St Paul’s Menai’s second congregational worship CD, launched over the weekend, has already changed one life.

One 14-year-old young woman from Queensland who has a Catholic background attended the launch concert at St Paul’s on Saturday night while in Sydney visiting her relatives from the church.

As musicians, singers and songwriters from St Paul’s performed to a crowd of 300 to launch Present, Near, Eternal , the girl was moved to become a Christian that night, according to St Paul’s parishioner and team member, Alasdair Langridge.

"Apparently she was in tears in the car as they drove home that night, asking how she could become a Christian. She said, "I never knew that church was all about a personal relationship with Jesus. I want to know him too'," Mr Langridge shares. 

"She had never before heard this kind of music with a message of love and hope and was blown away by it. This is why we pen songs given to us by the Holy Spirit, born out of our own personal walks with God " as a witness that he is a loving God who wants our lives and allegiance."

Mr Langridge has overseen the Present, Near, Eternal project, which is the second worship music album to be launched by St Paul’s.

The members of the group perform under the name CrossRidge, a name which has strong significance to the church.

"The Cross is our focus as musicians and our church is located in Barden Ridge so the name CrossRidge was born."

Mr Langridge, 58, who has been leading congregational worship from a piano or organ since the age of 13, says he has witnessed in his own life the power that music has to touch a person deeply.

"It touches my soul, softens my heart to receive the Lord's rebuke and encourage me when I felt weak in my faith. The word of God can also be reinforced via music," he says.

The journey to now

Mr Langridge acknowledges that Menai Anglican has been blessed over the years to have some great musical talent amongst its congregations.

"When we came together back in May 2006 to begin this project, our vision from the Lord was to bring into being a project of worship songs that could be sung congregationally," Mr Langridge says.

"We believe God has given us the gifts and talents to write and perform worship songs to lead our own house with and to provide the broader Christian community some biblically based songs for contemporary worship congregations".

Mr Langridge says it was very difficult to limit the song selection down to one album but feels that "in the end the Lord gave [them] a bunch of great songs to worship him with'.

"We are already using some of the songs locally in our own worship which is great and on the launch night many outsiders were joining in singing the songs."

Around half the current Crossridge group wrote and performed on the church’s first worship album " Love Rain Down " in 2005. 

Songs from Love Rain Down have also received extensive airplay and Mr Langridge hopes the same for Present, Near, Eternal.

"We have felt very humbled that, for a first-time effort from an unknown entity, some of the songs from the first album have periodically made it onto the airwaves from Sydney's premier Christian radio station 103.2 FM," Mr Langridge says.

"The church has had many calls from people who have been blessed by hearing the songs and who have wanted to get a copy of the album. A copy of Present, Near, Eternal has been given to 103.2 FM for assessment and use but we are still to receive any feedback as to whether they will give any of the songs airplay or not.”

The whole funding for the project was advanced as a progressive loan from Parish Council.

"They have been fantastically supportive and I think saw how Love Rain Down has reached a lot of people and were prepared to allow a higher budget this time round," Mr Langridge says. 

Any profit from CD sales will be put back into the next project or used to purchase better sound equipment for the church.

Present Near Eternal is currently available from the St Paul's church office 9541 0990 for $25 or in a pack of 5 for $100

Mr Langridge anticipates having it available in major Christian bookshops in Sydney in early 2009.

For more details visit the website.