Worship Ministry: Reflections

This past Sunday was the last time that I will lead worship at Canaan. I can't believe it's been a year and a half already since I first took over the team.

When I first started, not only had I never led for a Sunday church service before (already an anxiety-provoking source of stress for a new praise leader), I had also never led a multi-instrument praise team before. With piano, drums, bass, back-up vocals, secondary percussion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and violin, this band was already several times larger than anything I was used to in my many previous years of worship leading.

Fortunately, all of the praise team members were incredibly musically gifted. This saved me, because, unfortunately for them, they had a very green praise leader.

Experience has certainly taught me a lot since then, and right when I feel like I've finally got a good handle on things, I end up leaving =(. I'm definitely going to miss leading worship. It's an indescribable feeling to be looking out from the front leading a congregation in praise and adoration of God. You get to see firsthand how every person worships God in their own unique way, and yet we're all lifting up the same God together as one body.

Some raise one hand, some raise two. Some close their eyes, some sit quietly, while some are dancing in the aisles. Some smile, some cry. But all are praising God in their own way. You can't help but be affected when you see God moving in people.

But I won't just miss Sundays. I'll also miss the comraderie of Sat practices, hanging out for lunch afterwards. I'll miss praying for inspiration for the worship set that week, and the satisfaction that comes when the theme shines through and perfectly complements that week's sermon.

And call me a worship techno geek, but I'll miss analyzing songs, too. Whenever a new song (or a new arrangement of an old one) catches my ear, I get so excited that I'll listen to a song over and over and over and over again, breaking the song down into its component parts, deciphering what every instrument is doing.

I have a lot of fun doing this, and I think it helps us sound better because of it. It's kind of counter-intuitive, but I've noticed that sounding better actually helps to take the focus away from the people on stage, and instead helps to deepen the people's focus on God and worshipping Him.

I wish I had more pictures from throughout the year, but all I have are these pictures that JT took this past Sunday to remember Afterglow by. It would have been nice to have had pictures of us on our "usual" instruments, but instead I hope you all enjoyed the more classical sound as much as I did this past Palm Sunday =).

8:30am Sunday morning practice.
Um, where is everybody? T.T

Wow, Hanlin is so good, he can play while still asleep.
Did I say my team was talented, or what?
Joy looks on in amazement; Bob.... is unimpressed.

Team Afterglow and alumni

Thanks everyone! I'm going to miss you all!