cchc

This week I've begun doing something new. I'm preparing the music for services at Christ Church in the Hill Country. It started as a branch of Christ Episcopal Church, but has quickly grown to be self-sustaining, and is the model of what a church can be.

They're happy and healthy, with solid leadership, from both laity and clergy. In their services, they honor the great traditions of the Church, while pouring them into new wineskins, fresh for each day and decade. So, they observe the full Episcopal liturgy — Book of Common Prayer and all that — but it's user-friendly and easy-going. They sing the great hymns of the church, but do it in a way that speaks to the moment, while also bringing in songs of today's generations, from the folky stuff of our parents to worship songs that hit this year.

And, as of September, they have a new worship leader. While I still remain involved at TBC, I'll be at CCHC every Sunday morning, leading and playing music that I've crafted for the service at hand. Their pastor, the gentle and pitch-perfect Eric Fenton, sends me the readings for the day and his sermon topic, and says Go. I take it from there, putting my 25 years of experience to work, with blessed freedom.

This is going to be fun.