Resources

As an add-on to my post about Vineyard Community Church, here are some good options for those wanting to begin incorporating multi-cultural worship into their Sunday morning routine. Sorry I don't have recordings or chords for all of them. They are around here somewhere, so just ask and I will get them for you. Help me out if you know where to find the missing ones online.

The one Vineyard did this past Sunday: He is Yahweh, hear it here (skip to 4:47, where the song starts--also check out 14:50)

Ha Hona Ya Tshwana, chords
No Hay Nadie Como Tu, chords
Yae Su Sa Rang Hae Yo, chords
Santo Santo Santo, chords
Ah Ni:io (chords not online, but I have them)
Kwake Yesu Nasimama (chords not online, but I have them)
Unify Us, chords --I have French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese versions of this...somewhere)

Also for churches used to praise music, try some of these songs as good crossovers to gospel music that your congregation might already be familiar with. The differences can be subtle, so they make good stepping stones to add gospel songs to your rep:
Holiness (compare to this), chords
Awesome God (compare to this), chords
Friend of God (compare to this), chords
Here I Am to Worship (compare to this), chords
Lord, You Are Good (compare to this), chords

Remember, worship it is not about being comfortable. It is about praising God and celebrating His diverse kingdom is a part of that.

disclaimer: I put the above together very quickly and haven't checked all the chords for accuracy (not to mention the quality of the videos). Let me know and I can be sure to send you charts that have been tested.

See Also:
Small Things Done With Great Love
Why I Love the Church for All People
Colbert Report

Vineyard Megachurch: "Small Things Done With Great Love Will Change The World"

Cincinnati Vineyard Community Church's (VCC) claim to fame is through its commitment to servant evangelism. This ministry is based on the idea that God's love is free and by washing your car for free--no donations accepted (and at times actually paying the drivers $!), we can represent God's relationship with you in a simple metaphor of love. It is about showing God's love in a practical way, no strings attached .

Very cool right? Absolutely. I grew up (and came to Christ) in this predominantly white, middle class, suburban, nondenom (as though Vineyard isn't its own denomination!) megachurch.

But when I went to college, I joined a small (~100 ppl) multinational, multi-denominational church in Richmond. I loved the intimacy, the accountability, the diversity, and even the holy ritual of the church.

And I became critical of Vineyard: With over 7,000 people here, why do only a handful of faces have dark skin? I thought it was too big to have any meaningful personal accountability; good at bringing new believers to Christ, but not for later in the journey. And why hadn't I ever seen a female worship leader?

All this while I am SUPPOSED to be worshipping God.

This is NOT the response loving Christians should have. But it often how we interact with each other. Sure, it's great to find a new church home and to fall in love with it. But Jesus loves all of the Church and we need to as well.


Maybe a lot of VCC's congregation is white, but the band was pretty mixed and they have started singing songs in different languages (and not just Spanish either), creating an atmosphere that is affirming and welcoming to people of different backgrounds.

And true, it may be a little self-righteous for a white American church to try to march in and 'save the day' in Nigeria (see post: White Savior Complex). But even still 35,000 people now have access to clean drinking water thanks to the 65 new wells that the church helped drill (by employing Nigerians).

Maybe it is ostentatious to build the biggest indoor skate park within 100 miles. But they do it, not for the students that already attend, but with the explicit purpose of drawing kids from the area, and being a center of recreation where kids can encounter God when they wouldn't necessarily be looking for Him.

Sure, VCC has cooshie couches everywhere, but they also gave away over $407,000 last year (not including the funding for the Nigerian wells). They have ministries to the inner-city, the elderly, and the nearby Hispanic communities, and entire new building called the Healing Center, with a clinic and a free store, as well as other resources for those of low SES.

Despite all my qualms about rich suburban megachurches, VCC does really good work. The church fills a need for thousands who have been come disillusioned with the hymns and pews of their parents--and if loud music and fancy lighting/sound system can bring someone to Christ, then it is worth every penny.

In summery, a lot of problems at VCC are legit issues that many churches have. I still struggle when I visit and sit that comfy seat, knowing that at my Columbus church, the people sitting next to me are often homeless. But rather than constantly criticizing/comparing with my previous church (which I seem to do at every new church home), I need to remember that each one is a wonderful piece of the puzzle of God's Kingdom.

Sitting again at my home church, I again allow that critical voice in my head to creep up again. I think of things  I might do differently if I were in charge or how so-and-so really annoys me etc, ad nauseum. But by the grace I hope to receive, may I love my church and The Church, just the way they are, knowing God's not finished with us yet.

See Also:
Resources
Why I Love the Church For All People
White Savior Complex

Don't Stop Believing

Fat Cats is a dueling piano bar in Cincinnati. We went last night (great fun, highly recommend).
One of the (four) pianist played what he called "the white people's national anthem": Don't Stop Believing.

Huh? Am I missing a racial subtext to this song? Or is it just classic stereotypic white pop music? Or was the guy just trying to be funny--and failing?

See Also:

Bush and Hurt Feelings (or White Women's Tears)

Why the white Church needs to wake up about racism

Why we don't have a White History Month

Black/White

I confess that BTSF tends to discuss race relations between black and white people. Partially, that is because that is what I have had the most experience with in the past and where I have been the most educated. Partially, it is because the sins of the church in this area are most poignant for me.  It is also the one I experience the most on a day-to-day basis.


Many of the same discriminatory pressures that black people face are similar to those of other minorities, but many of them are not. The histories are different and the modern stereotypes take different forms. Recall the Japanese American interment after Pearl Harbor or the complete repeated disasters that have been the United States's policies with Native Americans. We know better than to have the Carolina 'Negros' playing against the Chicago Bears. But the Chiefs and the Indians still play on?

I once dated a guy who spoke of extreme pressure he felt people put him under to excel in music and math because he was 'Asian.' This references the idea of the "model minority" and it isn't necessarily a good thing (see post here).

It was actually an Indian American that first challenged the United States's policy of only allowing Caucasians to be citizens. Bhagat Singh Thind argued that as a Indian, which at the time were characterized as Caucasian by anthropologists, he should be granted citizenship, particularly after having served in the US military in WWI. He was in the end denied citizenship because he was not in fact white by the "common man's understanding of the term."

All this to say, like so many things the issue in not black and white. However, I recognize that I often write that way, and so am working on that in myself. Certainly much of what I have to say applies to different kinds of minority relations in the church and I will strive to encompass the many dynamic aspects of God's colorful kingdom in my discussions.

I've Got Style?

So the UMC Church for All People, had its "tea and style show" today. Basically a fashion show in which the congregation can participate, partially to raise money for the church and partially to show off some of the clothes available at our Free Store. I thought it would be great fun to participate and began to brainstorm what I should wear. I love fancy occasions, so I thought I might participate in the "formal attire" section in one of my recital gowns. But then I am already self-conscious about being pinned as a high-brow white classical musician, so I ruled that out. Maybe an outfit that my friend brought back for me from Ghana? Didn't want to seem like I was trying too hard to be 'multicultural.' Too many white folk are all like "am so cool because I embrace other cultures." The church doesn't know me well enough yet for that. Maybe one of the silk dresses I bought when I was in doing my research trip in China? Naw....I've never felt comfortable wearing them. Never found the appropriate occasion where it didn't feel like I was just a tourist appropriating pretty outfits or just showing off my travel experience. How about this dress? no. This shirt? no. This wrap? no no. Nothing in my closet seemed worthy of a fashion show. So I sang with the choir instead.


See Also:
Why I love the Church For All People