Real Worship

Week 2 in the new venue (this time with a full band).

This week Ali had “overall charge” of the worship. The way we operate is that each week one of us chooses the set list and has overall responsibility for the worship (i.e. that person has the ultimate authority – within the band – setting the direction and leading the flow). Within each set list though, we will delegate leadership of different songs to each other (as appropriate). Here is this week’s set list:

• Here Is Our King (David Crowder Band) Mike
• Come Love of God (Ali Loaker) Ali
• What The World Will Never Take (Hillsong United) Mike
• Always (Hillsong United) Mike
• Just One Glance (Ali Loaker) Ali
• You Are God (Mike Ellis) Mike

The first two songs went well, but it didn’t seem as though many people were engaging fully. (We normally break after the first two songs for notices – everyone is familiar with this format and so these first two songs are probably viewed more as “warm up” songs). Though there is good argument for having such “openers” (where people are still arriving and settling in etc.), I personally am keen to see everyone fully engage, “right from the off”.

Before we started the first song out of the notices (What The World Will Never Take), I requested that people greet at least two others (as an attempt to try and “shake things up” & get people out of their familiar comfort zones); the attempt worked. There was a marked difference as soon as we started singing. In fact, as we ended the song, Ali started to spontaneously sing about the joy of the Lord; the rest of us picked up the beat and before we knew it, we were all dancing around in an extended time of free, spontaneous worship – great!

This meant that we skipped “Just One Glance” and sang the remaining two songs from the list (Always & You Are God); which worked out perfectly because we then went back to use the skipped “Just One Glance” during ministry after the word (which was about looking into the mirror of God’s word & seeing what “normal Christians” are supposed to look like). The song ends up with everyone singing, “Jesus, Jesus, I belong to You” and was an ideal tool for people to re-dedicate themselves to God.