We Brought Back Pharaoh Pharaoh
It is on my list of church camp songs. Once or twice a year I will pull it out, dust it off, and play it for our elementary campers. They do the motions, sing “Uh, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah” a few times and then it is filed away for the next summer.
So imagine my surprise when one night at Wednesday youth, someone calls out, “Hey can we do Pharoah Pharaoh?”
I look at the guitar player, tell him the “complicated” chord progression and away we go.
The youth sang, yelled, and did the motions. We followed up with Blessed Be Your Name, and it was one of our more memorable times of worship.
Choose Songs for Your Group- Not Anyone Else’s
Once there were a “contemporary” worship songs. Now there are more songs than you could ever play in a lifetime. So how do you decide which ones to use? Simple, which ones does YOUR group connect with?
Maybe that’s the latest offerings from Hillsong United, or Fee Band. Maybe that’s “Pass it On”
Joshua Griffin recently posted their Top Ten Worship Songs for the Saddleback Student Ministry. I’ve heard of 4 of them, and as a group we sing two of them. But those songs work for them. Their group is not my group.
How To Find Out Your Group’s Songs
The easiest way to find out what songs your group connects with?
1. Listen – They talk about songs they have heard. They will come to you and say, “We have to learn this” or “I heard this really great song.”
2. Ask – Often I’ll send out a text saying, “Coming to worship tomorrow? What songs would you like to sing?’ Usually I’ll get several responses. If we do not use the suggestions for that week, we’ll make sure and work on them for future meetings. If it’s one that we probably cannot learn or do as a youth band, I’ll play the song during a quiet time, or discussion time during our small groups.
3. Peruse – Purchase worship CDs or collections. Set up a worship station on Pandora. Look at lists from other groups, CCLI or Praise Charts. Find songs you think your group may like and introduce them. If it catches on, use it. If it doesn’t then let it go. There are many more great ones out there.
It seems for us that Pharaoh Pharoah, BIG HOUSE, and Every Move I Make will be making the trek from occasional summer camp, to regular song rotation.
What songs does your group connect with.