Global Worship Report
Vol 1, #1


Greetings, Worship and Arts Friends.

Welcome to the first edition of the Global Worship Report from the AD2000 Movement Worship and Arts Network. We anticipate this becoming a regular email survey of events, people and issues pertaining to the arts and worship from various places. It will include reviews of materials, summaries from worship writings and articles, etc. We hope to cover a variety of topics each time.

Our focus is global, and therefore we hope to inform and inspire you with the things that God is doing in many parts of the world. While music-related issues will undoubtedly get plenty of exposure, we hope to cover many aspects of artistic expression.

You may feel free to share this with friends and other appropriate email or web networks. Unlike the worship and arts email forum, this is only one way communication. We will include however various email addresses to follow up on items reported in the newsletter. This report follows the very popular "Brigada" format using mostly one paragraph summaries.

We eagerly desire feedback, suggestions, submissions, etc. Feel free to contact me by email, fax, phone or post. See the contact information at the end of the report and information about subscribing and unsubscribing.

Warmly yours,

Frank Fortunato
Coordinator, AD2000 Movement Worship and Arts Network.

Global Worship Report, March, 1998. Vol 1, #1

In this issue:

  1. Mozambique: Jesus film and worship
  2. North Korea: Believers use Communist tunes
  3. Tibet: leading Tibetan musician teaches Christian worker
  4. Canada: 24-hour non-stop worship service
  5. South Africa: Keith Green's legacy
  6. Turkey: Gigantic prayer/worship event at Ephesus, 1999
  7. England: Kendrick's vision for global worship
  8. Uganda: African tribal drums in worship and evangelism
  9. Middle East: Mozart in the Middle East
  10. USA: Missions Songbook
  11. Gerrit Gustafson on the link between worship and intercession
  12. Ron Man on creative ways to present thematic worship

1. (MOZAMBIQUE) JESUS FILM TEAM FOLLOWS 2 CHRON 20 MODEL:

 (Summarized from Jesus Film Project February 1997 newsletter). Following the translation of the JF for the 1.4 million Yao people of Mozambique a team of 35 and five vehicles started the long trip from South Africa to the Yao area. As they traveled they saw that bridges had been blown up and washed away from the civil war. In their place were make-shift piles of sticks, twigs and rocks serving as bridges. Crossing these "bridges" was risky and frightening. It took hours. Any moment one of the vehicles could have lost its "footing" as the twigs and rocks gave way. Darkness fell making the crossings even more dangerous. Then, one of the young women came to Willie, the leader and said: "This morning the Lord brought 2 Chronicles 20 to my attention. I think it applies to us. In the face of death and defeat, Jehoshaphat sent out singers and worshipers who praised the Lord." So at each bridge, one person got out to guide, one person drove. The rest ran ahead up the hill, singing and praising God in the darkness. Willie said it was incredible. At each bridge, every vehicle went across effortlessly. It was as though they and their precious cargo of the "Jesus" film and equipment were being held aloft by angels until they were safely o the other side. Willie convincingly said "angels had literally carried us across." They finally arrived, four days late. There were 6000 Yao who publicly indicated decisions for Christ following several days showing of the Jesus film. (For more information: Jesus Film Project. P.O. Box 72007, San Clemente, CA 92674-9207. tel: 714-361-7577)

2. (NORTH KOREA) CREATIVE USE OF SECULAR MUSIC

 From National and International Religion Report, 1995. Thousands of North Korean believers meet regularly in small, secret prayer services, reported Isaac Lee. Lee is a North Korean-born U.S. citizen and Presbyterian minister who heads Seoul-based Cornerstone Ministries International. Cornerstone was founded in 1985 to spread the gospel to North Korea and to Koreans in China, Russia and Mongolia. Lee told reporters he and other Cornerstone workers met with underground North Korean church groups in recent trips. To avoid raising suspicion, the believers sing hymns set to tunes of Communist propaganda songs. Believers include Communist Party members and military officers, he added.

3. (TIBET) USING TIBETAN MUSIC AND DRAMA:

 Mark (last name witheld) had a vision to use Tibetan music and drama in evangelism. He needed contacts. While in Tibet, Mark met the musician known as Tibet's most famous living composer. Soon Mark was learning Tibetan music forms from him. And then the impossible happened. He got a long term visa to reside in Lhasa. Mark is now working with some students at the Kathmandu Seminary in Nepal to produce a Tibetan/Nepali worship tape.

4. (CANADA) 24-HOUR WORSHIP SERVICE:

 In February, 1997 The Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF), home church of the the Toronto Blessing held a 24-hour non-stop praise gathering, using seven worship leaders and dozens of singers. About 200 worshipers persevered to the end of the TACF gathering. "Just about anybody can worship for one hour but, after 24, people were sacrificing their time and energy, and it was all for God." (You may subscribe to the magazine from TACF--"Spread the Fire" email: [email protected] or<> http://www.tacf.org. tel: 416-674-8463, fax:<> 416-674-8465. Address: 272 Attwell Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M9W 6M3 Canada).

5. (SOUTH AFRICA): KEITH GREEN'S LEGACY:

 Recently Dave McBride, head of OM's Nepal field traveled to South Africa for ministry. On a trip from Port Elizabeth to Capetown Dave traveled with Glen, a missionary with YWAM. As they shared Dave told how he had a call to missions fifteen years ago at a Keith Green Memorial Concert in the USA. As they compared notes and dates both Dave and Glen discovered something quite astounding. Glen was one of the mission personnel facilitating that missions concert fifteen years ago!

6. (TURKEY) PRAYER/WORSHIP JOURNEY:

 In September, 1999, hundreds of people will visit Turkey as tourists as part of a massive prayer journey coordinated by The Chrsitian Information Network. All will meet in the beautifully restored city of ancient Ephesus, the center of world Christianity for 200 years. Diana of the Ephesians was the godess idol that kept Asia Minor in darkness until Paul arrived. That is where they shouted "Great is Diana of the Ephesians" for two hours (see Acts 19:34). We hope to proclaim "Great is Jesus of Nazareth" for four hours! Worship leaders Ross Parsley and David Morris have agreed to design the program. A 100-voice Korean choir will end the celebration with the Hallelujah Chorus. (For more information, contact Global Harvest Ministries, PO Box 63060, Colorado Springs, CO 80962. e-mail: [email protected])<>

7. (LONDON, UK): GRAHAM KENDRICK'S VISION OF GLOBAL WORSHIP

Excerpt from Public Praise, by Graham Kendrick, Creation House, 1992) "During (a) time of worship a vision formed in my mind. I saw the earth as if viewed from space, spinning on its axis, its continents, oceans and islands clearly defined. But then hundreds of threads, each a different color, appeared from out of the nations, arcing out, upward and around the earth, converging above it. As they met, they crisscrossed and weaved in and out of each other over the globe until I could see that something was being woven there. With the multicolored threads still connected to their respective geographical starting points, a gigantic banner had been formed. It hung there billowing gently over the whole globe, overshadowing it. I looked to see whether a design had emerged out of the weaving of the threads. To my joy, on the underside, visible from the earth was the face of Jesus. I knew immediately that the multi-colored threads represented worship rising to the Lord from believers of every nation, people, tribe and language. The different colors represented the unique gifts of worship that flowed from the nations, a beautiful variety of expressions. The love gifts of millions of hearts lent color and distinctiveness by the contexts of vastly different cultures. This variety was the very thing that made the forming of the picture possible."

8. AFRICAN TRIBAL DRUMS

 as reported in Christianity Today, May 15, 1995: "Drums are part of the African tradition to send messages. They are like the bells in the church to call people to pray," says Alex Mukulu, director of the Ugandan dance troupe Impact International. "Your Western drummers beat away but don't say anything with it-only 'boom chuck.'" Mukulu says, laughing. "In Uganda, different rhythms have different purposes-as the village alarm clock or a call to work.. Much of the music and dance attempts to show and to affirm the values of African customs and traditions," says Mukulu. "Our role is to emphasize and point to those values in every form of culture that are not sinful, so our people may not lose their traditions but rather perfect them."

9. (MIDDLE EAST): BUILDING BRIDGES TO UNREACHED PEOPLE<> THROUGH THE ARTS

 From SIM Now Newsletter): "He's known affectionately as Mozart. His visa says he's an "ethnomusicological coordinator." But Mozart is really a missionary. Because of increasing restrictive government regulations where he serves, Mozart was forced to turn his musical hobby into his expatriate identity. He learned the music of the local culture and played it on exotic instruments. "I fell in love with the music," Mozart says, "and when I sang the national songs in my adopted language, the people loved me. "He's a foreigner, and he sings our music!" they would exclaim with wonder and delight. And beneath that statement they thought, "Perhaps we have value after all." But God wanted Mozart to share much more than dignity with the people. One day, he was invited to present a public seminar on Western music to an upper class Muslim audience during Ramadan, Islam's holiest month. He chose the complex opening chorus of the St Matthew's Passion by J.S. Bach. He would break down the chorus into its components, then reassemble it, "so the audience could understand that there was some meaning and order behind this wall of sound produced by a baroque orchestra and double chorus with boys' choir." Since Christians are forbidden to openly share their faith or publicly preach the gospel in most Muslim countries, God provides creative, legal ways for those He loves to hear His good news. "The medium was music," Mozart recalls with a grin, "so I offended no one, but the message of the cross came right off the pages of Matthew 25 and 26."

10: (USA) WORSHIP AND ARTS NETWORK PREPARING MISSIONS<> SONGBOOK:

 Responding to an email alert from a musician needing some missions theme songs for a church missions conference, the AD2000 Movement Worship and Arts Network is at work preparing a 25-song resource to help meet this need. Along with lead sheets of the songs, there will be an accompanying demo CD to help teach the songs. The Network seeks to network, mobilize and resource music and arts ministries in many parts of the world. Scott Wesley Brown, one of the compilers, commented: "This could be one of the most significant resources in recent years to help focus attention on completing the Great Commission. The songs will challenge, inspire, and most of all, celebrate what God is doing throughout the earth." (For more information on the songbook and CD contact Frank Fortunato at his e-mail address: [email protected] tel: 770-631-0432)<>

11. GERRIT GUSTAFSON ON THE STRATEGIC LINKING OF PRAISE AND<> PRAYER:

 (Excerpted): Priests have two primary functions: 1) to enter God's presence with sacrifices and 2) to stand in His presence on behalf of the needs of others. The Worship Movement has been learning the art of entering (Ps. 100:4). The Prayer Movement has been learning the art of standing in behalf of others (Is. 57:7). Fundamentally, the Prayer Movement and the Worship Movement are two branches of a larger movement: the restoration of the Church as a functioning priesthood. Someone once said, we don't fully understand prayer until we understand worship; nor do we fully understand worship until we understand prayer. Worship is the harp referenced in Revelation 5. Intercession is the bowl. "Worship intercession" is the harp and the bowl together. One of the best contemporary examples of the merger of the harp and the bowl is the international March for Jesus. It is an excellent blend of corporate celebration, repentance and petition. (Contact Gerrit for more of his writings and his worship recordings designed for use in small churches. WholeHearted Worship, 1830 Air Lane Drive, #3-B, Nashville, TN 37210. fax: 615-889-1439. e-mail: [email protected])<>

12. RON MAN ON THEMATIC WORSHIP:

 (Excerpted from Creator Magazine, May/June, 1996) Contrary to traditional opinion, there is no law that all verses of a hymn must be used. In fact, if a theme is being developed, very often only one or two verses pertain to that theme. As an example, the first verses of both "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" and "Crown Him with Many Crowns" refer to Christ as King, (while the other verses to not), and would be effectively incorporated into a service celebrating Jesus as King of Kings. If a theme provides direction for the songs being selected, the juxtaposition of hymns and choruses need not be stylistically jarring. Medleys can be made using a cohesive accompanimental style. A wonderful way to help develop a worship theme is to use original responsive readings of Scripture texts. Such readings are not difficult to develop with the use of a concordance, especially a computer concordance which allows for searches of pairings of specific words. (Ron is Pastor of Worship and Music at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, TN. e-mail: [email protected])<>

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