FORUM SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 | NASHVILLE, TN In Partnership with the Virginia Martin Howard Foundation And the Getty Music Foundation
GETTY MUSIC
CHILDREN’S LEADERSHIP
Whether we call it “liturgy” or not, we all have patterns to our home life, shapes to our schedules, activities and passions we share, devotional practices, the turning of the days and of the nights. How then can we best use the time we have to support and utilize the gifts of music and prayer and Bible study and conversations of good things and busy family life to weave close bonds within families and in turn within the church family? How can we help catechize our kids through the ordinary moments of everyday life to the glory of God?
You will notice on this program cover a piece of woven art created by our friend Joan Murray. It is one of several that tell the story of this conference. Her inspiration was to show family units individually and tightly woven together but threaded into the wider weave representing the life of the church.
The focus of the main conference, beginning tomorrow, is how the gospel shapes the liturgy of the service and then the liturgy of our lives. So we thought it would be helpful today to particularly explore the liturgy of the home!
Welcome to the 2022 Children’s Leadership Forum!
Each thread individually woven, each movement not rushed, each row purposefully thought through. Thank you for taking time with us to think carefully and imaginatively and prayerfully together in these challenging, opportunity-full times. May the song we “weave” within our families keep them warm and equipped and protected in the battles and triumphs they face: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Dear friends,
Grace and peace, Keith and Kristyn
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14)
JOAN MURRAY ARTIST IN RESIDENCELITURGY
Born in Northern Ireland, Joan studied textiles at Belfast, Winchester and the Royal College of Art, London. She married Chris Murray and moved north to Skipton in Yorkshire, where Joan teaches fashion and textiles, creates garments to commission and exhibits her weaving, paintings, prints and garments regularly. Joan’s textile work has been purchased by The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Whitworth Museum, Manchester; and Hove Museum in Sussex. She continually refreshes her work by studying and drawing the created world, and her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of all is woven into everything she does.
AND THE FAMILY
In this panel we celebrate and support the differences in character and personality of our family members. At the same time our family structure provides boundaries and a clear, safe and unified sense of direction.
Whoever Welcomes Malcolm Guite “Welcome,” the word is always on your lips, Each welcome warms another one inside, An interleaving of relationships, An open door where arms are open wide. First welcome to the child and through the child
And through the Savior’s welcome all are called Home to the Father’s heart. Each call is curled And nested in another, as you were Nested and nestled in your mother’s womb, As Mary carried One who carried her, And we are wrapped in you, deep in the tomb, Where you turn our rejection into welcome, And death itself becomes our welcome home. Used with permission. Published in Parable and Paradox: Sonnets on the Sayings of Jesus and Other Poems (Norwich, UK: Canterbury Press, 2016).
A welcome to the Savior of the world
We are eager that they would use their singing voices as a testimony to the Lord and his Kingdom while they are young and throughout their lives. We know you are eager for that too!
“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” 104:33)
FOR MAKING THE GETTY MUSIC CHILDREN’S LEADERSHIP FORUM POSSIBLE.
(Psalm
GETTY MUSIC GREATLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE GENEROSITY OF THE VIRGINIA MARTIN HOWARD FOUNDATION
For hymns, devotionals, sheet music, and recordings, visit the Family Hymn of the Month at www.gettymusic.com/hymnofthemonth
The vision of Getty Music is to join rich theology with timeless artistry in congregational singing for the whole family of God.
We also wish to thank the Getty Music Foundation for its support of the Children’s Leadership Forum. The Getty Music Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to educate believers, families, and churches around the world with a biblical view of singing and corporate worship.
• Grasping the unique opportunity music and lyrics bring to teach children the Christian faith, and
• Passing on the timeless heritage and resources we have in the hymnody of the church,
CHILDREN’S LEADERSHIP FORUM VISION
It is through their support, in honoring the legacy of Mrs. Virginia Martin Howard, that we have been able to reach thousands of educators and children’s ministry leaders with training in deep theology, timeless artistry and teaching children to sing for life. We are deeply grateful for this organization, for whom a primary mission is to support, develop, and encourage sacred music.
Since congregational singing is the privilege, joy, and calling of every believer whatever their age, the Getty Music Children’s Leadership Forum aims to help pastors, children’s ministry leaders, and families in:
As we look at our four children we are eager that they grow a lifelong love for singing deep songs of the Lord. We are eager to teach them a song list that every day is deepening the roots and blossoming the fruit of the gospel in their lives.
• Teaching our children what it means to sing to the Lord and to one another in church life and as part of our witness to the world.
CHILDREN’S LEADERSHIP FORUM SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 2:00-5:00pm SESSION 1 • Welcome and Opening Singing ................................Keith and Kristyn Getty and the Getty Band • Liturgy and Children .................................................Keith and Kristyn Getty • Singing and the Heart of a Child ..............................Colin Buchanan • Rhythm and Rhyme: Singing, The Word, and Spiritual Formation. Shai and Blair Linne • The Liturgy of Music Education................................Pam Andrews, Ben and Deborah Klemme • Liturgy, Beauty, and Poetry: The Power of the Imagination..................................Malcolm Guite SESSIONBREAK 2 Keith and Kristyn Getty with Members of the Getty Music Hymn Writing Team
KEITH AND KRISTYN GETTY have been at the forefront of writing modern hymns for the church. Their songs include “In Christ Alone,” “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death,” “My Worth Is Not in What I Own,” and “The Lord Is My Salvation.” They are the founding CEOs of the Getty Music Group and the Getty Music Foundation. They have been involved in The Village Chapel in Nashville, TN for over ten years with their four daughters.
PAM ANDREWS - Originally from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Music has been a life-long activity for Pam Andrews. She has written and produced over 70 children’s choir musicals and has written over 700 songs for children working with various publishers in the Christian music field. She now has her own publishing company, Pam Andrews Music. Pam also serves as an adjunct professor at Welch College and teaches piano. Pam has been nominated for several Dove Awards for her children’s musicals and was recently chosen by the Grammy Foundation as Top Ten Music Teacher in the United States and Music Teacher of the Year by the Country Music Association. Pam is married to David Andrews and they have two children and four grandchildren.
COLIN BUCHANAN is Australia’s Number 1 kids Christian artist. With a career spanning 3 decades, Colin’s uniquely Bible-saturated songs have influenced generations of kids and families across the globe. Dublin-born Colin uniquely straddles Australia’s Christian and secular media as a respected songwriter, beloved TV presenter, picture book author, radio panelist and live performer. His recent collaboration with CityAlight, Jesus Strong & Kind, has introduced Colin to an even wider audience,. MALCOLM GUITE - Poet-Priest Malcolm Guite was Chaplain for 20 years at Girton College, Cambridge and remains Supernumerary Fellow. His books include: Love, Remember (2017); Mariner, a spiritual biography of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (2017); Parable and Paradox (2016); The Singing Bowl (2013); Sounding the Seasons (2012); Theology and the Poetic Imagination (2010) and Faith Hope and Poetry (2006). Malcolm has edited two poetry anthologies for Lent and Advent: The Word in the Wilderness (2014) and Waiting on the Word (2015). After Prayer, Malcolm’s poetic response to George Herbert’s poem “Prayer,” was published in 2019. David’s Crown, Malcolm’s poetic response to all the Psalms, was published in 2021.
MATT BOSWELL is lead pastor of The Trails Church in North Texas and the President of Doxology & Theology. He is an author and hymnwriter, known for songs including “His Mercy is More,” “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” and “Psalm 150.” Boswell earned his MA in Christian Ministry, ThM in Biblical Spirituality, and PhD in Christian Worship from Southern Seminary. He lives in Texas with his wife, Jamie, and four children.
SPEAKERS & ARTISTS
JORDAN KAUFLIN serves as worship pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Atlanta, GA. He is a songwriter whose hymns include “I Will Wait for You (Psalm 130),” “Christ our Hope in Life and Death,” “Come to Jesus (Rest in Him)” and “All I Have Is Christ.” He is passionate about raising up the next generation of worship leaders and song writers. He is married to Tali and they have five children.
SHAI LINNE is a recording artist and author. He has put out numerous Christian hip-hop albums, including The Attributes of God and The Atonement. As an author, his first book, God Made Me and You, was published in 2018. His latest book is The New Reformation: Finding Hope in the Fight for Ethnic Unity. He also had the privilege of helping to plant Risen Christ Fellowship in September 2015 in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA. He is happily married to Blair and they have three children.
BLAIR LINNE is a poet, Bible teacher, and author. She serves as the Director of Risen & Rooted women’s ministries at Risen Christ Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA, where her husband Shai is one of the founding pastors. She is the author of Finding My Father: How the Gospel Heals the Pain of Fatherlessness. Blair and Shai have three children.
LAURA STORY is a Bible teacher, worship leader, singer/songwriter, and bestselling author. Her songs – which have won Grammys, Billboard Music Awards and Dove Awards – include “Blessings,” “Mighty to Save” and Chris Tomlin’s “Indescribable.” “Blessings” was certified platinum in 2020 and inspired her first devotional book, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops. Laura has a master’s degree of theological studies and a doctorate in worship studies. She has served as a worship leader at Perimeter Church in Atlanta since 2005, but her greatest joy is being a wife to Martin and mother to their four children.
DR. BENJAMIN KLEMME is Associate Professor of Music and Symphony Orchestra Conductor at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. Previously, Klemme taught on the faculty at Gordon College, served the Quad City Symphony Orchestra as Associate Conductor, directed the Campus Orchestra program at the University of Minnesota, and led the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association and Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association as Music Director. Klemme studied conducting with Mark Russell Smith, Kathy Saltzman Romey, Carl Topilow, and Louis Lane, and holds degrees in conducting and music education from the University of Minnesota, Cleveland Institute of Music, and University of Northern Iowa.
MATT MERKER is Director of Creative Resources and Training for Getty Music. Matt and his wife, Erica, are members of Edgefield Church, where he also serves as Director of Congregational Singing. Matt has contributed to several modern hymns, including “He Will Hold Me Fast,” “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death,” “I Will Wait for You (Psalm 130)” and “Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right.” He is the author of Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People (Crossway 2021). The Merkers have two children and live in Nashville, TN.
MATT PAPA is a songwriter, worship leader, and author who has written hymns including “His Mercy Is More,” “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” “Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor” and “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death.” He serves as Artist-in-Residence at Marco Presbyterian Church in Florida and also at Cedarville University in Ohio. His latest project, “Almost Home,” showcases a new collection of songs co-written with Matt Boswell. He is married to Lauren and they have five children.
SKYE PETERSON is a singer-songwriter based in Nashville, TN whose hymns include “Take Shelter.” Although she has been writing and recording since high school, she began her career as a musician after studying theology and being inspired by biblical history and hermeneutics. Now writing hymns for Getty Music, Skye is also performing her own concerts and hoping to tell the world that they are not alone and that there’s a King who’s worth singing about.
Jiminy Cricket wishing upon a star: “Anything your heart desires,” for this is how your “dreams will come true.”
Mulan staring into the mirror: lamenting the society that requires her to “hide” herself, “the secret me,” wondering when her reflection will show her true identity.
Now, I’m not the book-burning type. I’ve never participated in the youth group rituals of burning rock music records or banning DVDs or movies that may carry unbiblical messages. I’m much more inclined to discuss stories and songs with my kids than tell them not to engage them.
If we do not teach our children songs that magnify the God of the Bible, Disney will give them a soundtrack that magnifies the god of self. Most songs today tell you to be true to yourself. But the Bible tells you to crucify the self the world calls us to be… and then be raised with Christ to become the person he always intended us to be. Most songs tell you to follow your heart and chase your dreams, but the Bible tells you to follow God’s heart and chase the dream he has for the world.
Brain scientists have demonstrated the powerful combination of music and lyric, particularly at young ages. That’s why we have a harder time learning newer songs and yet know every word of the hymns our church sang when we were children, or the most popular songs on the radio during our high school years. Young minds are impressionable, and the songs we learn as children stick with us.
There’s no escape from the worldview of expressive individualism—it’s everywhere. The question is: will other music drown out the biblical truths we teach our children, or will the God-magnifying songs we sing drown out the anthems that top the charts?
I have long been a Disney fan. I’ve been to Disney World, I grew up watching the VHS tapes of old movies released from “the vault,” and I’ve seen countless Disney movies in the theater. I’ve long praised Disney Pixar for their excellent storytelling and animation. When it comes to family friendly entertainment, Disney has been the best for a long time. But not all is well in the magic kingdom.
Elsa turning away and slamming the door on her friends and family: “Let it go,” she says, escaping into a world of “no right, no wrong, no rules,” declaring “Here I stand” like Martin Luther, just not on Scripture but on Self.
We need to talk about Disney, because Disney talks to our children. Disney sings to them constantly. Expressive individualism shows up in many songs marketed to children, and no matter how catchy they may be, if these are the primary or only songs our children sing, they will have a harder time understanding the church’s counter-message—that the true gospel isn’t about finding and expressing yourself, but finding Christ and expressing your newfound identity in him.
HOW SONGS SHAPE OUR CHILDREN’S SOULS -Trevin Wax
Still, I believe we should pay special attention to the songs and lyrics that capture the hearts and minds of our children. As an eighteenth-century Scot tish writer put it: “Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”
In each of these cases, at varying levels, the worldview is what sociologists call “expressive individualism.” In my book Rethink Your Self, I call this the “Look In” approach to life. According to this view, the purpose of life is to discover and express your unique sense of self, no matter what others may say or do to challenge your freedom of personality. The narrative arc of your life is finding your personal route to happiness by following your heart, expressing your true self, and then fighting whoever would oppose you—your society, your family, your past, or your church.
This is my urgent plea to families: pay attention to the songs your children sing. Give them truth. Give them Jesus. And sing the songs of faith so loud and so often the Disney soundtracks can’t compete.
You may have seen the news recently that some executives at Disney want to influence children and families with unbiblical views of sexuality, gender, and marriage. These new revelations should make us more careful with the entertainment our children consume. Even the most family-friendly company isn’t “safe” in worldview terms. But I want us to consider Disney music as especially influential. The songs stick with you. Those of us who grew up in the eighties and nineties know many Disney songs by heart. Nothing stirs the nostalgia like hearing these classic tunes: Aladdin riding the magic carpet with Princess Jasmine: “When did you last let your heart decide?,” imagining “a whole new world” where there’s no one to tell them “no.”
WE DON’T TALK ABOUT DISNEY…
FAMILY HYMN OF THE MO NTH Hymns | Devotionals | Sheet Music | RECORDINGS A MONTHLY HYMN FOR YOUR FAMILY TO LEARN AND SING TOGETHER GETTYMUSIC.COM/HYMNOFTHEMONTH
