The Messengers
Text for this Sunday- Romans 4:13-16, 20-25
Hi! This is Kent Henriksen, your contemporary music director at Easter. I thought I’d take a little bit of time today to talk about some things I do at Easter and tell you about the wonderful volunteers I get to work with each and every day.
If you’ve ever wondered to yourself how one goes about picking music for a Sunday service- you’re in luck! There are lots of things to consider when choosing songs for Sunday worship. Each week, I look at the text for the week and the sermon series we are currently in. Our pastors put together key verses, words, and questions that can help give a sense of what they will be preaching on. (There’s great podcast you can listen to too!) Once that happens, I start looking at our music catalog and the songs that the congregation and the Messengers might already know. It’s a big list! I also look at new music with lots of help from the Messengers. I’m a big believer in picking music that will encourage everyone in the congregation to sing loudly and be a part of worship. Don’t get me wrong- we love playing and singing for you, but when we hear your voices rise above ours, we know we’ve done our job. Finally, I take a look at the lineup of musicians and instruments scheduled for Sunday and pick the songs that will fit that group the best. There are lots of moving parts, but I have a talented and faithful group of singers, instrumentalists, sound, and video volunteers that make what we do at Easter happen with excellence and joy.
Speaking of the Messengers…
The question guiding this week’s worship planning is “what does it mean to be part of a wider faith, one family in Jesus Christ?” My thoughts immediately turn to the talented and faithful members of the Messengers. Did you know that the Messengers lead about 100 worship services every year? (and that doesn’t include rehearsals and early Sunday morning soundchecks) Wow! This family of musicians and tech folks love helping with worship every single week. The truly impressive thing about this group is how they take care of one another. They are a blessing to each other, to Easter, and certainly to me.