Making Beautiful Music Together

Tomorrow, about 20 B.C.C. musicians (and a couple of drummers lol) will gather for our first ever Saturday Training Session. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. I have always loved worshipping Jesus; that I can sing and play an instrument as an expression of this deep desire is something for which I thank Him every day of my life. I've written about this elsewhere on the blog (see Friday 18 September) so I'll not go on about it again here. Instead, I want to reflect on the significance of this gathering tomorrow and bring a testimony of God's faithfulness.

It would have been unthinkable to gather 20 musicians together for a day's training and equipping 10 years ago: we didn't have that many on the Team! What has been so amazing to watch in my tenure as Worship Team Leader is the transformation of this small group of committed people to what we have today: a strong, united team who don't just play worship songs but live worship lives. Not that many years ago we had no drummers and I took lessons and picked up the drum sticks myself! Now we have two extremely accomplished drummers who don't perform for an audience but play for the audience of One. There are more coming through as well. During one year I led worship every Sunday morning and every Sunday evening as there were no other worship leaders available to share the load. Today we have two highly gifted co-Leaders who have both recorded their own albums! Some of Jon's songs are used in the Church on a regular basis and really capture the prophetic spirit and heart of who we are and what we do.

But it's not just about numbers.

I have noticed a change in anointing on us. In the past I would plough through songs and leave very little room for anything else. Today, our worship is led by the Holy Spirit in a way that I have never seen or experienced before. We can practice 10 songs before a meeting and then do none of them in the meeting (sorry Video Projector Team)! No longer do we have to stick to the written music but can go 'off-piste' as we navigate the terrain of truly prophetic worship. Wednesday's Holy Spirit Night showed me once again just what God can do when we get out the way and let Him rule and reign. Even the songs we use have become far more Christ-centred which in turn releases a dynamic in worship that only comes when Jesus is positioned at the centre of it all. Visitors to the Church consistently identify worship as being a major influence in their decision to return. There are many testimonies from people who meet God and encounter Him in fresh ways as we worship together and even some long-standing members of the Team who also carry this panoramic view of our development can identify massive life-changing shifts in their own lives (see Chris' article in this month's Spotlight Magazine).

Why do I tell you all this? I do not boast in my own abilities. I only boast in Christ. God has warned me this week not to let self interest taint what He is doing in the worship team and through the Church as a whole. I dare not touch this holy work of God for fear of what might happen (2 Samuel 6). My desire is to see God take us even further. I thank God for what is happening and as we gather tomorrow, I will be looking at a living testimony of His grace, mercy, blessing and anointing upon BCC. Please pray for this session and stand with me as we continue to let the Lord take us forward in this exciting adventure of worship.