Center For Church Music Newsletter

CCM Newsletter for July 1, 2010

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

SELECTED E-MAIL MESSAGES

POST: May 15: (No city given) USA
Thanks for your glorious site...Hayley

POST: May 15: Hot Springs, AR, USA
Your site is just...what I want: i.e. sheet music and lyrics...Thank you, Robert

POST: May 14: Garden Tomb, Jerusalem, Israel
I am enquiring about the hymn "Thine Be the Glory"...Many thanks, Angela

POST: May 10: Singapore, Malaysia
I love to listen to the hymns...
Thank you and have a blessed day. Timmy

POST: May 1: Lisbon, Spain
Hi Paul,
I am a Christian and I'm active at the church where I am a member and sing in the choir. I"m 20 years old and I am studying to be an opera singer. I have discovered this website this Sunday when "googleing" for a hymn by the tune...and I just loved it. I would really like to help if there's anything I can do.
Calebe

POST: April 20: Guntersville, AL, USA
Thanks for the hard work you do bringing the great hymns to people. My family has been able to hear some hymns for the first time, or sing some that we have loved for years. Recently we studied [on your site] about the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save." Then we went to see the USS Alabama battleship. One of the display areas had "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" playing. The boys were so excited and started singing along...
Blessings,
Kelli

Website Report: Continued Growth!

Source: Google Analytics

We continue to see growth in the use of the website in the first half of 2010. We do not have complete numbers today, but we'll pass them along to you in our next newsletter.

We continue to have many Internationals on our site--including those from Muslim countries such as: Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and others...

Next time, we'll include a report on the countries of Africa that have large numbers of users visiting our site. As always, it is amazing (and gratifying!) to see how the website is used by the Lord for His honor and glory! Keep the website in your prayers!

A PRAYER CHALLENGE

We continue to pray that the Lord will send many financial partners to help us in our quest to increase the number of hymns on our site. Hence, we continue to bring to your attention the need for funds to meet this need.

God is faithful, but we do not want to get ahead of Him. And so we wait for all the necessary funds to come in before we begin to work on this urgent project.

If you have any questions about our work or ideas or suggestions, do not hesitate to communicate by e-mail, or feel free to just pick up the phone and call us at 800-587-5780. If you don't get us at first, please keep trying...we do want to talk with you. May God bless you...

To Donate

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

Therefore, by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips... Hebrews 13:15

In the book of Hebrews, the New Testament writer reveals a fantastic picture of God's people, who having been freed from the ritual of animal sacrifice, are now able to present to God "continually...the sacrifice of praise. No longer shackled to an earthly system of sacrifices, Christians have been given a holy office and calling; they are "kings and priests" to God by Christ Jesus. Having become citizens of heaven, they continually offer their sacrifices of praise as God-ordained priests of Christ and His kingdom."

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

WE had intended for you to receive this news update in June--but our annual KIDS CHOIR CAMP, held from June 14-June 18, intervened!

This year's camp was again a great success: a blending of great music and a great message. And as usual, our Camp had a wonderful mix of instrumental and vocal music as well.

The Camp had four vocal choirs and four instrumental ensembles, all aimed at children who do not bring a great deal of musical experience to the week.

In addition to great KIDS, we again had a wonderful staff of musicians and associates. From the first minutes of the Camp on Monday to the last strains of our Festival of Praise on Friday evening, there was a flurry of activity as the children came together to sing--from memory! wonderful anthems and hymns.

Kids Choir Camp

We hope to get another newsletter to you soon. Thanks for remembering the Center in your prayers--and thanks for the many calls and e-mails of encouragement.

Paul

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Down through the centuries, the Church has retained great hymns because of the dignified structure and intellectual strength of the words and nuances of theology that are conveyed in the poetry.

Dr. John MacArthur

JULY HYMN HIGHLIGHT

Soldiers of Christ, Arise

Listen to it on the website or on a radio station in your area. We encourage you to sing this hymn often. It is a great hymn of courage and strength! And it is one of Charles Wesley's best...!

CCM Newsletter for April 6, 2010

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

SELECTED E-MAIL MESSAGES

NOTE: Just last week we received a remarkable e-mail from London. It's a bit long, but we wanted to share a good portion of it with you as this is what we are all about!

POST: March 29: London, England

Your website gave me tremendous help whilst going through a very difficult and trying time of my life. I had almost given up hope and faith. I felt suicidal at the time and whilst searching the internet - I just typed songs and hymns and I came across the site. I could put on the headphones for several hours and days on end because the hymns were so strong and very inspiring. I then noticed that every Sunday there was a selected hymn for the week. After every church service I will quickly get to the library to see what hymn was chosen...[It was] as if God had opened that site and [was] talking to me through the psalms and hymns. The audio messages that went along with the hymns were great and fantastic. Thank you Paul-- God bless you richly.

Lydia

POST: March 25: Mountain View CA, USA

God bless you...your website has been an enormous blessing for my family and congregation...Right now, we've learned at least 15 hymns. However, the difficulty is accompaniment. Is it possible to get accompaniment tracks of the hymns that you have on your website...without the vocals?

Abraham

POST: March 26: Belleview, FL, USA

I thank God for this website. I am part of a ministry called Women in Truth...a ministry including a large number of incarcerated women. May I reprint the hymns, history and devotionals? They will speak to the hearts of these hurting women. Thank you...

Kathy

POST: April 2: Hudsonville, MI, USA

It is too bad you have no other CDs available. I enjoy the #1 and #2 very much. I hope you will have others available in the future. May the Lord bless you in your work in His church...

Henry

Website Report: A Terrific 3 Months!

Source: Google Analytics

From January 1 - April 4: Easter Sunday

HITS: 298,154 (Nearly a 20% increase)
VISITORS: 91,721 (a 30% increase)

On Good Friday, we had over 2,000 unique visitors to the site--a record for our website!

We also had 205 countries on our site during this three-month period, that is also a record.

We again praise God for these wonderful numbers. It demonstrates that people have a hunger for great hymns all around the globe! AND we continue to have every state in the US utilizing the website each month!

REPORT FROM THE PHILIPPINES

This is our third month on the air on Radio Station FEBC in Manila. Our contact, Tiffany Liong reports good feedback from her listeners.

We are now in the process of putting our weekly program in three more cities, in the north, south and central part of the Philippines.

PRAYER REQUEST

We thank the Lord for those of you who remember our ministry in prayer and support each month. Thank you!

We continue to have an urgent need for funds to return to the recording studio. It is an expensive venture. If God is leading you to help us, please contact us right away, either by phone, fax or e-mail. And please keep us in your prayers each day. Prayer IS the lifeline for CCM.

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THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

Heavenly Song: Singing Heaven's Hymns

In a secular and rather profane world, it's difficult to reconcile this passage in Revelation with the reality of our daily lives. Heaven seems very distant...

But, there is an old, but true, saying that "heaven must be in us before we can be in heaven...We can't join the glorified choir unless we have learned their song." READ MORE

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

Each time I check Google's analysis of our website, I get excited--and this Easter season is no exception. For it's during the months of Lent and Easter that we have the largest number of people on the site. We are grateful to God for the utilization of the website around the globe.

Last week we received an e-mail from Lydia in London. It is one of the most touching e-mail messages we have received. Again, we are thankful that the Lord has used our work to spiritually connect in such a powerful way.

Our ministry is really about exhorting people to praise God. but, many times praising God does not involve actual speech, but what you might call meditative praise; that is, music that is too deep for words. Perhaps it is in this kind of praise that our emotions are most deeply touched.

When our thoughts become too heavy for our voices to carry them, our silence can become overwhelming. In music, a "rest" is one of the most expressive parts of the song. And many times it's when you do not audibly sing, but let a song fill your mind and your heart that it becomes the music of the soul.

It is for this reason that I urge you to use our website as an aid in memorizing hymns. When you wake or just before sleep, meditating on great words of praise can be unbelievably rich and powerful. Try it...!

Finally, I thank God for the opportunity to "minister through music" to you this day. We want to do so much more. If you can help us financially, we would be most grateful. Why not contact us today? To Donate

God's best to you...

Paul

APRIL 11-17, 2010 HYMN HIGHLIGHT

Thine Be the Glory

Listen to it on the website or on a radio station in your area. This great hymn combines powerful lyrics with a timeless melody!

Christ is Risen:Thine be the Glory!

CCM Newsletter for January 25, 2010

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

SELECTED E-MAIL MESSAGES

POST: November 11, 2009: Manila, PHILIPPINES

I represent 98.7 DZFE-FM The Master's Touch in Metro Manila. I would like to inquire about the possibility of carrying THE ADORATION SONGBOOK on our station. We would like to broadcast both the weekly and daily programs and make them a regular feature of our early morning. DZFE is a non-commercial classical FM station that is part of the Far East Broadcasting network of stations, whose mission is to bring Christ to the world by radio. Thank you for your consideration.

Tiffany Liong

Note: We have corresponded with Tiffany--and our program is now on the air in the Philippines via the MBN network. This is a great answer to prayer. More on this in the "Director's Update" on the reverse side.

POST: January 7, 2010, Nairobi, KENYA

God bless you, I have been listening to your music in the net and I'm wondering how I can get it either in DVD or audio CD?

Jeremiah Njeru

POST: January 14, 2010: Trinidad, WEST INDIES

[I listen to your Internet program.] do you ship international?

Victor

POST: Monday, January 4, 2010, Charlotte NC

Dr. Lusher, I spoke to you back in December about using the devotion on "O Come All Ye Faithful" with my choir. I wanted to let you know that it was very well received by the choir members. I am going to use the devotional, "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" with them. I have printed it out and put your website on the sheet so the choir can go home and use the hymns in their personal devotional times. Thank you for your great ministry!

Monty (Friendship Missionary Baptist Church)

Note: This is terrific--and one of the singular purposes of our website. We pray that churches will use the site in the same way--to shape the mind and the heart for God's grace and glory through singing!

Website Report: 2009
A Record Year!

Source: Google Analytics

Total Hits: 1,001,683 (A Record!) 25% higher than 2008.

Countries: 209 Countries. This number includes the Vatican (Holy See)

Visits: 273,743 Up 35% from 2008.

Unique Visitors: 221,485 Up 34$ from 2008.

Highest Hits from a Foreign Country: Great Britain Up 39% from 2008.

Five Highest States in 2009 vs 2008 California: Up 27%
Texas: Up 36%
New York: Up 36%
Florida: Up 47%
Pennsylvania: Up 36%

Most Popular Hymn on the Site in 2009: "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"

As you can see from the above statistics (the statistics are a free service from Google) the Lord has significantly increased our site usage this year. To say that we are surprised by this great leap forward is a bit of an understatement, but we are grateful to the Lord for this the tremendous influence of the site.

We continue to pray that God will provide the funds to continue our site and to be able to increase the number of hymns that are heard around the world. After a rewarding 2009 we say: To God be the Glory!

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

God's Gift: Song!

From the beginning of Scripture to its dramatic climax in Revelation, song is never far from God's people. Over the next months, we will look at the extraordinary usage of music and song found in the Bible. Combined with the teaching of the Apostolic fathers (the early church), Scripture provides a striking picture of how music is to be used in today's church.

JANUARY HYMN HIGHLIGHT

I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art

Listen to it on the website or on a radio station in your area. This hymn is one of the most important hymns of the Reformation!

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

I hope that you find website statistics from Google to be encouraging. It is a great reminder of the power of the Internet and how widespread its usage has become. (A real surprise: This is the second year that the Vatican has used our site for hymns!)

Another surprise (and answer to prayer!) was the request by a powerful FM station in the Philippines to broadcast our radio programs. We have been praying for several months that we might be able to link up with some of the evangelical broadcasting networks around the world.

For months we had difficulty making the proper contacts. But, God intervened and unexpectedly we received an e-mail message late last year regarding putting our program on the air in the Philippines. (See "Selected E-Mail Messages")

We pray that this will be just the beginning of more exposure on International radio. Frankly, many Christians are too poor or isolated to have exposure to a computer and the Internet. But they do need to hear the joy of the Gospel, and join in the great experience of singing the great hymns of the faith. Please pray with us!

As we begin 2010, your financial help is greatly appreciated. The need to return to the studio and record additional hymns is urgent. As we receive e-mail from around the USA and the globe, we need to be able to respond to their requests for more material on our website.

Thank you in advance for your help. A gift of any size will make a difference--and the greater the gift, the greater the opportunity for the Center for Church Music to continue to make a significant impact in over 200 countries!

To Donate

Paul

CCM Newsletter for March 15, 2009

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

SELECTED E-MAIL MESSAGES

POSTED: March 9--Slatington, PA, USA

God bless you for your site. I am an injured Emergency Medical Technician with spine and spinal cord injuries from work.

I wanted to let you know that I am able to listen to songs to which I grew up with and love to listen to them when I am feeling down......and also up.

I praise God that your site is available to visit whenever I am able. May the Blessings of Almighty God be with your ministry.

In Christ, Jim, EMT

POSTED: February 10--Hampshire, UK

I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Saviour when I was 6 yrs old. My dear parents who walked with Jesus all their lives brought 5 children up for the Lord and thankfully all my family and my husband and his family are all the Lord's. Praise His Name!! I just want to say how much we appreciate the wonderful work you do for the Lord for His Praise and Glory.

God bless you all. Joanna

POSTED: February 1: Delbarton, WV, USA

I recently visited your website. You have an excellent site that is very informative and useful. God has blessed you and I feel that the blessings will be shared [with] anyone who visits your website. I've passed along some info to our church newsletter so others can read and be inspired by the songs and how they started. Also, your devotional is very inspiring to read. God works in many ways. I believe He is working greatly through this website. Keep in the Lord and keep up your good work. Larry

[We have received many additional e-mails. We are working on a way of sharing more of them with you in the coming months. They are encouraging!]

Website Report: Exciting News!

Source: Google Analytics

January and February--2009
Total hits: 145,318=30% increase 2008: 109,547 Countries on the Website: 181

We are off to a wonderful start for the year. And we are operating at a record pace. With Easter less than a month away, our traffic should increase significantly. We pray that each of our visitors will find peace and power through this Ministry of Music.

PRAYER MEMO

A personal note from Paul Lusher.
This has been quite a six week period for me and my wife, Marlene. I contracted pneumonia and Marlene had a severe case of bronchitis along with a sinus infection. We are both finally "almost" back to normal, but a bit behind in our work. We'd appreciate your prayers on our behalf. Thank you.

We continue working on the Website. We met with the Image Group (our original site builder) and they had some great (but costly) ideas to improve the ability of a visitor to locate the information for which they are searching. The Image Group, by the way, was impressed with the amount of traffic on our site.

Of the many websites they have designed over the past 10 years, our site has the third highest traffic pattern. We are trying to (cheaply!) adapt some of their ideas in a way that will allow us to communicate our message more efficiently!
Please pray with us in this important tast.

To Donate

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

Singing During the "Season of the Cross"

During this Season of the Cross, (you may refer to it as Lent), we encourage you to sing hymns that take you to the cross. For there is nothing like the cross in all of human history. It's a place where misery reigned and where torments triumphed.

Why such an instrument of cruelty had to be the means of death for our Savior, we'll never understand. From a human standpoint, it seems impossible that one would actually choose this method of death.

But the fact is undeniable: Christ came to die on a cross. READ MORE

MARCH HYMN HIGHLIGHT

Lift High the Cross

Listen to it on the website or on a radio station in your area. Then, go to the website and learn how this popular hymn came to be written. Sing, meditate and then memorize this great hymn of the Cross.

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

We had meant for you to receive this newsletter in February. But, as noted in our "Prayer Request" the last weeks have been difficult. God willing, spring will bring new life--and energy as well!

As you noticed in our Website Report, the Internet continues to be an area of incredible ministry for us. The year to year comparisons continually surprise us. And they have inspired me to go to the website and pray for the various countries such as China, India, Mozambique and many, many others.

In our next newsletter, we'll print a list of the countries on the site so that you might join me in prayer on a regular basis. Incredibly, even in countries such as Egypt and Turkey, people are singing great hymns!

And this is why we not only detail the history of the hymn, but we have included an inspiring devotional as well. While a good portion of our visitors probably do not speak English, we regularly receive input from readers who mention the significance of the devotionals.

In this holy season, we want to present the risen Christ to a world that desperately needs the Savior. The majority of the countries on our site do not proclaim Christ--or even allow religious freedom. And then there are countries like Mozambique, where the scourge of AIDS has devastated an already poverty stricken economy.

Thanks for your prayers--for our ministry and for the people in countries all around the globe.

Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world
adore His sacred name.

Paul

CCM Newsletter for January 1, 2009

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Messages from Around the World

Included below are some of the e-mails, letters, etc. that we have received recently. It's encouraging to know that at any time of the day, our website is carrying the message of great hymnody around the world!
[The letters/e-mails have been edited for space purposes]

Posted December 10
From Cooloongup, West Australia I came across this website by mistake and am glad I did. I love Christian music. We need the thoughts behind [hymns] more than ever. Wally

Posted November 20
From Ammanford, UK I have sent you a donation of one hundred dollars US toward your ministry. I trust the Lord will bring much blessing to your ministry and effort in spreading the good news of the gospel. Aerlyn

Posted October 12
From Cuddalore, TamilNadu, India I will pray for your website development. Gideon

Posted December 15
From Alto, MI What a refreshing ministry to come across in this popular media culture we live in. I pray and encourage you to continue as it is of vital importance to the church. James

Posted December 15
From Westminster, CO Thanks so much for your ministry! My wife's Mom lives in Albuquerque and cannot get to church. We play one of your songs each night by phone before she goes to bed. Mike

Posted December 15
From Elmira, NY WOW!! What a site!...I'm impressed... Erin

Website Report: God at Work!

Source: Google Analytics

Preliminary 2008 Statistics

Number of hits: January 1 - December 31: 750,000 Hits/Pageviews
Total Countries on the Site: 197
Audio Downloads: 4,605,889 (More on this next time...)
Top Non-English Countries: Pages Per Visit Madagascar
Equatorial Guinea
Serbia
Oman
Kazakhstan

HOUSEKEEPING NEWS

Our change-over from Gospel Communications in Muskegon, MI to DreamHost in Los Angeles, CA went well--but not without some snags. Our website was down for about 72 hours. But thankfully, our numbers have bounced back up since early December.

The outstanding preliminary statistics (from Google) remind us that a website is one of the most cost-effective ways to share the good news of the Gospel around the world. Where missionaries would have no physical access, the Center for Church Music is able to directly reach into such places as war-ravaged Zimbabwe, the interior of China and the teeming cities of Rio De Janeiro and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We are grateful to the Lord for this unique ministry opportunity. More next time.

PRAYER MEMO

Our website challenge! As of yet we have not been able to reach our financial goals for the website and for recording. Please pray with us for the necessary funds to complete our website work and to begin recording again.

To Donate

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

CCM: A Unique Ministry for a Unique Time

[As we conclude another year of ministry with the Center for Church Music (our fifth!) we would like to remind you about our mission.]

Music matters! If Scripture is to be believed, it expresses the very essence of the Christian life. Why? Because it engages the entire person in song and prayer. READ MORE

JANUARY HYMN HIGHLIGHT

O God Our Help in Ages Past

Listen to it on the website or on a radio station in your area. Then, go to the website and learn how this popular hymn came to be written. It is one of the greatest hymns ever written and has been sung around the world for almost 300 years!

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

As you may have noticed, we have changed things around just a bit in this newsletter. Hopefully, you'll find it easier to navigate--and to learn of what's happening in the life of the Center for Church Music.

We are sending this first newsletter of 2009 to many who have not received a copy in the past. If you are receiving "The Latest Word" for the first time, I hope you find it thought provoking and informative--and perhaps you'll give our website a try as well. We have also included two articles recently published in a local newspaper here in Michigan.

We have also included a handy chart prepared by Robert W. Patterson and myself that compares the singing of hymns to "Praise and Worship" music. I hope you find it helpful.

By the way, if you are too busy to receive "another newsletter", just return the card included in this mailing. No problem!

As is the case with most Christian non-profits, our income has been affected significantly by the recent financial downturn. If you can helpus with an extra gift at this time, we would be most grateful.

One last thing: For a few days we had some trouble receiving donations/CD orders on our new host. (DreamHost) If you sent us something and have not heard from us yet, please send us an e-mail right away. (paul@songsandhymns.org.) Your information has not been compromised--in fact our security is "too tight." We're in the process of working it out right now. Thanks for your patience!

We wish a happy and healthy 2009 to you. May the power of Christ "strengthen you in your innermost being" throughout this new year.
(Ephesians 3:16)

Paul

CCM Newsletter for September 17, 2008

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

WE BEGIN AUTUMN WITH AN AIR OF enthusiasm and expectancy. In many respects, this past summer has been one of the most difficult times in our short ministry life. But, as we discuss in our commentary on the reverse side, often when things appear to be dark and difficult, the radiant light of God's love and mercy shines even more brightly.

Perhaps our greatest immediate ministry challenge relates to Gospel Communications, the organization that keeps our website running for a very nominal cost. Unfortunately, they have run into financial headwinds and will cease to exist at the end of December. At this point we're not sure what this means, but we are not alone. Over 300 other ministries share the same problem. Hopefully, over the next few weeks we will be able to come up with a solution to this unexpected difficulty.

We do, however, continue to have good news in regard to the effectiveness of our website ministry. We have had emails from people all over the world. We'll share some with you; particularly one from a Chinese woman who has a burden for the singing of great hymns in China.

Continue to keep us in your prayers; we need it!
God bless you, Paul

September Website Report

Source: Google Analytics

Number of hits: August 18 - September 17: 63,141
Number of "Unique Visitors": 14,012
Total Number of Countries on Website: 143
Number of Countries from the Asian region: 9 Most responses from Asia: Singapore
Philippines
South Korea
Hong Kong
China

What is encouraging about the countries in the Asia is that many of the visitors spend a good deal of time on the site, viewing at least five different pages each time they visit. As you know, we have a complex site, so a visitor can come back repeatedly and be challenged spiritually and musically as they visit the site.

August has been historically our lowest month so we are encouraged by the 63,000 plus hits that we have received. If you haven't visited the site lately, log on soon!

FINANCIAL NEWS

We will be in touch with you soon regarding some important year-end news. Thanks for your consistent and faithful interest in our ministry

To Donate

PRAYER MEMO

Our website challenge. Because this is so vital to our world wide ministry, your prayers are deeply appreciated.
Our fall schedule in regard to the radio work and the website ministry
Paul and Marlene Lusher, Jeanne Wise and others involved in the ministry.

SEPTEMBER HYMN HIGHLIGHT

Be Thou My Vision

Sing with this beautiful hymn on the website.

Unique Ministry in the Far East

Each month we receive a variety of e-mail - and many are from countries outside the US. Recently we received an e-mail from Christine Liu. She requested permission to use some of the hymns on the site for her ministry to the Chinese mainland.

An encouraging e-mail...

Dear CCM,
I am working temporarily in Italy and when I cannot attend an English speaking church, I look for suitable Christian hymns online for my encouragement. Your website is a wonderful help. Thanks in Christ, Bob

One more e-mail

Thank you for your terrific and God glorifying resource that you have here. I am e-mailing to ask if I can have permission to use the first 10 seconds of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God: on the 'intro buffer' and 'outro buffer', music that would introduce some sermons preached here in Australia. Thank you, Nathan Bingham.

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

SCRIPTURE AND SONG - Part III: My GOD GIVES ME SONGS IN THE NIGHT

Job 35:10, Psalm 42:8, Isaiah 30:29, Acts 16:25

As we continue our study of Scripture and Song, we look at one of the most reassuring aspects of the Song in Scripture-comfort in difficult situations. Embedded in the sung praise of God is the realization that singing is one of the primary ways that God causes a believer to understand and then express His greatness. READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for July 22, 2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD. PRAISE THE LORD!

These powerful words from Psalm 150:6 marked the week of our just completed KIDS CHOIR CAMP. It was a very demanding time, but rewarding and exhilarating for all of those involved. (see KCC Report)

KCC was a great opportunity to work with almost 200 children and adults gathered for a week of singing and music making. During the Camp, our focus was on anthems and hymns that reflect the beauty, power and holiness of God.

Originally we conceived KIDS CHOIR CAMP as an alternative to Vacation Bible School. To us it seemed that most of the music of VBS was either trite or essentially "adult rock music" masquerading as music for children.

Year after year, our decision to begin KCC has been validated, as we have found that kids and parents alike find the Camp to be challenging, inspirational--and fun! And because we emphasize traditional and classical music, the children are strengthened both intellectually and spiritually.

Keep us in your prayers as we continue to challenge children to sing strong music--and the great hymns of the faith. Also, if you would like to know how KIDS CHOIR CAMP might work in your church, contact us.

God's best to you, Paul

July Website Report

Source: Google Analytics

We received the following encouraging e-mail (and a $25 donation) on July 17 from an Asian national living in Canada:

[Thank you for] High standard both in spiritual and music professional skills and our senior brothers enjoy much. Thanks Lord puts such burden on your shoulder and fulfill the His purpose. May Lord continue bless you all the way."

Although English is obviously not his first language, we understand this Christian brother's appreciation for our website--and it is very encouraging. This past month, June 21-July 21, 138 countries were on the website, with approximately 45 languages being used to access the site. It's clear that English is not a barrier to communicating with a myriad of languages and nationalities. In fact, in many cases, English is a real advantage, as it is still the international language of choice all around the globe.

FINANCIAL NEWS

We continue to need your help. Your partnership with us is the lifeblood that keeps our music on the radio and the Internet around the world. Thank you!

To Donate

PRAYER MEMO

THANK YOU for your prayers regarding KIDS CHOIR CAMP. We did see the blessing of the Lord in a tangible and wonderful way.
Continue to pray for our Internet ministry. We are thrilled at the number of countries that are listening and learning from our site. It is a great responsibility for us.

GREAT HYMNS FOR AUGUST

Alleluia, Sing to Jesus
Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts
And Can it Be
This is My Father's World
We Come, O Christ to You

Check out our KIDS CHOIR CAMP Report!

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

SCRIPTURE AND SONG - Part II: GOD SINGS

God sings! Think of it, the great Jehovah, or Yahwey, singing! Can we really believe it? Is it possible to conceive of Deity breaking into song: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, together, singing over the redeemed? God is so happy in the love which He gives to His people that He breaks His eternal silence, and sun and moon and stars with astonishment hear God chanting a hymn of joy... READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for May 31, 2008

Sat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

In spite of a very busy schedule, we are blessed by God's great kindness and mercy.

I mention this as our daughter, Victoria McCarthy, recently was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Thankfully, after surgery, the surgeon believed that Victoria's cancer had not spread. But, regardless of the outcome, we have great confidence in the mercy and goodness of God. (See Psalm 36:5-9)

In this newsletter, I'm including some e-mail correspondence we have had from the largest country in Asia. I think you'll find it interesting--and a reminder to pray for this country that has been ravaged by a terrible earthquake. Also, the statistics regarding our International Internet ministry in other countries in Asia continues to be compelling.

I also want to direct your attention to our KIDS CHOIR CAMP program which we hold next month in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Then, I begin a new series of articles on "Scripture and Song." I trust that you will find it helpful. We receive many comments (and questions) regarding the Church and music. I pray this series of articles will encourage you as you sing the great hymns of the faith.

God's best to you, Paul

2007 WEBSITE REPORT

Source: Google Analytics

Total Countries Online in the past 30 days: 150: with 65,454 page views.

Eight of the top 20 countries on our site are located in Asia.
Only seven of the top 30 countries on the site are English speaking countries.
Last month, there were 51 different languages used in accessing the site.

Conclusion:

Even though many of the people on our site do not use English as a primary language, they are drawn to the site because of their interest in singing hymns. The Internet has proven to be a cost-effective way to reach around the globe with the Good News of the Gospel!

FINANCIAL NEWS

We continue to need your help. As we mentioned last month, we would like to record at least five more radio programs over the next six months. Since it costs about $1,000 to produce a new program and record the music/narration that accompanies the hymn, we pray that we will hear from you today.

PRAYER MEMO - Please Pray for:

KIDS CHOIR CAMP: The Camp will be held from June 16-20 at Seventh Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI. Around 120 children will attend this five day musical experience.
Our Internet ministry.
Funds for recording additional programs.
Wisdom, guidance and protection for the summer months.

HYMN OF THE MONTH

May the Mind of Christ My Savior

Listen and sing with this beautiful hymn on June 8, 2008 either on our radio program or on the website.

May The Mind of Christ My Savior

Amazing Dialogue from China

We received the following e-mail from David in Chengdu, Sichuan:

Hello, I am in C. and rarely have the opportunity to go to church. I found your site with so many old favourite hymns and lovely sermons. Thank you for providing these.

[You may remember that on May 12, a deadly earthquake struck C. killing tens of thousands. We received the above e-mail just a few days earlier. We wrote to David asking if he had been affected by the quake--and if he was safe. He wrote back the following:]

Hi, Thank you. Fortunately for me, I am in Chengdu City, where we experienced some tremors, but nothing more than that. but only 60 miles away is where 80,000 people have died. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, and your beautiful singing. Regards...David

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

Scripture and Song

KIDS CHOIR CAMP

Five Exciting Days of Music/Scripture
June 16-20

FESTIVAL OF PRAISE
Friday, June 20 7:30 PM
Seventh Reformed Church
950 Leonard St. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

CCM Newsletter for April 2, 2008

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

I trust that each of you had a blessed Easter season. For those of us who plan Easter services, it came very early. But, it is good to know that we don't have to worry about such an early Easter anytime soon, as it will be 150 years before it comes again at this same time!

I am greatly encouraged as our web site is beginning to recapture our numbers from a year ago. As you might remember, our site was approaching 100,000 hits (pageviews) a month on a regular basis. But, after we had to reconfigure our site, web browsers had difficulty finding us and our numbers were cut almost 50%.

The good news, however, is that for the month of March (2008), we had nearly 80,000 hits. And the numbers are going in the right direction, as this is about a 30% increase over December of 2007. In March we were viewed in 152 countries, a record for us! We continue to pray that God will use our site to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ through the singing of great hymns, not just in the USA, but around the world.

Included with this Newsletter is a chart that attempts to capture the significance of singing hymns in contrast to other styles of music in the church. Our goal is to encourage you to sing the great hymns of the faith!

God's best to you, Paul

2007 WEBSITE REPORT

Source: Google Analytics

Total Countries Online in March 2008: 152: Up from 139 in February
One interesting note: We mentioned last month that in Brazil, 25 cities were on our site during February. During March, the number increased to 39 cities.
The three largest states in the US viewing our website remain: California, Texas and New York
During March, all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia viewed the website!

FINANCIAL NEWS

We need your help. We would like to record at least five more radio programs over the next six months. It costs about $1,000 to produce a new program and record the music/narration that accompanies the hymn. If you can help us with this project, let us know either by regular mail, e-mail, our website link - or feel free to call us toll-free. Thank you--and God bless you in advance!

PRAYER MEMO

I cannot overemphasize the significance of your prayers for the Center at this time. If you can, take a moment, right now, and ask the Lord to help us in these difficult days. God is good. May we trust Him for His guidance in the days ahead.

HYMN OF THE MONTH

Fairest Lord Jesus

Listen and sing with this familiar hymn on the website.
Fairest Lord Jesus

What Makes a Great Hymn?

Since we often refer to the "great hymns of the Faith" it is important to occasionally discuss some of the components of a great hymn.

Great hymns take you to God. The words and music of a hymn prepare the mind (intellect) and spirit (emotion) of the singer to worship "the mighty Word." (From the hymn: "At the name of Jesus")

The poetry of the hymn must be a vehicle for genuine thought and inspiration. It is the triumph of ideas that makes Christianity powerful. The words of a great hymn should help you to strengthen, and then articulate your understanding of theological issues.

The model for great hymns is the Psalms, the hymnbook of Israel. In the Psalms we find expressed the heights and depths of human emotion. Yet, in every Psalm there is a focus, not on our humanity, but on God who lifts us up and enables us to live above our circumstances.

Great hymns have enduring melodies and solid musical structure. The hymn's music should contribute to "bridging the gap" between our earthbound culture and our true heavenly calling. If a tune is boring, or the music is trivial, it cannot carry a powerful text. Great hymns must be transcendent; they have an eternal dimension.

Reprinted from September 2006 Newsletter

If you do not have a copy of Great Hymns of the Faith: Volume 2
please order it today.

Track 1: Crown Him with Many Crowns
Track 2: Fairest Lord Jesus
Track 3: Make Me a Captive Lord
Track 4: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Track 5: Abide with Me
Track 6: Come Christians Join to Sing
Track 7: It is Well with My Soul
Track 8: He Leadeth Me
Track 9: My Jesus I Love Thee
Track 10: I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art
Track 11: May the Mind of Christ My Savior
Track 12: A Mighty Fortress

We are asking for a $12 donation for each CD. (There is a $3 shipping charge for one CD: $5 for two or more.) Order here

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

Singing: Lessons Learned from the Early Church!

We have spent the last year looking at lessons learned form the teaching and practice of the early church. As we said on April 26, 2006, "the musical philosophy of those hardy saints was not abstract: it was built on the practical reality of the writings of the Old Testament and the teaching of the Apostles.

In our next series of articles we will look at the biblical principles found in Scripture that help to buttress our reasoning regarding music in the church. But, before we get to this exciting study, let's review some of the principles learned from the early church.

Music was at the heart of worship. The teaching and example of the New Testament Church found music to be an essential element in worship.

READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for March 1, 2008

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

In this month's report, we want to encourage you to visit our website. Because our site has changed over the last several months we would like you to look again at the various aspects of our site.

By the way, recently our website was featured in a couple of local newspapers in Michigan. The response to this article has been consistent: "What a great website."

But we still need to improve our site in 2008, particularly in the area of our "Music and Worship" section. We'll keep you informed over the coming weeks.

Another unique aspect of our website is that almost 70 percent of our monthly traffic (the people that visit our site) come from Search Engines. This is particularly true for International visitors. Hence, we must continually be enhancing the website so that the various search engines (Google is the biggest) can recognize our site.

In our Financial News column I want to tell you about a most unique donor to the Center for Church Music. I think you'll find it most encouraging.

Please continue to remember us in your prayers and God's best to each of you! Paul

2007 WEBSITE REPORT

Source: Google Analytics

Total Countries Online in February: 139
One interesting note: Over the past 30 days we have had a large number of hits from the country of Brazil coming from 25 different cities. What a great opportunity for Christ in this large and diverse South American country

FINANCIAL NEWS

Our small ministry is sustained by many different people each month -- and for that we are grateful. Gifts to the Center come in many different sizes.

Today, I want to highlight one of the gifts that we receive regularly: $.75 (three quarters) taped to a small card and mailed faithfully to Grand Haven, MI.

Jesus talked a lot about money. One third of the parables address the subject of stewardship. As the saying goes, Jesus dealt with money matters, because money matters. We do need gifts of all sizes to sustain our ministry each month. But, we are very grateful for that wonderful person in Ohio who faithfully send their small, but important donation, each month!

May God bless each of you for your faithfulness from month to month.

Prayer Memo

Pray for the website as we brainstorm a variety of issues relating to the effectiveness of "www.songsandhymns.org." Thank you.

HYMN OF THE MONTH

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

Listen and sing with this familiar hymn on the website.
O Sacred Head Now Wounded

If you do not have a copy of Great Hymns of the Faith: Volume 2
please order it today.

We are asking for a $12 donation for each CD. (There is a $3 shipping charge for one CD: $5 for two or more.) Order here

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities... Isaiah 53:5

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred head, what glory, what bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

As heard on the Adoration Songbook, February 17, 2008

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

The Season of the Cross

One of the hymns featured on the radio and the website this month is the beloved, O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. The words were written sometime in the twelfth century, yet they are as powerful today as they were over 800 years ago.

The writer of this medieval hymn was a French monk by the name of Bernard of Clairvaux. Revered by both John Calvin and Martin Luther

CCM Newsletter for January 31, 2008

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST OUR HELP FOR YEARS TO COME...
With this familiar hymn of Isaac Watts as our theme, we begin another year of encouragement, education and edification!

As we begin 2008, we pray that the ministry of the Center will continue to be a strong advocate for acceptable music and worship. It will take creativity, a quest for excellence and, of course, your help, if we are to make this new year truly memorable. With God's grace that will be a reality for the Center for Church Music.

In this newsletter, we present a stirring website report for 2007. We're also including two very different kinds of e-mail: one from the Middle East and another from Africa. In our column on the second page, we discuss a most unusual aspect of church history.

In our radio ministry, we began 2008 with Watt' great hymn referenced above. Its source is Ps. 90:1, that great "Psalm of Moses". The Psalm was written as Moses was in the wilderness surrounded by a hostile environment and some very difficult circumstances. Moses ends the Psalm with this great prayer: Establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
May this be our daily prayer in 2008; may our work be God's work, done in God's way, by God's strength!
Paul

2007 WEBSITE REPORT

Source: Gospelcom and Google Analytics

Total Countries Online in 2007: 164
New Countries: Bangladesh and Macedonia
Total Page Hits: 1,063,9886
Number of times a hymn was downloaded: 1,081,720 (Note: Many of these downloads are from countries that we cannot mention due to the danger of our website being blocked.)
Be Thou My Vision and A Mighty Fortress were the most downloaded hymns.
Joy to the World was downloaded 12,810 times (It's very popular in Asian countries!)
The USA had the largest number of visitors; Great Britain, Canada and Australia were next in terms of usage. The Netherlands was #10 on the list.
California had the largest number of visitors in the United States; Texas was #2)

FINANCIAL NEWS

Thanks for your gifts in 2007. We will communicate with you in early February regarding our specific needs for 2008.

Prayer Memo

We want to continue interacting with you regarding your prayer requests. Let us know here or send them to the mailing address listed below. We will pray for you!

Remember to spread the word about the Center for Church Music and our great website!

HYMN OF THE MONTH

O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST

This is a hymn for all seasons. Listen and sing with our arrangement on the website.
O God Our Help In Ages Past

If you do not have a copy of Great Hymns of the Faith: Volume 2
please order it today.

We are asking for a $12 donation for each CD. (There is a $3 shipping charge for one CD: $5 for two or more.) Order here

Website E-Mail

We received a $25 donation from a believer in Lagos, Nigeria: I thank the Lord for the hymns.
Thanks brethren." Needless to say, this response was very encouraging!

The following is a delightful e-mail from a believer in the Middle East: thank you so much for your consideration Mr Paul i am from the middle east and i sing in Arabic church so i will be very thankfull if you please sent to me those type of webspaces that will help me more for the music services and how to learn to techniques of singing We pray that the word will continue to spread concerning our website: it's great to know that over the globe, people are impacted by our ministry. To God be the Glory!

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

1,000 Year of Silence

One of the great mysteries of the church is the absence of congregational song from about 500 AD to 1500 AD. As we have noted in the past, the early church was saturated with song. In fact, one scholar, Ralph P. Martin, goes so far as to state that the "Christian church was born in song."

So then, how could a church, vibrant and filled with powerful song, submit to such a long period when "for all practical purposes, the congregation's voice was silent?" READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for December 10, 2007

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

GREAT NEWS! OUR SECOND CD "GREAT HYMNS OF THE FAITH, VOLUME 2" HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED.

I am thankful to the Lord for this wonderful opportunity. I pray that God will use this recording to touch the hearts and lives of many around the world.

We are including an order form with this newsletter if you would like to order one for yourself--and for your friends and loved ones. As our first CD, we have included a personal hymnal along with the CD.

The included hymnal does increase our cost, but our ministry is about encouraging people to sing. Why? Because singing a hymn makes an important difference in the spiritual lives of Christians.

Scripture continually emphasizes the importance of the mind and hymns carry the essence of the Christian faith (theology!) deep into our innermost being. Soon, I'll discuss the recent research in neurobiology detailing how music stimulates the brain. It's fascinating.

But for now, I encourage you to order our new CD and "sing along" on these great hymns of the faith.

Merry Christmas--and God bless you!
Paul

FINANCIAL NEWS

As we conclude 2007, we need your help. We are nearly $10,000 behind our budgetary requirements. Please pray concerning a substantial year end gift.

We would like to pray for you during this Christmas season.

If you have a prayer request that you would care to share with us, please contact us on the website or send it to the address listed below. You can also call us toll free at 800-587-5780. We will pray for you.

Website Report

November was another great month of international ministry. 147 countries were on our site from November 1-November 30. Below is a short but encouraging e-mail we received on December 6 from a professor in Nigeria:

Dr. Adedoton Aderogba
Geology Department
Niger Delta University
Amassoma, Nigeria

"Thank you for the beautiful work you are doing for mankind. I love Church Music. So I appreciate what you're doing. God bless you."

HYMN OF THE MONTH

Silent Night

A hymn that is not only beautiful...but for one night, changed the course of history. Learn about the hymn, listen and sing along with it often:

Silent Night

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

"Christmas Eve Truce"

It was Christmas Eve, 1914, during the early months of the war. When the Germans had left their country earlier in the year, they expected to be home by Christmas to celebrate their victory. The young men, however, were not home by Christmas and the war dragged on ...READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for October 25, 2007

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

GREETINGS IN THE GLORIOUS NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. As I write this, the fall colors here in West Michigan are brilliant - and remind us that our Creator God is truly the Master Artist!

This is a busy time for the Center for Church Music. I am just getting our November radio programs off to our producer and we are working on completing our second CD: Great Hymns of the Faith - Volume 2. It is my prayer that we will have it completed within the next 30 days.

In this letter, I am including a wonderful note from Mike Edwards, the Director of Communications for the Officer's Christian Fellowship, a Christian military support ministry. I met Mike at our recent GospelCom conference in Grand Rapids and he had such positive comments about our ministry that I wanted to pass them on to you.

I want to also share with you one powerful way God is using our Internet ministry. Just last Monday we learned that one of the websites that downloads a very large number of our hymns each month, is located in a large Asian country. Because they use a simple (and very hard to trace) method of downloading our material, it is clear that the website is involved in an "underground" ministry of distributing our hymns to many other sites in that country. (Since Christian sites are being banned in many countries, it is prudent to not name the country!)

We are grateful that, in a small way, we can have a role in strengthening Christians who live in difficult spiritual circumstances.

Your friend,
Paul

WEBSITE REPORT

Our visitors to the website continue to increase each month. We are continually amazed at the great number of foreign countries using the site. Recently we signed on with a service from Google called "Google Analytics." It allows us to have a precise snap shot of where and how our website is being used.

Over the last seven days, from October 15-22, we have had "3,621 visits" from 91 countries. During this period, over 15,974 pages were viewed by people from literally around the world. What a great opportunity (and responsibility!) God has presented to us. Next time, we'll share with you our "top ten" countries on the site each day!

FINANCIAL NEWS

We are praying that the final two months of 2007 will be a great time of financial support for the Center. We need financial help to cover the following:

CD Production including recording, graphics and final production.
Continued work on the website including refinement of the online donation process.
Studio recording.

WE COVET YOUR PRAYERS

You may not be able to help us financially, but if possible, please remember us before the Lord each day. Thank you so much!

A note from Mike Edwards, received Sept. 26:

"It was wonderful to meet you and hear more about your work and ministry. I greatly appreciate everything you are doing to help educate people and deepen their understanding about church music. By broadcasting and publishing the rich history of church music, the body of Christ is enriched through the words of the songs and how they came to be written, sometimes in deep pain and sacrifice.

Music lifts our hearts in praise and worship to God. It transcends our everyday lives to a level that help us to see our sin, bringing us to confession and allowing God's healing and transformation to take place mysteriously and deep within our soul. By singing and learning the hymns of our Christian Faith, we join the saints throughout the years, entering into their lives and sharing their joys and sorrows, defeats and victories.

Thank you for bringing these hymns to a new generation of worshipers who praise God and remember His love and good deeds through divinely inspired music."

Michael Edwards,
Director of Communications/Publisher
Officers' Christian Fellowship
Englewood, CO

HYMN OF THE MONTH

A MIGHTY FORTRESS

A great Reformation hymn written by Martin Luther, it is our hymn for this Reformation Sunday. Learn about the hymn, listen and sing along with it often:
A Mighty Fortress

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

SINGING HYMNS: AUGUSTINE ON MUSIC

Let's look again at the wisdom of Augustine, a fifth century Christian who many regard as the most important figure in the history of the church. As we related last time, Augustine struggled over the use of music in the church.

As a pastor and a bishop, he understood that music had the power to inspire the Christian's faith to great heights, and he himself was personally moved by music...READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for September 10, 2007

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

RECORDING BEGINS AGAIN!

Just two weeks ago, we began recording both hymns and instrumental parts for several new radio programs. We'll use some of this music for two new CDs that (hopefully!) we will release around the middle of November. As we recorded the hymn, "Abide with Me," I was moved by the beauty and strength of this simple hymn.

This hymn, and others, provide an anchor for believers in the midst of a culture surrounded by sensuality and the exaltation of feelings. In coming issues of this newsletter and on the website, we will increase our emphasis on the significance of great sacred music; music that helps to enrich our Christian experience and encourage believers to "set their minds on things above."

While many in the Christian church have abandoned hymns, it is clear from the many e-mails and phone calls we receive each month, that hymns are still a vital part of worship for many Christians - and churches! Again this month, we'll include e-mails that illustrate this point in a wonderful way.

Our newsletter is now available "online." If you would rather read the newsletter on the website rather than receive it by mail, be sure to indicate this on the enclosed response card.

Finally, thank you for your continued prayers for our ministry. We need them - and covet them greatly.

God's best to each of you,
Paul

WEBSITE REPORT

As mentioned in our last newsletter, it is important to check your computer to be sure that your bookmark (or favorites) is set for:

www.songsandhymns.org.
We continue to increase the hits for our new address with over 90,000 hits being recorded in August. This is encouraging and we thank God for His faithfulness.

The top three hymns for August are:
A Mighty Fortress
It Is Well with My Soul
Be Thou My Vision

On the website, our hymns were downloaded over 126,000 times in August. It is fantastic that we can share these great hymns around the world.

90 countries

Over 90 countries accessed the site in August with three new countries accessing the site:
Togo, Maldives and Burkina Faso

FINANCIAL NEWS

While May and June were excellent months for gifts and donations to the Center, July and August were quite slim. Please continue to remember our work each month.

PRAYER REQUESTS

I will be attending the Gospel Communications Annual Convention next week, September 19-22 in Grand Rapids. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn from "experts" how people use the web, and to view various techniques and technology in order to be able to better reach people with the message of the Center.

HYMN OF THE MONTH

ABIDE WITH ME

"Abide with Me" is an evening hymn. Its word pictures are taken from the experience of the passing day: falling eventide, deepening darkness, growing dimness, and fading glories. Its beauty is unmistakable and calls us to a state of peace and rest - in an unchangeable God.

Learn about it and listen to it here: Abide with Me

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

SINGING HYMNS: AUGUSTINE ON MUSIC

Of all the early church fathers (leaders), Augustine (354-430) is perhaps the most renowned. In the history of Christian thought, Augustine is arguably the single most important theologian of the early church. His influence is still felt today and the church is indebted to him for his writing on a wide range of theological issues.

But, we are especially grateful for his perceptive thoughts on the use of music in the church with references to music scattered throughout his voluminous writings...READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for July 17, 2007

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

We have had a busy three months at the Center for Church Music.

First, we held the week-long KIDS CHOIR CAMP from June 12-15, culminating in the wonderful Festival of Praise on the evening of June 15. Over 130 children, along with 50 staffers, gathered in Grand Rapids to sing and participate in the joy of singing. It was a great experience for all of us and we are grateful for this wonderful opportunity to influence children musically and spirituality.

The rebuilding of the Website, while still ongoing, has made significant progress. Here is a brief summary:

We now have an RSS feed (a podcast) of the weekly broadcast.

We now have an RSS feed to the monthly newsletter. There is also a place for visitors to request USPS delivery.

We now have a page for CD purchase.

The e-newsletter is under construction.

The "donation" section on the site has been greatly improved, making the donating process easier - and more secure. No longer does it require a lengthy process to use a credit card to make a contribution to CCM. In addition, we will soon be able to take donations and purchases through PayPal. This will be a significant upgrade for the site. If you have not been to the "donate" page recently, please do so. I think you will be pleased with the work by Jeanne Wise and her development team.

Redesign has been costly, but it is a significant part of our work. I would like your input on the site, so please feel free to contact me if you have a suggestion or idea for the Website!

Thank you and God bless you!
Paul

WEBSITE REPORT

By rebuilding our Website, we have had to "start over" in terms of drawing people to our site. If you have not noticed, our old "url" (address) is no longer valid. You must change your old bookmark to the updated one: www.songandhymns.org.

While the hits for the past three months have not matched the record 332,746 for January through March, the number is growing steadily. And a record number of foreign countries have plugged into the site during the past 6 months: 145 countries.

We marvel at the way God is working as the site is used all around the world. Some of the countries on the site are: Armenia, Vanuatu, China, Madagascar, Eritrea and Christmas Island! To see the countries our visitors came from in the last 6 months, see Website Visitors!

FINANCIAL NEWS

In May and June we received over $13,000.00 from friends and CCM partners. This has helped significantly with our website project. We thank you for your support for our work. We rely on the Lord, but He uses your prayers and gifts to make our efforts possible. We continue to need around $5,000-$10,000 a month to complete many of the projects outlined last January.

WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFUL PRAYER FOR OUR WORK. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU REMEMBER OUR MUSICAL MINISTRY IN YOUR PRAYERS.

HYMN OF THE MONTH

SOLDIERS OF CHRIST, ARISE

This great hymn by Charles Wesley, takes us to the power of Ephesians 6:10-17. Because spiritual warfare is all around us, let this hymn aid you in the fight against the world, the flesh and the devil.

Learn more and listen to it here: Soldiers of Christ, Arise

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

SINGING HYMNS: GOD'S VEHICLE FOR TRUTH

John Chrysostom, (see our last newsletter) often wrote of the church's responsibility regarding singing psalms and hymns. As you remember, Chrysostom lived in the fourth century, a century that was dominated by a theological rift perpetuated by the early Christian... READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for April 17, 2007

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500

DIRECTOR'S UPDATE

Greetings to each of you. I pray you had a great Easter and that the energy and power manifested in the Resurrection will mark your life in the coming days!

IN my last letter to you, I indicated that our website would be undergoing a massive transformation by March 31. That singular event did happen, but it required a major effort by my colleague Jeanne Wise and the company contracted to make it possible: T1K Development.

When you look at our website, hopefully you will see that very little has changed on the site - and that has been the challenge for our staff. While the externals on the site remain the same, the "engine" that drives the site had to be completely rebuilt - from scratch!

As we approached Saturday, March 31, it became clear that we would not be able to finish the many details needed to have the site up and running by Saturday. But, thanks be to God, at the last minute we were able to hire additional people to help with information inupt. Although not perfect, the new site was "on the net" on Sunday, April 1.

This change was necessitated by Gospel Communications. They no longer offer the Content Management system on which our website is based. It's all rather complicated as GospelCom still "hosts" our site - but that is different from building and maintaining our own website.

Frankly, I don't quite understand it all myself. But, we can now make some much needed modifications to our site.

I'll have more to say in our next newsletter.
God's best to you!
Paul

WEBSITE REPORT

The first three months of 2007 have again been "record" months for the website. We received almost 333,000 hits during this time frame. Among these hits were contacts from 124 countries.

Because our site has been "born again", so to speak, many computers will have to be reprogrammed to pick up our site. How long this will take is anyone's guess. Our hits will be affected significantly, that much is for sure.

We pray that the Lord will continue to bless our site and that our message will continue to be read and heard around the world.

FINANCIAL NEWS

In my last letter to you, I asked for special donations to help us cover the cost of our website reconfiguration in addition to several other projects.

To date we have received just the bare minimum to cover our initial website expenditures. Because redesigning several aspects of our site is essential to communicating with our many website visitors, we need to hear from you as soon as possible.

If you did not receive a letter from us detailing our plans, or would like to see it again, you may view it here: 2006 Report. Or feel free to call me at 800-587-5780.

WE COVET YOUR PRAYERS ON A DAILY BASIS. OUR MINISTRY DEPENDS ON YOU - AND YOUR PRAYER!

THIS MONTH'S ESSAY

EARLY INSTRUCTION IN SONG FROM 3 ANCIENT CHRISTIANS

How did the early Christians sing? And what did they sing? And what difference does it make to 21^st century Christians? We have been dealing with these questions over the past several months. In this essay, and in the next two essays, we look to three giants of the early church for continued guidance. For these men were part of a movement that witnessed an explosion of Christianity that literally changed the world. READ MORE

CCM Newsletter for February 17, 2007

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Center for Church Music
A Review of 2006: A Look Ahead at 2007

As we begin a new year, we present a report on the ministries of the Center for Church Music in 2006-and a look forward to our goals for 2007.

2006

Radio Ministry: The Adoration Songbook

At the end of 2006, the program "Adoration Songbook" was heard weekly on 30 to 40 radio stations. Due to budget constraints, we "edited" all our weely radio programs rather than creating new ones. Our cost savings was great.

In our radio work for the year, we can point to the following actions:

Strong marketing of CCM throughout all parts of the United States, particularly in the South.
A significant number of people directed to the website as a result of the radio program. The exciting results of the website were in large a product of our radio ministry.
Numerous listener requests for "Parchment Hymns." We will discuss this further in our report, but in short, this has been a very good strategy to communicate with our radio listeners.

Website: "www.songsandhymns.org"

2006 has been a dramatic year for the website. Although the site is only a little over three years old, we saw an incredible gain in the number of people visiting the site. As the chart below demonstrates, we have seen explosive growth in "hits" for 2006, registering a total of 856,944.

Another encouraging aspect of our website ministry has been the International use of our website. As indicated by the world map, in 2006 people in 149 countries were documented as having visited the site. Needless to say, we are thrilled and humbled by this great opportunity to share the message of Christ through the medium of music in every part of the world.

Many of the hits we received on our website this year are classified by "edu", meaning that they are from colleges and universities. You will be interested to know that we have received hits from a myriad of major colleges and universities across the United States. From Harvard in the East, to UCLA and the University of Washington in the West, thousands of students and professors regularly consulted our site. (Even the LDS school, Brigham Young University is a 'regular' on the site!)

While it is more difficult to track hits from the universities in the 149 countries visiting the site, we know that hundreds of hits have come from such schools. This information alone confirms our calling to this unique ministry. Around the world, "www.songsandhymns.org" is communicating the life-changing message of Christ and His kingdom to a broad cross section of young people-and their professors.

Parchment Hymns

One of the major goals of the Center is encouraging Christians to sing hymns. As they sing, their minds are nourished with the truth of God's Word and their spirits are lifted by faith in a God who is the Source of all song. A new idea that we have used this past year has been the "Parchment Hymn." Using the reverse side, we provide a "hymn history" or a devotional relating to the theme of the hymn.

KIDS CHOIR CAMP Handbook

After almost 18 months of work, the Handbook went to the publisher in December. Undoubtedly there will need to be some minor revisions, but it was good to finish this work that required so much time to complete. Essentially, the handbook is a detailed description of our popular KIDS CHOIR CAMP held in June each year. It aims to make the CAMP a "transferable concept" to churches around the country. Now, only the accompanying CD remains to be recorded.

2007

Proposed Projects and Cost Projections

Radio Ministry: The Adoration Songbook

**Ten New Programs
Since we added no new programs in 2006, it is important to return to the studio this year and record additional programs. These programs are cost effective in that they also can be used on the website, hence stretching our dollars considerably.
**Cost: $10,000

**International Radio
One of our hopes for this year is to have our radio ministry expand internationally. Because of our large international website presence, it seems logical to broadcast our program on as many international radio outlets as possible.
**Cost: To Be Determined

Website: "www.songsandhymns.org"

It is clear that the Lord is blessing the website. That being said, several changes must be made in 2007:
The structure of our site was designed to the specifications of Gospel Communications (GospelCom) in Muskegon, MI. For the past three years, they have generously maintained all the aspects of the site. But, as of March 31, GospelCom will no longer provide this service for us. Since their cost structure has been very low, they have been a great financial help to our ministry. Now our "architecture" must be completely redesigned and rebuilt. In addition, we will need to consult with the new company monthly for monthly site management. We have tentatively agreed to contract with T1K Development to design and manage our site structure beginning sometime in March.
**Cost: $7,500:
This is an urgent need as we must make these changes by March 31 or the site goes off the Internet

In addition to the above "architecture" changes, we need a major "remodel" to accommodate a variety of important web functions. We have not yet decided on a company to help us. The upgrades being considered include the following:

Enhance our "online donation" capabilities
Enhance our ability to capture names and addresses
Create a new section for our KIDS CHOIR CAMP pages
Expand our Church Music pages
Expand our capabilities to respond to the many e-mails that are received during the year

**Cost: $5,600

Proposed New Components for 2007

***KIDS CHOIR CAMP Handbook Recording
Our KIDS CHOIR CAMP handbook will include a CD demonstrating the various hymns and children's anthems used during the week of KIDS CHOIR CAMP. It's important to note that the Handbook will be available to churches as a dynamic alternative to a church's normal VBS program. We hope to have it available for purchase in Christian bookstores as well as on our website.
**Cost of Recording the CD: $7,500

***New CD Recordings
We receive many requests for recording of the hymns that we have on our site. Currently we have only one CD available. Our goal this year is to produce at least two/three additional CDs.
**Cost: $10,000

***Monthly Hymn Devotional
One of the original concepts for CCM was to publish a monthly devotional emphasizing four new hymns a month-that is, a new hymn each week.
Each hymn would come with the following information:

Hymn history
Hymn devotional
Information on lyrics and composer
An accompanying CD; Sing the hymn each day!

It is our strong conviction that the spiritual strength of Christians is significantly enhanced as they sing hymns-great hymns that teach Truth as well as stimulate a sturdy spiritual life. This, of course, has been the pattern in the Christian Church for almost 2,000 years. It is as true in 2007 as when St. Paul urged the first century Ephesian believers to "be filled with the Spirit, singing...." The as yet unnamed devotional booklet would initially be available on a "free trial basis." After the trial period, a subscription would then be fee based.
**Cost: $12,000

***Church Music/Seminary Work
Part of our "site re-design" will involve the ability to interface with churches in a much friendlier format. When this happens, we would like to expand our "Parchment Hymn" project beyond individuals to churches. As congregations re-discover the power of inculcating hymns, both old and new, into the fabric of their worship, we desire to be a strong resource for hymns-and other church music ideas.

We also desire to network with interested seminaries regarding the subject of music, worship and the Word.
**Cost: To Be Determined

12879 Lakeshore Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417

Dear Friends of Center for Church Music:

For the past three and a half years, we have been able to do a "lot with a little." We have come to a point, however, when, if we are to continue making an impact in our ministry of hymns and church music, we must generate more income. This past year we had almost a 20% decrease in donations. Yet, we were able to see an exponential increase in the worldwise impact of our ministry. Since many of the proposed projects included in this report require a significant outlay of funds, we are asking the Lord to find partners who will help us in this undertaking for 2007.

Frankly, we are amazed at how God has worked in 2006. I think you will agree. It is nothing short of remarkable. But, if we are to continue in 2007, we will need our friends, old and new, to help us in an extraordinary way.

Please look over the projects described in this report. If you can support an entire proposal, such as our critical "website architecture" project, that would be wonderful. If you can help underwrite only part of a project, that also would be helpful as well.

It is important to note htat we operate on a "cash basis." Because we are a small non-profit organization, it is not suitable to borrow money for other than short-term expenses. Hence, we cannot begin a project unless we are confident that we can pay for it.

As we have seen this past year, God's Spirit can work far beyond our abilities and limited expectations. If you can join us financially in an unique ministry that is literally reaching around the world, please let us know immediately. A response card is included in this mailing,

Please ask the Lord what you can do to help us at this critical point in our ministry. Also, note the box that indicates your prayer support. The prayers of God's people are an essential aspect of our work.

It is our prayer that in 2007 we will continue, through the powerful medium of music, to integrate the message of the glory and greatness of Jesus Christ into the lives of men and women all around the world. Thank you for you help.

May God bless you,

Paul

Paul Lusher, DMA
Director
Zechariah 4:6

www.songsandhymns.org
800.587.5780 / 616.844.0085 / Fax 616.846.9256

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Check out our KIDS CHOIR CAMP Report!

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If you do not have a copy of Great Hymns of the Faith: Volume 2 please order it today.

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A Record Year!

If you do not have a copy of Great Hymns of the Faith: Volume 2
please order it today.

If you do not have a copy of Great Hymns of the Faith: Volume 2
please order it today.

If you do not have a copy of Great Hymns of the Faith: Volume 2
please order it today.

Center for Church Music
A Review of 2006: A Look Ahead at 2007

2007

Proposed Projects and Cost Projections