Off to WorshipGod 11 Conference in the USA

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Tomorrow, both of us will be flying off to the States for the very first time in our lives! We will be attending WorshipGod 11, a worship music conference hosted by Sovereign Grace Ministries in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Hope to share more about our travels soon!

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Update: here’s the full series of our time in the USA.
Part 1: Fly, land, drive
Part 2: train, jam, steak
Part 3: sing, meet, glory
Part 4: rehearse, seminars, NZ connection, Thabiti
Part 5: edify, songwrite, organise, gather live
Part 6: mission-focused meetings, instrument shopping
Part 7: Covenant Life, tears, crepes and goodbyes, Giant groceries

– Cheryl and William

Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs – STAND 2011 set list

(Here’s a recap of the service and the songs we chose over the past weekends at  Howick Baptist Church. You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week at  theworshipcommunity.com. You can also read through  previous HBC service recaps here.)

I’ve spent the past weekend being involved in leading the music for the 2011 Stand for the Gospel conference hosted at our home church.

I wrote up a set list last year  and shared my reflections back then. So for a start I’ll put up the list of songs we sang this year.

It was a joy to lead the attendees in worshipping our Lord for His unsurpassed work of redemption, and standing firm in the gospel of our glorious God. Folks came from a variety of denominations and churches across New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Wales, and we had Geoff Thomas from Aberyswyth, Wales as the keynote speaker.

We hosted people from various church backgrounds and musical preferences – so our range of music was chosen to reflect that diversity. The music teams over the weekend ranged from a full praise band – complete with a brass section – to an a cappella mens groupleading in four-part harmony. Some criteria for the songs were: is it God-exalting? is it singable? is it congregational? is it edifying?

Many of the hymns we sang were public domain. We also used songs from/by Emu Music Australia, Chris Tomlin, Sovereign Grace Music, and the Getty/Townend songwriting duo.

The list of songs (with lyrics and audio/video examples where applicable) and messages are below. The opening message from Geoff in particular will give you an insight into Jesus that could only have come from a man who’s known Him all his life!

 

FRIDAY
A Mighty Fortress (Covenant Life version) – lyrics, video
Come People of the Risen King – video
Jesus Messiah – lyrics, video (note: we did this in G instead of B)
1. Geoff Thomas – The Altogether Lovely One
Soli Deo Gloria (Sovereign Grace Music) –  lyrics

SATURDAY
How Great Thou Art —  lyrics
Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah – lyrics
Peace (Sovereign Grace Music; children’s choir item conducted by Mandy Fleener) – lyrics
Grace Greater Than Our Sin – lyrics
2. Geoff Thomas – The One Full of Joy
O Great God (Sovereign Grace Music) — lyrics

Glories of Calvary – video
By Faith – lyrics, video
Consider Christ (Emu Music; item sung by Janine Rye) – video
Jesus, Thank You (Sovereign Grace Music) – video
3. Geoff Thomas – The One Who Accomplished Redemption
Let Your Kingdom Come – lyrics

SUNDAY
Everlasting (Brian Doerkson) – video
See What a Morning – lyrics
O Great God (item)
Glorious and Mighty – lyrics
All I Have Is Christ – lyrics, video
Perfect But Painful (Emu Music; item sung by William Chong) – video
4. Peter Somervell – He is Able
In Christ Alone – lyrics

Here is Love (trad.) – lyrics
When Peace Like A River (It Is Well) – lyrics
I Hear the Saviour Say (Jesus Paid It All) – video
5. Geoff Thomas – The One Who Conquered Death
O Church Arise – lyrics

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Miscellaneous updates on life

Just a quick update on our life:

– We’re moving house in less than a week: no white picket fence (it’s brown) but still a massive blessing from God to be able to call a place our home!
– Marriage is still fun and so awesome. So glad to be with Cheryl for however long we get together!
– My favourite web developer (Cheryl) has started some work at www.twiik.co.nz. She loves what she is doing and really wants to practise working as unto the Lord (Col 3:23-24)!
– Also pretty busy putting together music for the Stand for the Gospel Conference our church is hosting in less than a month. You should register! There’s no registration fee, but only until the end of the month!
– In August we’ll be off to the States (our first trip there) for WorshipGod11, and to do a little sight-seeing. Well, that is, if the ash cloud lets us through!

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– William

HBC service recaps: 22 and 29 May 2011

(Here’s a recap of the service and the songs we chose over the past weekends at Howick Baptist Church. You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week at theworshipcommunity.com. You can also read through previous HBC service recaps here.)

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Order of Service AM (22 May 2011)

(leader: Craig Starrenburg)

Welcome
1. Come People of the Risen King
2. Praise to the Lord, The Almighty/Praise the Lord Ye Heavens Adore Him. A pretty smooth mashup.
3. All I Have is Christ
Welcome/Notices/Pastoral Prayer — Peter

Scripture Reading — Psalms 31
4. It Is Well (When Peace Like A Well)
5. May the Mind of Christ My Saviour

Message: All In the Family – 1 Tim 5:1-2 (Peter Somervell)

6. O Great God

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Order of Service AM (29 May 2011)

(leader: William Chong)

Welcome – “We’re Howick Baptist Church” was how I introduced ourselves to visitors – subtle emphasis on HBC not being a building, but a family seeking to follow Christ together.
Scripture Reading – Psalm 33
1. Forever – Chris Tomlin. We haven’t sung this one for months, so was good to dust it off and resurrect it! “His love endures forever” is a common refrain in the Old Testament praise literature (e.g. 1 Chron 16:34, 2 Chron 5:13, Psalm 118). Some translations add the word ‘steadfast’ in there to emphasise that the intended meaning of the Hebrew word there, hesed, refers to a special, covenantal love between God and His people. We took this a tone lower from A to G Major to make it more comfortable for the church to sing.
2. Glorious and Mighty – Joe Sczebel, Todd Twining.
Announcements – Peter announced that HBC is getting involved with the Harvest Crusade by sending on-the-floor counsellors and putting our hand up for follow-up work. You can find out more about the free event here:

Scripture reading: Psalm 34

Offering

3. Taste and See – Stephen Altrogge. This was our first time with this song – from SGM’s Psalms CD (Glorious and Mighty is also from that one). We toned down the Jonas brothers treacle-poppiness quite a bit from the CD recording.
4. Psalm 62 (My Soul Finds Rest) – Aaron Keyes, Stuart Townend.

Message: 1 Tim 5:3-16 (Peter Somervell)

5. There Is A Hope – Stuart Townend.

Cheryl and I will be off to Impact Bible Conference this coming weekend – the theme this year isn’t terribly enthralling for me personally, but I am definitely looking forward to catching up and meeting with brothers and sisters at Riverbend and other churches around the country!

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– William Chong