back at home

Finally got home in the early hours after a changed flight and some awkwardness... "these things are sent to try us" and sometimes they succeed.

Sorry for the 'radio silence' of the last few days. Haven't had my laptop during midwinter (youth pastor is studying and needed it for notes). Back online now, though, and I'm going to try to bring my hurriedly scribbled observations to order over the next day or so.

It was great to meet people. It was particularly good to meet Matt N, Chris W, Adriane, Jeff O, Jeff R, Jim B and the Rasheeds. What a phenomenal testimony to God's faithfulness and redemptive power! I talked to most of you about the idea of a Songwriters' Fellowship - apparently others had written to Katie Martinez or the Worship Connection blog about a similar idea. 

I've seen such a Fellowship working very well in the Sovereign Grace churches. While I was in the Ev Free I benefitted from their encouragement, even while not being part of their denomination. They have mentored a whole next generation of songwriters to better standards of musicianship and theological integrity, and they recognise this in others.

the first day of midwinter

Connection ended with a fascinating seminar on character types... and some more good conversation during the afternoon 'off'. I think I was expecting a final plenary session, but i guess last night's Celebration was a good summary. I understand that the 'Connection' event was originally arranged as a teaching time - and some of that character remains - but there are other major reasons for our denomination to assemble the creative artists, youth workers and those working on far-reaching policies like Compassion, Mercy and Justice. It's vital for the Covenant that we have a character that blends our cultures, a characteristic understanding and a spirit of cooperation.

It's vital for the Covenant that we have a character that blends our cultures, a characteristic understanding and a spirit of cooperation.

That sort of understanding starts with the thinkers, gets communicated through the arts and is celebrated in the teaching. Connection can be more intentional, more effective and more contagious.

Look at me, the new boy. One visit to an event and I start to 'buy in'. And the Main Event only just started. I'm enjoying the atmosphere here.

worship at Connection 09 felt like now. Worship at midwinter has begun to feel like the future.

The Connection 09 worship team was strongly contemporary; Tonight was a subtle mixture (very good, but still a little self-conscious) and a powerful combination of the best elements of our home styles of music and teaching.

So where are the discussions of music?

Music is not all of worship, “worship” doesn’t just mean music. Many people recognize that, although we keep falling into the trap of describing music as worship…
So where (at Connection 09) are the discussions of music? I don’t just mean repertoire; I mean, where’s a workshop
a) discussing the current fashions/trends in songwriting and whether they’re healthy.
b) teaching a high standard of lyrical writing and theological integrity?
c) the ‘great old’ items of covenant musical and liturgical history
d) how to develop musical authenticity in missional or multiculturalchurch planting (heaven knows we don’t want them all adopting an American musical vernacular!)
Maybe they’ll be happening at Midwinter proper?

Oh, I met Matt Lundgren. A really good guy, by all accounts. For me, he was the same off-stage as on, very humble and helpful.

at the end of the day...

This has been a very full and fulfilling day. Josef Rasheed's session this afternoon on 'Creativity in Worship' was stimulating and inspiring. After the Superbowl we had a late worship service where I really got into the music (doesn't always happen) and Shane Claiborne spoke powerfully about his priorities, how they challenge the law and the way society usually operates.
Time to sleep...

contact

by the way, comments are always welcome.

If you want to contact me privately, write to newpietist@gmail.com

looking forward to it!

Sunday lunchtime

Good conversations to be had all over the place.
I just returned from a fascinating session on Sacred Space, led by Don and Martha Johnson and their friend Jeanne Heckman. They create Altar Pieces, based on a theme or metaphor that holds the key to that week's teaching. Examples can be seen here at their home church blog.
Don led us through a list of different ways to reinforce the text of the day, which I found fascinating, as i've been using a basically thematic method to plan worship for twenty years or more.
In this session I began to find ways to integrate the historical and traditional as well as the cultural diversity that's being encouraged by The Covenant.

Just a line about that: (more later...) I find it unusual that the Denomination is emphasizing cultural diversity and a multi-cultural approach when I find myself in a very white, anglo-american/swedish church in an overwhelmingly Caucasian area (New Hampshire). I'm enjoying the emphasis, it's just an unusual tension for me.

Thoughts on Sunday morning

I love it. I’m finally (back) in a denomination that cares, supports and teaches its local church leaders. My own background is Anglican, but I’ve been wandering for years. Now I'm finding people from my home area, others from all over the US with similar interests and issues, cool people.

There's room for a variety of approaches here. No insistence on narrow orthodoxy or (even worse) a narrow method. We come from such a diversity of contexts, cultures and current situations, and meeting together is refreshing. Most people I've met come back year after year because of that dynamic.

There's a congruent set of issues that always come up when pastors and worship leaders meet each other, too. Overwork, impending burn-out, the weight of local criticism, all these and more a re typical of the well-meaning, hard-working servant hearts of my colleagues. The phrase used in the King James version of the Bible about Martha - that she was 'distracted by much serving' - comes to mind. I'm praying that we'll go home refreshed, encouraged, renewed; with a better and more balanced perspective on our life. ministry and call.

I'm enjoying the sessions; I find it difficult to keep quiet, and did a poor job of it yesterday.

Main sessions are interesting. Worshipful, instructive, contemporary but with a context that's wider and nods to our history as well as the work at home. We're led by a superb goup of musicians, not afraid to 'get out of the way and led the Holy Spirit work among us. Preaching is apposite and relevant, without too much self-conscious 'style'.

There's always going to be a gap between music that works in a conference or stadium and music that works at home - some of the gap is subsatntial, some of it a matter of arrangement. I think we could offer more help on bridging that gap (see suggested workshops below). We need to hear more harmony than a good, contemporary mix can really give us with this line up. That's a truth of contemporary arrangement.
The songs we're learning are following current fashion - simple repeated motifs with a change of harmony that combines 'easy-to-learn-on-the-spot' with more than just a 'three-chord-trick'. Matt Lundgren and the band use dynamics well, too. (That's a difficult thing to do in a world dominated by audio compression.) Not just a simple song statement - we're led through reflective, meditational parts of a song into triumphant choruses. Love it.

Why am I writing, sometimes critically? As a new boy here, I don't want to presume, but I'm going to throw myself into this culture, so anything I see while retaining objectivity is worth noting. I need to aboandon objectivity in order to get the pastoral support and encouragement we all need to "keep calm and carry on".

Sharing regularly is vital, too. It's hard to keep up the momentum of sharing, but I'm finding it's a necessary part of as connected life. Try to maintain the conversation, please. It's a healthy spiritual discipline. The good people behind Worship Connect know that, and are doing it for our good. We should see more comments, feedback on Worship Connect. It's good for us.

A list of suggested workshops for next year:
a) Connection Choir
could be as small as 12-16 voices. It would be fun, and would help fill in the harmonic context of the new songs, which can be difficult to hear in the main sessions.
b) How to make these new songs work at home

c) What about our history? How do we integrate that into post-modern multi-culture?

d) Representing the whole gospel in weekly worship
(How do we ensure continued a balance of doctrine while following the emphasis, CMJ for instance)