1000 Generations
Music Reviews
by EXW Staff
April 10, 2002
The newest project from Vineyard is a good one. 1000 Generations is a great CD for the younger worshiper. Worship leaders include Martin and Jen Reardon, Meghan Coffee, and Billy Somerville. Check it out today at http://www.usa.vmg.com
History of VSN Atlanta
Vineyard Sunday Night (VSN) began in 1997 as
a little dream between friends. I was interning
at the Atlanta Vineyard in the worship
department, and my friend Andy Tarbutton led
the youth ministry. Like the Levites of the Old
Testament, we loved being at the church and
helping make it work. Andy sometimes didn't
go home- I would find him in the same clothes
he had been wearing for three days. When
finished with our tasks for the day, we would
worship together. I wasn't much of a guitarist at
the time, and Andy would sing so passionately
that he kind of forgot about staying in tune. It
was during these times that we began to dream
up an idea for a new service at the Atlanta
Vineyard. If we could do passionate worship
(maybe even in tune), AND have teaching that
was casual but with lots of substance, AND
present the whole thing in an artsy vibe with
candles and coffee and stuff... wow! We started getting excited about the idea.
At this same time the "youth church
phenomenon" was occurring in the UK.
Meetings like “Cutting Edge” and “Soul
Survivor” were getting a lot of press. Andy
ordered the Delirious albums from England and
we listened to them hungrily. Reading the
articles and listening to the worship music from
these "experiments" confirmed what we wanted
to do here in Atlanta. It was time to take the
next step.
The leadership of the Atlanta Vineyard was
characteristically gracious and generous in
supporting our idea. They helped us take the
first steps toward making it a reality. I began recruiting a worship band, and Andy, a gifted
speaker, started preparing messages. Our first
meeting was October 12, 1997.
The years since then have been quite an
adventure. Soon after we began, Andy got
married and moved to Indiana. I booked
speakers for almost a year until I could
convince another friend of mine to be interim
pastor for a while. VSN was struggling. Our
attendance had dropped down to about 50, our
volunteers weren't too happy with us and it was
looking like it might be time to hang it up for
good. But in the midst of the struggles, the
leadership of the Atlanta Vineyard continued to
offer encouragement. We had to believe this
was God's idea to begin with, and He would
sustain it.
It was during this time that Meghan (Quinn at
the time) and Marty and Jen Reardon began
coming to VSN. Their gifting for worship was
obvious, and they were able to help me with
the responsibilities of that ministry. I love the
fact that these amazing people came to us in
that not-so-glamorous season, when serving at
VSN was kind of like being in the trenches with
bullets whizzing overhead. I developed a trust
and respect for them that has only grown
stronger over the years.
The Lord had something else special in mind
for us, and his name was Kris McDaniel. Kris
and his wife Karyn were returning from a year
of youth ministry in England. Although I had
been emailing him about our struggling
ministry, I didn't know that God had been
speaking to Kris about VSN ever since he had
visited the year before. He was stirred and
inspired by the potential of our community, and
couldn't wait to come back to Atlanta and get involved. Kris served on VSN staff for only a
short time before he was ordained and
appointed the brave new leader of VSN.
Today there is so much peace here--at last we
feel like we have sunk our teeth into God's
purpose for us. People are finding their way
into the Kingdom of God and moving ahead
with joy and freedom. Worship continues to
inspire us and provoke change in our hearts.
The Word is being preached, and real Christian
community is being built.
This album represents one phase of a long and
wonderful journey. If you're ever in the Atlanta
area, come join us some Sunday night!
--Billy Somerville, December 2001
Songlist Includes:
01.
ALL OF MY LOVE
02.
HALLELUJAH (SHOUT TO THE EARTH)
03.
ISN'T THIS THE WAY YOU ARE
04.
ONE DAY
05.
YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL
06.
YOUR BLOOD SAYS EVERYTHING
07.
BE STILL
08.
FALL INTO YOU
09.
OH LORD MOST HIGH
10.
TIME AFTER TIME
11.
TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.