After months of planning, plotting and otherwise waiting in great anticipation, here I am. As I type this I'm in Room 43 of the old historic hotel at Massanetta Springs Conference Center in Harrisonburg, VA, leading music for the first of two 4-day middle school conferences. Well, I'm not leading music right now, as that would be a tad cramped. But I led some music this morning and will do the same later this evening too, and later this week and next. I'm at about 85%, as I've been battling some kind of nasty sinus thing since earlier this week. There's nothing more discouraging that being commissioned with the task of leading songs and having to do it with a nasty sore throat. Mercifully I believe the worst of it is behind me.
Despite that, early reviews seem to suggest that the music is being well-received. Which is nice, since I honestly can't remember when I last led music for a youth conference/retreat. I used to do this sort of thing all the time, but life's different chapters lead you to change course from time to time. In fact, I actually led music for this very conference way back in the last millennium - 1999, to be exact. It's highly likely that some of the kids at this year's conference were born the last time I led music here. I guess that makes me either a stalwart of some sort or just plain old.
Leading music here this go-round was made doubly joyful with the arrival of the Feet & Hands & Stuff CD, hot off the presses and mailed directly to the conference center. Since all five songs were written to be sung in a conference setting (three of which actually are being sung here), I figured this would be the ideal place to make its debut. And thanks to Laura Holbrook and the fine folks at Massanetta, we've made arrangements so that conferees who purchase the CD here will see half of their $7 remain at Massanetta to support conference scholarships - so no kid has to be denied a chance to attend this wonderful event just because they can't afford it. I'm proud to be able to put my latest creation to such a good cause.
I'm paying close attention to how the three we're singing are being received. It's one thing to sit in a studio and record them; it's another thing to stand on a stage with a Powerpoint and try and get 300+ middle schoolers and adults to join in. The theme song, Turn Around, seems to be a smash hit - so I owe a debt of gratitude to its co-author Jerry Chapman. Everything Everyone Everywhere made its debut at this morning's session - it's not the easiest song to sing, but for a first run-through they seemed to get into it. I haven't tried You Are the Hands of God with them yet, but we sang it at some leadership training earlier this week and it worked well (I'm introducing it to the whole group tonight). Undoubtedly these songs will change and take a different shape over this week and the next, so what these kids leave here singing may not necessary be what's represented on the CD. But that's okay. Music is mean to evolve, right?
Music aside, I've enjoyed - as I always do at these events - meeting lots of great people and experiencing little mini-reunions in the forever-expanding circle known as the Presbyterian Church (USA). Seriously, it's like ever-increasing ripples in a pond; serious "seven-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon" stuff. And it's not just that you meet someone who went to the same seminary you did, or graduated with another pastor friend of yours. It's that their wife was a youth on a presbytery youth council when you keynoted a retreat for them eight years ago. Or their youth director went to school with you and you also preached at their father's ordination service. Crazy stuff. One of the many reasons why I love being Presbyterian and love coming to places like this.
It's been a big week - the debut of my first CD in eleven years and a return to conference songleading in just about the same time frame. And I get to do it all over again next week with a second crop of kids (which will include a group from my home church). I'm certainly not the same guy I was back the last time I did these things, but they still feel familiar; still feel right. And I'll take that any day of the week. Without the sinus infection.
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A SIDE NOTE ABOUT THE CD - While the CD will be available at these conferences, the official release date isn't until Monday, June 28th, to coincide with a CD release party at Moby's Coffee in Mount Airy, NC at 8pm. Here are some links of interest:
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