Sunday, April 17, 2011

Palm Sunday!


Our day started with a vibrant Palm Sunday service at St. John's York Mills. Despite the snow, we gathered on the front steps of the church to welcome people, playing songs with acoustic guitar and mixed percussion. The best was "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!" We played a vibrant mix of djembe, gourd, maracas, and various shakers, complete with an 8-bar instrumental breakdown. Great way to start the morning!

In the service, we had a true blend of worship team, handbells, choir, and organ. The music reflected the triumphant nature of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.

This evening, we were scheduled to just sing one song at the Gathering service, but due to Monique's laryngitis, we were called in at the last minute to lead vocals for the service. It was kind of neat to just stand and sing with Gerald, sans guitar. The team was chock full - percussion, 2 guitars, piano, keys, bass, violin, and us on vocals.

For the first part of the service, we combined readings and music to tell the story of Holy Week. But the highlight was the baptism of Max. Max has been attending the Gathering for several months and has played keyboard on the team. He gave a testimony about the experiences that lead him to choose baptism in our church. The whole event was moving and beautiful.

As an intro to the baptism, we sang our new Agnus Dei. It was such an honour to have our song as part of this special event.

And now, we are officially in Holy Week. The journey has begun...

2 comments:

Kathryn Costa said...

I'm so happy for you that you've found your passion for singing and are sharing your gifts with the world. May this week bring you a deeper connection to your faith. I know you inspire others with your lovely voice.

Allison Lynn said...

Thank you, Kathryn!