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by Kathy Jaskulski & Worship Ministry Team
The worship team is busy these days learning new praise songs and hymns for the purpose of enlarging and enhancing the Hope family's repertoire of corporate worship music. It is the worship team's intent to lead the congregation in corporate singing through God-centered lyrics, pleasing melodies, and great rhythms - all to God's glory.
Some of the music the team is rehearsing comes from current Christian artists, while much comes to us by way of composers writing new tunes to the historic hymns found in the Trinity Hymnal we have used for some time at Hope. These "new hymns" are a unique way to reach our culture with a more current sound, while preserving rich, biblical truths that are so prevalent in music of centuries past.
One of our responsibilities as worship team members is to keep an "ear out" for any talented persons desiring to use their musical gifts to contribute to worship. So if you are interested in learning more about opportunities to serve in this area, feel free to check with a worship team member for more information.
An exciting new addition to the musical atmosphere at Hope is the formation of the children's choir. In September, Anisea Barrett and Wanda Johnson formed this group of youthful voices to glorify God in corporate worship. As their letter sent to parents/caregivers earlier this fall stated, "Our children love to move, sing, and make a joyful noise to the Lord! They would like to share this joyful noise with the Hope Church family." Their letter of introduction included an invitation to all children ages 2 - 12 years old who are interested in singing, to join them in Sunday practices, 10:00 - 10:20 a.m., to prepare to sing before the congregation, the 4th Sunday of each month. If you are interested in your child participating in the new children's choir, please feel free to contact Anisea Barrett.
As the Christmas season approaches, we first anticipate observance of the Advent season - the celebration of the revelation of God in Christ whereby man might be reconciled to God. So the tune goes... "Immanuel, God is with us."
And as December progresses, we continue to raise our voices together through carols and praise songs to celebrate the birth of our redeemer and king, Jesus, the son of God! Music plays such an integral part of our corporate worship all though out the year, yet there's something especially endearing and memorable about the carols we hear sung at this time of year. Our hearts rejoice when we join in singing these tunes, as we contemplate the incredibly indescribable gift God has given us by sending his son to earth to save us from our sin. As we hear in Handel 's Messiah, "For unto us a child is born...", Is. 9:6.
As we look forward to Christmas Eve, please plan to be at Hope to join together in worship that evening, 12/24, at 7:00 p.m. The children of Hope will be putting on a play entitled "The Very Best Of All", and there will be a great time of congregational hymn singing to enjoy. The kids' play features this plot: the children are in charge of the annual Christmas play and are trying to figure out what gift each set of characters (Mary & Joseph, shepherds & angels, wise men) gave to the baby Jesus. However, after talking with each of the characters, they find none of them really gave anything; instead, they all received from God.
In closing, we, the worship ministry team, look forward to worshiping our great God and savior with all of you, our Hope family, this Christmas season. Have a wonderful December!
"Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts." Psalm 33:1-3. |