Songwriting

The Power of a Song

Post a Comment » Written on March 16th, 2013     
Filed under: Covenant History, Music, Songwriting

Andrew Thompson (M.Div) is the founding and lead pastor of Columbia Grove Covenant Church in Wenatchee, Washington, a church known for the creative arts. His songs are sung by churches around the US and Canada and have been featured at the Evangelical Covenant Church’s Midwinter Conference.

Most everyone can complete this phrase. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the ________.” Why? Because of a song.

Songs have a unique and powerful way of lodging ideas and emotions in our minds and hearts. We are influenced and shaped by our songs. If you are at all like me, you probably have powerful memories and emotions attached to the songs that were popular back when you were in high school. Probably also the songs that were a part of the time when you first came to Christ.

The Covenant Church, like all revival movements, was shaped by its songwriting. One of the reasons our faith forefathers and foremothers were drawn into Philipp Spener’s version of pietism was that this movement produced good songs. Their songs expressed the joy they experienced in conventical groups as they studied God’s Word together and sought to apply it to their lives in mission. Their songs shaped them. Those songs are a powerful part of why the Covenant Church is what it is today.

Like those who have gone before us, we continue to write songs that express who we are and what God is doing in our midst. We need to do it frequently, carefully and well. After all, our songs continue to shape us. We become what we sing.

I am so grateful to see the recent renewal of songwriting awareness in the Covenant church. Projects like last Midwinter’s song sampler “Louder Than Words” remind us that we are still a songwriting revival movement.

I’m excited to be a part of North Park Seminary’s new songwriting course “Songwriting for Christian Worship.” (If you are in the Chicagoland area, there’s an affordable one-day workshop option for this course too.)

Just like we invest in our pastors through training and formation, we’re investing in our songwriters. We’re going to be shaped by songs. Let’s write the best songs we can. And let’s share the best of them with each other. Why not have some of the songs that shape our movement now be our own?

What do you think? How have songs shaped you and your congregation? Are you excited by these renewed efforts to develop Covenant songwriters and songs?



Devotional for a pilgrimage…

1 Comment » Written on January 12th, 2013     
Filed under: Better Together, Bible, Event Worship Resources, Events, NPTS, Resources for Worship, Scripture, Songwriting

Today’s post is written by Geoff Twigg, Adjunct Professor at North Park University in Chicago. Geoff is a pastor, singer/songwriter, worship leader and ministry consultant, and serves the ECC as a member of the denomination’s Commission on Worship.

As we leave the Holidays behind and focus on a new calendar year, Covenanters everywhere across North America see another milestone in the near future; the Midwinter Conference. I’ve had a lot of preparation to do before the Conference this time, and so I have an even greater sense of anticipation than in previous years.

I’m reminded of a great Hebrew tradition, honed by many years of repetition, a tradition that can inspire us as we approach this new year, and particularly if we’re planning to gather together in San Diego. The practice leads us to focus on a subset of the book of Psalms, called the Psalms of Ascents (Psalms 120-134) which form useful devotional guidelines as we consider our pilgrimage.

No, dear reader, don’t worry; I’m not misinterpreting the Midwinter Conference as being more than it is. However, it can be a time when we seek the Lord for new revelations about our practice, or a time of refreshment and renewed spiritual vitality. In fact, I am praying that’s true for each of us, even those pastors and staff who have to stay home so that others can go.

I should, however, mention here that there is a rich offering this year for those involved in worship ministry. We have workshops, conversations planned over lunch, the opportunity to record your own song ideas or talk over how best to approach recording, a full class on worship and the Bible, an open-mic night, a hymn-sing… the list goes on and on. You can sing in the choir, or just ‘chill’ in sunny San Diego.

Meanwhile, back to the point; getting ready to let God re-focus your vision. In this devotional for a pilgrimage, we find a wide range of subjects covered. Be open; any or all of them might have special meaning for you. Here is a cursory analysis of the topics covered, roughly in order. You might care to hear them spoken by a variety of voices:

“It is God who protects and helps us” (I lift my eyes to the hills…), “it’s good to get together to worship God!” (and we pray for peace of our city and our Kingdom).

God shelters us and we’re devoted to God; “we thank God for constant help and protection”, (remember how God helped us in history?). There are reminders that unless the work is established by God it’s all in vain; that despite opposition I’m flourishing through God’s help…

I’m desperate for God, “I trust God as a child trusts”, (remember how David established this special place, and was rewarded?), and a reminder that working together in unity brings a special blessing. We end with a final song of praise in celebration.

This year, when we’re finally at Midwinter, our thoughts will be guided towards God’s preparation of his servants (Ps.139), God’s protection (Ps.46) and the provision of everything we need to do God’s work (Ps.126).

Before we get there, however, would you care to join me as we consider the themes that formed the thinking of believers on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, for many centuries past?



Strength in diversity

Post a Comment » Written on June 10th, 2011     
Filed under: Better Together, Leadership, Liturgy, Songwriting, Style of Worship, Writing and blogging
Tags: , , , , ,

In encouraging fellow worship leaders to sign up and start commenting on the Facebook discussion page, “Better Together”, I don’t think any of us anticipated the breadth or depth of topics that might be covered. Today there are 135 of us from various churches across the Covenant, and the diversity of topics and perspective is amazing. During this week alone, posts ranged from practical issues to deep theology and philosophy.

Examples of the practical side would include:

- what type of instrument and equipment the guitarists use,

- our preference and the acoustic effect of stage platform coverings (more reflected sound from a wooden stage is better for a choir, but for a rhythm section it’s best to use carpeting) and

- the disposition and timing of going to two services, with or without simultaneous Sunday School classes.Throughout these topics, we’re reminded that this forum is populated with skilled musicians and artists who make technical and pragmatic decisions every day, encouraging and enabling ministry through the arts and leading by example. Continue Reading »



Covenant Songwriting Featured at Midwinter 2010

Post a Comment » Written on January 15th, 2010     
Filed under: Culture, Event Worship Resources, Events, Formation, Music, Resources for Worship, Songwriting, Theology

Thanks to the many excellent submission by Covenant songwriters, the Event Song Review Panel had a very hard time choosing one song to highlight at Midwinter 2010. In the end, two were choose. “Bring Life” by Andy Cater and Steve Hindalong and “God Loved the World” by Jennifer Shaw, Paul Marino and Jeremy Johnson.

Midwinter 2010 participants will receive a CD of these songs to take back to their churches and Andy’s song “Bring Life” will be featured at the Wednesday morning worship service.

Andy Cater is the Worship Leader and Music Director at Redwood Covenant Church in Santa Rosa CA. Jennifer Shaw is the Music Director at Faith Covenant Church in Westerville OH.

Please visit the provided songwriter’s website links for more songs, and to download charts for your own use.

All songs submitted for this process will be retained for consideration for use later denomination-wide Covenant events. These particular songs were chosen in part, because they fit the theme of this year’s focus “The Necessity of the New Birth” so well. As other Covenant affirmations are highlighted in upcoming years, other quality songs will be chosen to best highlight the theme.

Thanks to all who participated in this pilot project. We hope this is the first step towards an increasing awareness of the many quality songs being written across the Covenant church. May God receive all the glory!

Rooting for you,

Andrew



December 15 is the Cutoff Date for Sharing Your Songs

Post a Comment » Written on December 7th, 2009     
Filed under: Core Values, Culture, Event Worship Resources, Liturgy, Music, Order of Worship, Resources for Worship, Songwriting, Theology

Thanks to everyone who has sent in songs for consideration for use at Midwinter.


Sharing our Songs

The cutoff date for song submissions is December 15. Review will begin shortly after. Selected writers will be contacted early in January to make permission use arrangements.

Again thanks!

Rooting for you,

Andrew



Sharing Our Songs!

3 comments Written on September 24th, 2009     
Filed under: Culture, Event Worship Resources, Liturgy, Local Church, Missional, Music, Resources for Worship, Songwriting, Theology
We’re working to develop and promote indigenous Covenant music – songs written in the Covenant church, that are an overflow of the missional life that we share. Through the Department of Christian Formation we are excited to start a pilot project of gathering and redistributing music written within our midst. Here’s how it works.

We’re looking for songs that can potentially become “theme songs” for various Covenant wide events. Each year we have a theme for our denominational events that flows out of our core values and theology. Send us any of your original songs that might support these themes. If your song is selected by the committee, it will be featured at the event, and a recording of the song will be distributed to all the participants so that they can take them back to their churches to the song can be sung in the local church.

Submit a song

The 2010 Midwinter the theme is “The Necessity of the New Birth.” Send us your original songs that flow out of that theme. We would love to hear them and pass the best songs on! Pass the word around! There’s a lot of “untapped” songwriting talent in the Covenant. We’re hoping this is a first step of many in helping to uncover some of that talent.

Rooting for you,

Andrew Thompson

of the Event Song Selection Committee

(A sub-committee of the Worship Commission)



Singing and Praying Justice

Post a Comment » Written on August 27th, 2009     
Filed under: Core Values, Culture, Dangerous Worship, Ethics, Formation, Leadership, Liturgy, Local Church, Missional, Music, Resources for Worship, Songwriting, Style of Worship, Uncategorized

A powerful reminder that the words we sing matter. As worship leaders we can either promote justice and a multidimensional view of God or myopic materialism – or often something somewhere in between. So much of it is in the words we sing.

http://www.urbanfaith.com/2009/08/singing-and-praying-justice.html

Thanks to Millie Lundgren for the link.

Rooting for you,

Andrew



Finding our Voice in Worship

3 comments Written on June 30th, 2009     
Filed under: Formation, Liturgy, Local Church, Music, Resources for Worship, Songwriting

Thanks for the replies regarding songs that reflect our Covenant identity and values. It seems this theme is striking a “chord” in the Covenant community. It is my hope that forums like this will be one small part of helping to further develop a corporate culture where Covenant identity is increasingly being sung as part of the worship life of our local churches.

One way I think we could celebrate our Covenant identity in worship is by having indigenous songs (songs written within the Covenant church) being submitted for consideration by local church as potential “theme songs” for our larger denomination-wide events.  While there would no doubt be some sort of selection process involved, (perhaps involving the Worship Commission) it would allow at least one new “Covenant” song to come to the forefront at each major Denominational event. Participants would leave knowing the song, and possibly eager to share it in their home churches.

What do you think? What are the greatest challenges you think an idea like this would face? Would you be interested in sharing more Covenant-culture affirming music with your congregations? (Assuming the song quality is high.)

Rooting for you,

Andrew



Remembering Who Our Friends Are (Unsung Song Themes)

5 comments Written on June 16th, 2009     
Filed under: Bible, Church History, Core Values, Culture, Formation, Liturgy, Local Church, Missional, Music, Songwriting, Style of Worship, Uncategorized, Writing and blogging
Here’s a harder one. But it’s a question that’s been haunting me:

What are some of the important, but relatively distinctive, theological ideas that form the core of who we are as a Covenant church? And how, if at all, are those ideas expressed in song?

I’m not talking about the “we love God” stuff that ever Christian church wholeheartedly affirms – though I know we would affirm that too. Rather, what are the things that together make us distinctly “Covenant?” And are these ideas that express our character, flavor and approach ideas that we ever sing about? Are there songs that, even in part, express these ideas?

Let’s make a list. I’ll start with what I’ve got. You add your ideas to it.

Two rules:
1) Any song you list must be a song your church has actually sung within the last year. Don’t just raid the hymnal index.
2) If you feel you must disagree with someone’s post….please say so nicely.

The Idea:                                 A Song The Expresses That Idea:

Holistic Mission       -     We Are One in the Spirit, Let You Glory Fall, Christ Our Hope Is Here, Lord Give Us Eyes

Priesthood of all Believers    – ??…I’m drawing blanks…ideas??

Freedom in Christ    -     ??? Please, there’s got to be a song… right????

Evangelical but not exclusive      -

Biblical but not doctrinaire – “Ancient Words”

Congregational but not Independent -

Traditional but not Rigid -

I’m surprised by how hard this list is to fill.  Where are the songs that reflect our values? I’ll keep working on my list and developing this idea over the next few weeks. Will you help?

Rooting for you,
Andrew


Telling Each Other’s Story (But NO Anonymous Song Requests)

1 Comment » Written on June 9th, 2009     
Filed under: Intergenerational, Leadership, Liturgy, Music, Order of Worship, Resources for Worship, Songwriting, Style of Worship, Uncategorized, Writing and blogging
Allow me to share an idea that’s been helpful in our church. It has done much to lessen the “worship wars” that sometimes happen because of stylistic preferences.  See what you think.
We ask people to recommend songs that “God has used to touch your life.”  People get to request a song that would like the worship team to lead sometime in the future, but each person has to include his or her name. No anonymous song requests. And only one or two songs per person.

At the close of a song (we usually project the lyrics) the congregation would see something like:

“This is one of __________ favorite worship songs.”

For example: (We don’t project the stuff written after in italics…)

“Big House”
This is one of Elizabeth’s Thompson’s favorite worship songs. (Elizabeth is our 5 year old daughter.)

“Because He Lives”
This is one of Bob Floyd’s favorite worship songs. (Bob is our 60 something Leadership Team chair)

There are often a number of names listed after a song.

We’ve found the naming names helps people to see why this song fits for our church. You might not like the song yourself, but if you know that God has used it to touch someone else in the congregation, and who, you get over that more quickly, rather than gripe and complain about how you’re convinced God doesn’t like the song. (It’s amazing how often God hates all the things you happen to hate isn’t it?)

We’ve had services where “In the Garden” is in the same worship set as “Jesus Freak.”  And strangely enough, it fits for us.

Rooting for you,

Andrew



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