If I had to describe 2021 in a couple of words I would say: faithfulness and perseverance. Although 2021 was not quite as much of a roller coaster ride as 2020, it did present some challenges that felt fairly on-going. Throughout all of 2021 we were asked to remain spaced-out and masked in the Worship Centre. And although we were quite glad to be able to meet together, this is not exactly ideal circumstances for corporately praising God together as a church.
Through all of these challenges the Lord remained faithful, as did our volunteers. Because of these circumstances, we were given a fresh perspective of how thankful we are, and should be, to be able to gather as a church and to worship the Lord together. Every Thursday night the worship team gathered for prayer, encouragement, study and rehearsal. The worship teams really have become these small groups that authentically share what is going on in their lives, and openly pray for and encourage each other. It is also very cool to see how we are one big worship team and each team loves and supports the other teams.
The book that we studied as a worship arts community through 2021 was called “The Reset: returning to the heart of worship and a life of undivided devotion” by Jeremy Riddle. It seemed like the studies kept bringing us back to the passage in John 4 where Jesus talks about worshipping in Spirit and Truth. We took a deep dive into what it means to worship in this way. I think what it really boils down to is worshipping God with all your heart, with passion and emotion AND worshipping God for who He really is; with an understanding of good theology and doctrine. This really is one of those BOTH/AND situations! It’s not one or the other, it’s Spirit AND Truth.
We continue to lean into our purpose statement of using music and technology to lead and facilitate an atmosphere of attention to and affection for God. Understanding this really helps us to focus our efforts where it is needed most. It makes decision making so much easier, because if something doesn’t fit inside this purpose we don’t even need to consider it. My prayer for our church is that we would have a greater understanding and revelation of what it means to worship the one true God.
I am so so thankful for all our volunteers that persevered and remained faithful through the whole pandemic. I really can’t thank them enough. If you see a band member or tech team member make sure to thank them for all they do.
If you’d like to get involved with a worship team or know someone who might, you can reach out to me here.
If you have any comments or questions about this report, please click the button below.