(Ethnic) Scripture

Song-writing Workshops




Encouraging the Development of Indigenous Worship Through Local Ethnic Scripture Song-Writing Workshops

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SCRIPTURE SONGWRITING WORKSHOP FOR LOCAL ETHNIC CHRISTIAN MUSICIANS & POETS - Feb, 2002 in Vancouver, BC, Canada - more info below the articles (below). For an application form, click HERE or contact: dtnations@hotmail.com
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RESOURCE NETWORKING FELLOWSHIPS for
LOCAL MULTICULTURAL CHRISTIAN MUSICIANS & ARTISTS

* * *
IFE WORKSHOP IN TOGO-MARCH 2000 MUSIC
IN EVANGELISM & CHURCH PLANTING
by Tom Ferguson
Praising the High King of Heaven
WHEN I HEARD THESE SONGS, TEARS CAME TO MY EYES
by Sue Hall and Paul Neeley
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SCRIPTURE SONG-WRITING WORKSHOP for
Local
Ethnic Christian Musicians & Poets
with a
Heart of Worship
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##### Please pass the following message on to any ethnic Christian musicians or poets you know (in Greater Vancouver or the Lower Mainland, BC) who have a heart of worship. We would be grateful if you would do this for us.

With much appreciation!
Great Commission Worship & Arts Focus
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Dec. 5, 2001

WHAT:
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A Workshop for Indigenous Christian Music will be held at the Surrey Vineyard. The goal will be to examine the traditional musical resources of each culture represented, and work towards composing and recording indigenous Christian music.

WHEN & WHERE:
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DATES: Mon. Feb. 4 - Fri. Feb 8, 2002
Time: 7 – 10:00 p.m.
Location: Surrey Vineyard

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In the book of Revelation we are presented with the awesome and beautiful picture of the multi-faceted Body of Christ from every tribe, language, people and nation whole-heartedly worshipping Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords in His incredibly-awe-inspiring glory around His throne in heaven!
It is our desire as the Ethnic Worship & Arts Focus of the Great Commission Worship & Arts Center (located in Surrey, BC) to serve and help to encourage local and overseas ethnic fellowships of believers in Jesus Christ by encouraging the development of local indigenous musical expressions of worship.
We seek to do this, locally, by facilitating the development of writing culturally-appropriate Scripture songs through:

1) conducting Scripture Songwriting Workshops (which includes some basic recording of these songs – which can then be recorded more professionally at a later time);

2) potentially providing opportunities locally (as able) to record good quality indigenous worship cassettes/CDs at discounted prices (which can then encourage local and overseas believers and/or be used as an evangelistic tool locally or overseas);

3) providing opportunities to distribute these songs to Christian radio and TV stations that we are connected with who are broadcasting into your homelands in order to encourage believers there, as well as possible ways to distribute these songs to believers or missionaries working in your homelands who can also distribute them among your countrymen; and

4) providing consultations, resources, training, local or overseas ministry opportunities and internships for your musicians that God is stirring or calling into these directions.

MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOP/ FACILITATOR:
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Workshop would be conducted by Paul Neeley of Dallas, TX, who is a missionary ethnomusicologist with 15 years of field experience and teaching in this kind of ministry. His focus has been throughout Africa but he is expanding and being called to other nations as well.

Paul and his wife and family are with a mission agency called ARTISTS IN CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY.
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WHO IS IT FOR?
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We are looking to host our first such event with a group of up to 50 people of various ethnic groups from the Greater Vancouver/Lower Mainland. It would be best to have at least a few people of each ethnic group represented to benefit your ethnic group the most - ie. singers, poets, composers, etc.
We are looking for people who have some knowledge of the cultural traditional music/poetry of your people and preferably some experience in singing, composition in your traditional musical styles, and/or instrument playing.

It is ALSO for local Christian Great Commission-minded musicians, local pastors, missions leaders, missions/music educators, church planters, worship leaders, etc. who are interested in OBSERVING one way that music is being used increasingly in missions/church planting internationally today. You are welcome to attend one evening or all evenings. WE WILL NEED TO KNOW IF YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING, however, so please give us a call ASAP so we can plan for that. Costs for observers will be DONATIONS (on site) to help cover snacks and to help offset the cost of the workshop for participants who may benefit from scholarships.

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PLEASE PRAY: That God will draw those that He wants to have involved as participants and observers, and that He will accomplish His purposes during this time in ways that will help to build up and extend His Kingdom locally and overseas. Please pray for all the remaining preparations and that this event will help to encourage the local ethnic Christian community and the Body of Christ at large. Thank you!

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NOTE: If you or your church would like to assist by helping to provide scholarships for participants who may benefit from financial assistance, please contact: gcwac@hotmail.com for more information on how to do that (for a tax deductible receipt.

COST:
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Costs for PARTICIPANTS who are taking the workshop will be minimal - exact amount hasn't been worked out yet but it will most likely not exceed $25 (CDN) per person (including snacks). The application form should have the exact amount when we get that to you.

POTENTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS:
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If you will be a PARTICIPANT in the workshop and if you are in need of a potential scholarship for this, please explain. Some may be available.

TO CONTACT TO EXPRESS INTEREST & FOR APPLICATION:
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If this is of interest to you, as a potential PARTICIPANT or OBSERVER, please contact us as soon as possible and state which you would like to be. We will then send out the application form to potential participants so they can be returned to us before the deadline stated below.

dtnations@hotmail.com
Great Commission Worship & Arts Center

PLEASE GIVE US:
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Your Name, mailing address, phone no., fax no., email address, and let us know which church/ministry you are affiliated with. Thank you!

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
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Application must be received by January 20, 2002.

THANK YOU!!! for your time and help in this matter, and hopefully we will hear from you soon and see you at the workshop or connect with you further in the future!

So all nations may worship Jesus,


Great Commission Worship & Arts Center
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SOME RESOURCES FOR YOU TO BE AWARE OF:
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Web sites:
Great Commission Worship & Arts Center (GCWAC)
http://DiscipleTheNations.org/index9.html

Ethnic Worship & Arts Focus
http://DiscipleTheNations.org/index62.html

International Worship & Arts Network
http://www.worship-arts-network.com/eth-music-articles-list.html

Ethnic Worship & Arts Focus newsletter - free monthly email newsletter to help encourage the development of worship through indigenous expressions of music and the arts: for more info, contact: dtnations@hotmail.com

Resources: for some stories of some examples of what has happened in this regard overseas, please contact us: dtnations@hotmail.com
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RESOURCE NETWORKING FELLOWSHIPS for
LOCAL MULTICULTURAL CHRISTIAN MUSICIANS & ARTISTS
- G. Wiebe: info@DiscipleTheNations.org

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We are very grateful to the Lord that in Feb. 2002 we were able to hold our first Scripture Songwriting Workshop for local ethnic Christian musicians and poets here in Surrey (Vancouver) BC, Canada. The Scripture Songwriting Workshop was led by missionary ethnomusicologist Paul Neeley and similar to the ones you can read about at: http://disciplethenations.org/rield/index93.html


We were all very encouraged by our time together and at the conclusion of the 5-day workshop, the group decided to continue to meet together. We have tried to meet monthly since then, though it hasn't always worked out. Each time has been different from the time before and each time it has been an incredible time of blessing and encouragement for us to be together as we have sought to have the Holy Spirit lead us in His directions.


In the last few of our times together, one of the things we have done is to pray about and discuss the vision that God seems to have for us as a group, and we are in the process of beginning to move in the directions that we see this emerging as we also begin to invite more of our local ethnic Christian musician and artist friends. We would appreciate your prayers about this as well.


Perhaps this is an idea which some of you may wish to consider in your multicultural cities and for churches/ministries that are reaching out to multicultural communities in your regions, as well? Paul Neeley can also let you know of other ethnomusicologists that could assist you in laying the groundwork for something like this by doing a Scripture Songwriting Workshop, for instance. But even without that good foundation, these types of local fellowships to support ethnic Christian musicians and artists have great potential, we believe, to meet some major felt needs.

I'm including, below, a rough vision statement about where we're at with this at this point in time, which you may wish to borrow from as appropriate in your situation.

ROUGH VISION STATEMENT to date:
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By the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, we seek to provide a resource networking support fellowship for local multicultural Christian musicians and artists IN ORDER TO encourage, resource, build up, disciple and release godly musicians/artists into the roles He has for them/us in the Great Commission locally and overseas. We ALSO seek to partner together with others in the group and with local (or other) ministries, as the Holy Spirit leads, to reach out to the lost locally or overseas through the arts.

We seek to do this by meeting together to:
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- build God-honoring relationships;
- share vision with each other and encourage potential next steps as the Lord leads;
- encourage and pray for each other;
- build each other up by the power of the Spirit through His love, power, prayer, His Word, His gifts, etc.
- provide the necessary help and resources to meet felt needs, as able;
- pray together for each other and related issues;
- grow together in our biblical understanding of our roles as godly musicians and artists and our roles in the Great Commission
- minister to each other;
- work together on various ministry projects, songs, events, etc. as the Lord leads;
- use our songs/arts/poems, etc. to reach out to the lost through direct or indirect evangelism;
- provide opportunities to do the above;
- discuss and struggle with/pray about relevant issues to Christians in the arts in this day and age;
- seek the Lord's heart about what He wants to do in our city/nation and beyond through the arts and seek to take our place in His plans as He leads us;
- get helpful input as needed;
- write songs or create other art together;
- potentially partner together with local or overseas ministries as the Holy Spirit leads; etc.
- provide Biblical basis re the roles of music/arts in the Bible and the roles of musicians/artists in the Great Commission
- encourage the development of godly character and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ
- mutual mentoring
- Other

If you are doing something similar and wish to share about that in future editions of the EW&AF newsletter, please do let me know what you're doing, what has been happening, the vision on your hearts, important lessons to learn, etc. Many thanks!

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