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CURRENTLY IN MUSIC
Music inspires heart for God, mission

Carol Riediger

Shouts of Joy Paul and Candi Reimer. Omega Records, 2000.

Paul and Candi Reimer, worship leaders from Butler Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church in Fresno, Calif., along with a four-piece band, produced this worship album to help raise funds for Team 2000. Team 2000 is a group of couples (Andy and Carmen Owen, Dave and Louise Sinclair-Peters, and Ricky and Karen Sanchez) committed to a 10-year assignment under MBMS International to bring the gospel to an unreached people group in Thailand.

On Shouts of Joy, Paul and Candi do all the vocals (sometimes duet, other times solos); Paul plays guitar and a few other instruments, including the mandolin. The seven songs on this set, all written by the Reimers, have a folk-like quality, and even at times, a Celtic feel to them. They use mostly guitars and percussion instruments (both electronic and acoustic), with a small amount of keyboards at times. I enjoyed the lively beat.

Since the focus is worship and praise, the lyrics are heartfelt and personal, often derived from the Psalms. There are quite a few direct quotes from Scripture. I appreciated that the words are written in the first-person (I, we) and are sung directly to God, speaking of a strong personal relationship with and deep love for Him. Most of the lyrics are free verse, making it hard for a congregation to learn them, the Scripture sections are very singable due to the repetition. While appreciating the words, I found the tunes not predictable enough for some congregations to sing. Thus, this music may be more suited to youth and young adults.

The album insert includes addresses for making contact with the Church, to look up the chord charts to the songs and to seek more information about Team 2000. The Web site is www.mbmsinternational.org/Team2000.

It is great to see MBs using their talents to share the gospel, lead others in worship and at the same time raise money for missions.

This album will help you focus on God. Give it a listen.

Carol Riediger is a private piano teacher, works at the Chilliwack (B.C.) Health Unit and leads worship at Central MB Church in Chilliwack.

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Last modified May 17, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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