New Songs

I was wondering where I could find the new songs from “House of Worship”. I just checked the Ichthus site and there’s still only 3 there.

iBlog

Hey guys, just a brief hello to say feel free to check out my blog space here on wordpress. Includes stuff on Thailand (CCD etc.) which hopefully will stir you to want to give more to 4life!

Melody Instrument Workshops

Just a reminder that this Saturday sees the first of 3 workshops for players of melody instruments…looking at stylistic challenges, melody-method, prophetic inspiration…and lots more.  See the School of Worship/Practical Workshops link on the Ichthus Site…

Do come to this…there are exciting things in the wings for you instrumentalists

Workshop 1 and 3 - Tim Boniface

Workshop 2 - Raul D’Oliveira

If you haven’t booked on but would still like to come, then just arrive at the PRAYER HOUSE and 2pm on Saturday 9th Feb…and BRING your flute/violin/oboe/trumpet/clarinet/cello/sax/viola/piccolo/ trombone/bagpipes/bugle/tenor horn/cor-anglais/sackbutt…

Tim

Free Songs @ ionworship.org

I’m always looking out for new music and specially if it’s free and legal! I’ve found 2 albums on the ionworship.org website which does just that & it also includes free chord charts. I’ve listened to both albums and I must say the tracks are not bad at all. Go to http://ionworship.org/ click on “SHOP”, “FREE SONGS” and away you go.

Enjoy

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all!I hope you are all having a great start to 2008 and are full of vision and energy for a year which is full of promise.  Don’t forget the House of Worship is back on again on 31st January 2008.  See you there!Chris. 

Worship Leaders Retreat

Greetings!

If you’d like to book onto the worship leaders retreat, which is next Thursday and Friday (29-30th November) in Cambridgeshire then send an email to worship@ichthus.org.uk as there are still a VERY SMALL amount of places left. Probably could take 2/3 more people so get in quick…it’s going to be a great time so if you’re still not sure, just come!

Thanks,

Chris.

House of Worship - November

Don’t forget it’s the House of Worship on thursday at 7:45pm at the Prayer House.

Hope to see you there for worship, prayer, practical and gospel choir…as well as lots of tea and cake!

Chris.

All-age and family worship

It would be great to know which all-age and family worship songs are working well in other congregations, particularly those with a sizeable collection of children! We have a very large number of under 10s as a proportion of our congregation in Chislehurst and it would be really helpful to hear of songs, strategies and methods used in sung worship when the whole church is together. Your suggestions, thoughts and ideas are all greatly appreciated!

Come to think of it, it would be interesting to know which other Ichthus congregations have a significant number of children.

Godfrey Birtill and Masculine Worship

For those of you who weren’t there, Godfrey Birtill came to Greenwich on Sunday night to lead a service of worship and intercession at the Ichthus Celebration. There was a really good turnout and I felt the congregation was really pressing in to God in prayer for the land, particularly in the second section, after Godfrey had taken a few minutes to share what God had been saying to him. During that short talk though, Godfrey made a couple of comments that I wasn’t sure I was totally behind. He said that, as a whole, modern worship has become too feminine (’a bit Laura Ashley’) and is in need of a stronger masculine emphasis. First of all, I know that some of the people there would have found that quite a controversial thing to hear. And secondly (and more importantly), how true is it as a statement?

Where some of the congregation would have found controversy is in the application of the label of ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ to worship songs. I think part of the problem there is in our general understanding of the words. Sometimes we think that to call something masculine means that really, it’s for men; women can enjoy it if they’re of the more assertive type, but on the whole, it will be understood, appreciated and embraced more by the guys. But describing something - even a person - as masculine is not the same as calling it male. The music we classify as ‘black music’ is by no means exclusive to black people; we call it that (partly) because it describes something about its qualities - rhythmically, melodically, and so on. So describing worship as masculine or feminine shouldn’t make us think of some kind of gender-divide in our appreciation of or inclination towards types of music; it should only help us understand the music’s traits. In that respect, I think it was fine for Godfrey to describe worship in that way - any offence taken by the words he chose would have been down only to different understandings of the words ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’. That said though - and even though Godfrey is the kind of person who tells it to you straight, and whose calling includes a duty to lay down challenges for the church - maybe it wasn’t helpful to bring it up at all, given that a good number of people were going to take it the wrong way; I’m not sure.

The main issue though, is whether or not worship is in fact too feminine. It is true that - outside of Godfrey’s output - there are a lot of worship songs being written today that are influenced by the likes of Vineyard and Hillsongs, and carry a more emotional musical style with lyrical content to match (see songs like ‘This is the Air I Breathe’ and ‘Draw Me Close to You’ for extreme examples of this). Soul Survivor, probably the other main force in mainstream worship, isn’t producing songs that are quite so touchy-feely but then Tim Hughes and the gang are not exactly 80s Noel Richards either. So maybe there is a case to be made for the worship scene to toughen itself up.

Then again, Godfrey is by no means the only person writing songs that (you know, depending on your definition) are more masculine in nature. Hillsongs - the one-time guardians of gushing sentiment - now seem to be the ones nudging things away from expressions of personal love towards a more proclamational and mission-oriented place, through their Hillsongs United youth stream. You may not love their brand of Busted-influenced power-pop, but it’s definitely a more masculine style, and it’s definitely having an influence that would be expected from the likes of Hillsongs; even Matt Redman’s new stuff sounds like it’s vying for position on some American college radio station. As I write this, I’m listening to a new compilation from Soul Survivor that came into the office. While very few of the songs would stand any chance of making my Desert Island Hymns, I reckon there’s a pretty even balance in there. Of course, one album isn’t really a fair sample size and I’m not really listening to as much contemporary worship music as you may be, so how do you all see the balance at the moment?

Either way, there are other considerations to be made; even if worship is feminine at the moment, we could also be asking whether we, living in such a male-dominant society as we do, should be picking up on one of the few areas where there is a more pronounced feminine aspect. Isn’t it a bigger problem that this country, for example, has only ever has one female prime minister who - as time goes on - is proving to have been the great exception that proved the rule of male dominance in politics? The vast majority of leaders the world over - be they in big business, the media, sport, or wherever - are men, and in terms of leaders, the church is no different. James Brown was right; we live in a man’s world, so is it right that we concern ourselves particularly with any feminine edge that might be dominating the current world of worship?

Of course we need balance in our worship, and of course the answer to one imbalance is not another imbalance, it is proper balance - a holistic worship experience. But what do you think: is there a need to recover the masculine in worship? How can we do so while still making sure we don’t neglect other, vital areas of our communion with God? Or is the whole thing just a distracting non-issue, only reflecting a consumerist approach to worship? Let’s get into this, church.

Excelsior!

Dan

Percussion Workshop

Many thanks too the wondeful band of 8 who came along to the powerful and impressive percussion workshop on sat. It was an awesome time, i was blown away by all your skill and ability to learn so quickly. We’ve got so much potential bubbling away, its great.
I’ll get the notes up on here on thursday.
Shalom.