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As 475 members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Denomination descend on the Appalachia Region this week to help rural churches host Vacation Bible Schools. I wanted to share this video about another important ministry that goes on in one of the poorest regions in our country. The Cowan Creek Mountain Music School has been helping children and adults recapture the values of the culture that has helped people survive in this neglected region for decades. “Old Time” music helped the communities of this region laugh and cry together and share their lives with one another. My hope is that the Gospel could be found in both a VBS and in an “Old Time” fiddle workshop and that this region could be transformed by the love of Christ.
Here is the video of the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School:
Here is a link to an amazing conversation with the late Joe Carter, a scholar and singer of African American Spirituals. It was recorded for the Speaking of Faith radio show. The page that is linked also has many other resources for those of us interested in using these amazing songs within our worship sets. Each opportunity in which I’ve been able to worship with these songs has been a huge blessing. The theological perspective of the African American slaves that wrote these songs in the midst of great suffering helps us understand our falleness and the great love Christ has for us. These beautiful songs help us understand our relationship as redeemed people in such a beautiful way that we should not neglect these treasures.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/joecarter/links.shtml
Alison Krauss describes Hazel Dickens as, “Cranked up to ten.” She doesn’t hold back vocally or when it comes to standing up for workers rights. As a girl she grew up singing in a primitive Baptist church in the mountains of West Virginia seeing the injustice done to coal mine workers. She later became and advocate for labor unions and workers rights.
As a worship leader, there is a lot to be learned from Hazel Dickens’ story. How can I/we encourage our congregations to address the social justice issues of our society today? How can I/we embrace what Christ proclaims in the Sermon on the Mount? Let us look for examples of Christians who had a heart for social justice and were willing to use the talents God blessed them with to love their neighbor and bring Christ’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven.
Here is a video I found while perusing youtube last night. Abigail Washburn’s Sparrow Quartet did a tour of China and Tibet in 2006 and this is a rooftop jam with a couple of musicians from a Mongolian Folk Band. It’s amazing how these guys keep finding similarities between melodies of American Roots Music and Mongolian Roots Music. As we consider utilizing American Roots Music in our worship setting today let ’s consider the amazing ability this music has to connect with not only the American Story but the Human Story. From a Mongolian Folk song to Wayfaring Stranger, the tale of finding redemption in our Savior, in one rooftop jam somewhere in China.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvgJ9Hg7T4Q
