NewWineWorship: Hubs, Training & LIVE album
Happy New Year!
Before you read any further, I encourage you to have a look at the NewWineWorship (NWW) Vision and Values posted here. This is the foundation of why NWW exists and how we as a family are seeking to serve local churches.
From conversations with New Wine family from different contexts, two key themes are loud and clear: Local Relationships & Local Resources. A disconnect was apparent from what was taught and demonstrated in the United gatherings to resourcing ‘Sunday’ gatherings. As mentioned previously, our vision is 52 weeks of the year, not just the 2 weeks when we gather in the summer. We need a big enough vision to incorporate the small, the everyday, the local. Everyone has a part to play.
With this in mind, I have set up a structure for worship leaders in the form of NWW Hubs .
Hubs
NWW Hubs are small (up to 10 worship leaders in each), local (or virtual via Google hangout) spaces centred around the New Wine vision and values. The local worship leaders in these groups meet regularly to worship, pray, learn from, support and resource each other. We’re also providing central resources to download for free from the NWW pages to help serve the Hubs if needed.
We want to empower the New Wine family at a small local level, so that we can see hundreds of active Hubs right across the country (and beyond) — not just a handful of big gatherings. New Wine is family so relationships are key.
The aim is simple: to be a relational, replicable, flexible and supportive space for worship leaders to take hold of God’s gifts in their lives and see them soar. Each Hub will look slightly different as it tailors to the needs of the worship leaders in the group — there is no set programme! Some may meet weekly, some monthly and some termly, depending on what works for their schedules.
Find more information on Hubs and how to get involved or host one here.
Regional Training Days & Live Album Recording
Another way we aim to resource the local Church is through regional training days specific to local church contexts. We have four days in four regions booked in for 2018, and they will be called:
FOR THE ONE (would make a great song title too…!)
These days (10am–4pm) are for worship teams (inc tech — we are all one team!) to be invested in, receive input, build relationships, network, but also space for worship and ministry (that you are not responsible for!).
At the end of each of the four days there will be an ‘Evening of worship with live album recording’ (7–9pm), available for all people to come, worship, learn some new songs and add their voice to the LIVE recording! I’ll speak more about the album in the next section. More details to follow but for now please add the relevant date to your diary and pass on to your teams/church family:
21 April // NWW: Trinity Chelt
28 April // NWW: Saint Philips Salford
5 May // NWW: Trinity Leicester
12 May // NWW: All Saints’ Woodford Wells
Live Album Recording
Finally, another way to resource the local Church is in recording a LIVE CD in the local church for the local Church. Whilst doing a summer CD is great fun, most of the songs we use and record are already on multiple CDs by the time it comes out, so in theory not the greatest resource we can offer! By recording the album over four locations in four evenings, it means we can have the CD ready for the United Summer gatherings so the songs we are singing can be taken back and used straight away. Another benefit of doing the recording over four locations is that we can incorporate and record three songs in each venue as part of a wider evening of worship and teaching. This also gives freedom for leaders in the summer as we are not tied to having to get another take of it (usually because I mess it up with wrong chords or words!)
A wide team are writing and testing songs in their local contexts and we hope to produce an album of songs can be done with not only a full band with production equipment most of us could only dream of, but in smaller contexts in lower song keys, with guitar or piano etc.
This is a process and we won’t get it right straight away but it’s the long-term goal to be writing not for conferences but for local churches. Again, from the ground up, not top down.
I hope all this is helpful information that stirs your heart to pray and get involved! Thank you for your love and support (and grace!)
Love,
Chris Sayburn
