is Holy (Garage Hymnal)
How Deep (Sovereign Grace)
How Great Is Our God (Tomlin)
How Marvellous (Tomlin)
I Come by the Blood (Sovereign Grace)
In Christ Alone (Getty/Townend)
In the Valley (Sovereign Grace)
Indescribable (Tomlin)
It Is Not Death to Die (Sovereign Grace)
Jesus Messiah (Tomlin)
Jesus Thank You (Sovereign Grace)
Kingdom Song (Emu)
Let Your Kingdom Come (Sovereign Grace)
My Hope Is Built (Emu)
Never Alone (Emu)
Take My Life (Garage Hymnal)
The Power of the Cross (Getty)
This Life I Live (Emu)
I plan to teach the following songs in the next few months -
Beneath the Cross (Garage Hymnal)
The Voice of the Lord (Emu)
Holy (for you alone) (Castle Hill)
God Moves (Sovereign Grace)
You are God (Emu)
Father’s World (Emu/Garage Hymnal)
The Saving One (Star field)
Day Will Come (Emu)
One Day (Mark/Beeching)
Micah Song (Hodge)
Looking back, it’s a year where we’ve made a lot of use of overseas material, with Sovereign Grace and Tomlin now dominating our song pool. I deliberately set out to retire some of the older Emu tunes (which we have sung to death). My plan was to introduce some of the newer Emu stuff (which I really like), but I got less done in that direction than I hoped. I’ll be rectifying that to some extent in the coming months. Oh, and I’m more convinced than ever that regular pruning is needed to keep your music ministry fresh, vibrant and engaging.
So, what do you think of my list? What are you singing that I’m not? And where would you like to see your church music ministry head in the next year?
The church I am at at the moment does a lot of older hymns which I have not really heard much before and unfortunately I'm not able to be involved in music at the moment :(
Great list and good to see a wide variety there.
One website I would love you to get into ( as I can't use it at present and would love to know someone is plumbing the depths of) is Indelible Grace <http://www.igracemusic.com/>. There are copyright issues as they don't seem to be covered by CCLI license - even though other US musicians are covered - but I rang CCLI and they said that if you purchase their hymnbook and don't reproduce the words for congregation - or only do as an item you are covered.
surely there must be a better way but CCLI say they are working on it.
Give track two a crack from this album <http://www.igracemusic.com/ig5/>.
Its all/mostly old hymns with new contemporary tune/feel. Most encouraging!
Also recommend the Keith & Kristyn Getty's song "May this Journey Bring a Blessing." Check out Kristyn singing it on youtube.
We haven't introduced a new song this year now as our music team is consolidating what it knows for the sake of many youth who joined the team at the start of the year. Prior to this, a new song/old hymn with new tune was introduced about once every 2-3 months.