Twenty-twenty-four was a year of thanksgiving, experiencing God’s faithfulness, continuing to grow in freedom in worship, and some very sweet moments that we experienced worshipping our good God.
God’s been so faithful to continue to provide the people, skills and resources to lead our church in worship. We’ve had some new team members join us from other churches, cities and countries. Often times we feel like we are equipping and raising up leaders who move onto other opportunities. Which is amazing! I am honoured to be a part of the Kingdom in that way. At the same time, it is such a blessing to have volunteers show up who have been trained and equipped at the church that they grew up in elsewhere. As Hillcrest continues to grow and change into what God has for us, that includes new people coming to us with a desire to serve Him and the church. I have been so encouraged to meet new people to the church who have a desire to lead God’s people in worship.
Sunday Singers is when we invite a group of singers to join in with the typical worship team. We often have additional rehearsals for these Sundays. It’s been great to get to know some people who are not involved on a regular basis. I get to teach and show what it means to use our voices and songs to give God praise. We talk about technicalities, but we also learn about the heart of worship. I find that these Sundays have so much life! Having the extra singers inspires the congregation to join in all the more. We’ve had up to thirty singers with us.
We continue to meet on Thursday evenings for rehearsal, including prayer, a book study and discussion. Thursday nights are a favourite part of my job. I love the small group feel of our bands. I love praying and sharing together. I love teaching and learning about worship together. And I love making music and worshipping God. We continue to grow and learn in our understanding of what worshipping in Spirit and Truth looks like through book studies. This past year we continued in the book “Keys to Becoming an Effective Worship Leader” by Tom Kraeuter. Some interesting topics as of late have been; caring for the members of your worship team, understanding the power of music, loyalty to leadership, and spiritually preparing to lead.
Last year we developed a dedicated prayer team for the worship arts/tech ministry under the guidance of Pastor Steve. Once a month we will send out on email to our prayer team about up and coming challenges and items of thanksgiving. It is so amazing to know that we are covered in prayer on a regular basis. If you would like these updates please let us know.
Our goal remains to use music and technology to lead and facilitate an atmosphere of attention to and affection for God.
Thank you so so much for your prayers as we do our best to continue to chase after what God has for us. If you’d like more info on anything worship related or would like to get involved, don’t hesitate to reach out.
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