Covenant News

Online Worship Newsletter Now Available

CHICAGO, IL (September 20, 2005) - Ten years ago, Katie Martinez realized she had been lonely as a worship leader in her church, feeling disconnected from other worship leaders and having been unable to share ideas and struggles.

Then she began meeting with other worship leaders in her region of Colorado and a new world opened up as they meet monthly for coffee, conversation, prayer and worship. "We have become a network of artists who share resources, attend one another's worship events, mourn over another's losses, rejoice in each other's gain," she writes in a new electronic newsletter under the auspices of the Commission on Church Music and Worship of the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Department of Christian Formation.

The first newsletter was emailed several weeks ago to worship leaders throughout the denomination, but is available to all who are interested. Plans are for the newsletter to be published quarterly, says Martinez, who is assisting with editing. Each newsletter will include an interview with a denominational worship leader, articles related to worship, reviews of resources, play lists from other worship leaders, and information on training events in and outside the Covenant.

Resources reviewed in the first issue include Emerging Worship: Creating Worship Gatherings for New Generations by Dan Kimball, and Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert Webber.

With the multitude of resources now available to worship leaders, determining what is excellent can be overwhelming, says Martinez. "Having people help you sort through what's worthy will be a big help. We realize this newsletter is no substitute for coffee and conversation, so hopefully it will serve as a conversation starter," says Martinez, who is now the director of the Worship Center, located on the campus of Covenant Bible College in Windsor, Colorado. The newsletter also will be valuable to anyone who helps plan worship, including worship committees and pastors, Martinez adds.

To read the current issue of the newsletter, please visit Newsletter. To subscribe, please visit Subscribe.

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