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| My peeps and I leading worship at an InterVarsity conference in October 2018 |
Sometimes we experience moments in our lives that prove to be watershed moments, but occur without much fanfare when they’re actually happening. The one I’m thinking about this morning was a music rehearsal back in September of 2011.
At the time, I was part of a worship team that was a mixture of people from First Presbyterian Church in Paw Paw and a group my husband and I had taken on a mission trip to Poland.
Through an organization called Transformation Michigan, I had gotten connected to a local pastor named Valarie Cunningham and her church Greater Faith Empowerment Center. We were both mobilizing people to attend TheCall Detroit in our spheres of influence.
Upon meeting me, Valarie invited my worship team to combine with her church’s team and lead worship at a youth meeting she was feeling led to host. She had never heard us play or sing, but somehow knew this combination of musicians and singers would work. No big deal, right? Well.....my worship team was 100% white and her worship team was a 100% black.
I will always remember that first rehearsal with our combined teams. Like any good (white) worship leader, I had brought a pile of chord charts so that every person on the team could have their own set. And like any good (black) worship leader, my friend Tammi from GFEC brought no chord charts because songs were listened to, aurally studied, and even memorized in advance before the team ever met. Song sheets were not necessary for their rehearsals.
I will always remember the incredulous look on Tammi’s face when I brought in that pile of chord charts and spread it out on the front row of chairs. It was probably akin to the feeling of a Slovakian looking at a pair of chopsticks for the first time, "Uhhhh....I'm supposed to eat using those??"
Thankfully, Tammi was able to locate a few sheets of paper with lyrics on them for the new songs we were learning. And quite honestly, any bit of paper in that moment gave me the same level of comfort that my children’s beloved blankies would bring to them in a new place.
During the rehearsal, Tammi told us we were doing the song “How Great is Our God Rock.” Somehow I missed that last word - “rock.” I was confident in my experience with the Chris Tomlin version of this worship classic. As soon as Tammi’s team began to sing and play the rhythms and sing the harmonies of the “rock” version, I remember thinking, “Toto, you’re not in Kansas anymore.” Their version had come from an African American worship leader named Todd Galberth - and it was waaaaay faster and had been infused with gospel rhythms and harmonies.
So, I recognized most of the words, but the tempo and feel were completely different. I remember hyper-concentrating to be able to clap (on the 2 and 4 of course) while learning the new vocal rhythms and harmonies. My only goal in that moment was to try and musically keep up with my new friends. Well, and to not look stupid. (Confession…)
I remember how Phil (keyboardist for GFEC) was playing with no song charts, so my keyboardist Jared and guitarist Adam were looking over Phil's shoulders to try and discern which chords Phil was playing. And let it be known that those chords were not simple 3 note triads. His were beautiful and colorful 9th, 11tth, and 13th chords. It was a learning experience for all of us!
But we all persevered and laughed a lot. The GFEC team learned some of our songs and we learned some of theirs.
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| Jesus Loves Kzoo OneWorship team @ Haven Church May 2014 |
Just a couple of weeks later, we led worship together for that youth meeting. We had a mixture of youth and adults from a variety of churches who attended. My pastor’s teenage daughter Hanna was present. She has the incredible ability to see into the unseen realm with her physical eyes. In the Bible, people with her gift are called “seers.” (Think Samuel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, etc.) I asked her afterwards what she had seen as we were worshiping together. She said that as we were singing the song “Let it Rain” she saw it literally raining on the people in that sanctuary. She had never seen that manifestation of God’s glory before.
In the Bible, over and over again, rain is symbolic of God’s blessing. How amazing that the Lord showered us with His blessing as we forged a new path of unity with a white worship team and a black worship team coming together to worship. Little did we know at the time how significant that connection was. It was soon after that that seven area churches gathered together to hold a pre-TheCall Detroit worship and prayer event. And it was just a few months after TheCall Detroit, in February of 2012, that we held the first 24 hour Greater Kalamazoo Prayer Push at Greater Faith Empowerment Center. In fact, our two worship teams combined again in the fall of 2012 for a regional multicultural women’s conference. What an explosive weekend! (I remember ending up laid out on the floor while leading worship. Powerful presence of the Lord!)
Here are some things I learned early on as I explored the uncharted waters of multicultural worship:
- Jesus created us to be one. Unity is His purpose and design for His body. (Psalm 133, John 17) Be encouraged: He empowers those that pursue His vision.
- Blessed are the flexible for they shall not break! It’s important to be willing to try new styles, genres, and songs. Don’t disqualify yourself from exploring different genres of music because of the amount of melanin in your skin. The Body of Christ offers a richness in musical styles and it would be a sad thing to ignore certain genres because we feel “too white” or “too black” to do a style justice. Here’s a quote from J.S. Bach that has undergirded my thinking for over 20 years, “The aim and final end of all music is none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” Does the music glorify God? Does it refresh your soul? Then, go for it! Learn new songs, study new styles, and explore new rhythms and harmonies.
- It’s okay to look a little foolish. Growth happens when we choose to try something new. It makes it really hard to grow if we’re always worried about what others are thinking about us. This desire to look “cool” is rooted in the fear of wo/man and will always stunt our spiritual and musical growth.
- Leave ego at the door. The pursuit of oneness in Christ requires us to put others first. We need to be wiling to not always lead, but sometimes serve in anonymity. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6b) In our pursuit of unity, we need as much grace as the Lord will give us. It’s important to remember that humility is the key to receiving His grace for the journey.
- Laugh. A lot. We need to be able to laugh on the journey! And sometimes it means laughing at ourselves as we’re trying new things. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 In our pursuit of trying new things, joy is the balm that will help us navigate these new, challenging trails.
In January of 2019, my friends and I are launching the Revive Worship Collective, a prophetic, multicultural worship school that was birthed out of the our Revive Worship Initiative conferences. It’s interesting to think that three of our RWC faculty were in that first watershed rehearsal back in September of 2011. And it’s interesting to see how we’ve all grown and developed as worship leaders and musicians who have served as bridges in the worship world in our region over the last seven years.
Was I imagining a multicultural worship school when I walked into that first rehearsal? Nope, not at all. I was excited to merge our two musical cultures and worship our beautiful King in unity. That simple “yes” set a trajectory from which we are still reaping the fruit. I wonder what “yes” He is inviting us into today…. To God be the glory!
To find out more about the Revive Worship Collective, check out our website: www.reviveworship.info.
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:1 - 4
