REACH Conference Worship Sets

Hello everyone!

Sorry I have been so silent on the blog postings for a while.  We had a crazy summer with conferences, camps and retreats for us and our teenage kids.  We are getting back into a normal routine, and I hope to get into a rhythm this fall of sharing songs on Mondays!

In July we had a large gathering for our North American churches, the REACH Summit.  I was a part of the team that planned all of the worship and led the “house band” for our times of singing together in the dome.  I’ve had several ask for the set lists of the songs we did for the summit, so I thought I would share them today as well as some of the resources we used to prepare for the summit worship.  First I thought it might be helpful to share some of the thoughts that went into planning for the singing at the summit.  Click here to listen to a podcast in where Tim Schmidt and I share about this, and I’ll elaborate a bit further below.

We were praying so much for our times of worship together to be filled with “reverence and awe” (Heb 12:28).  With many thousands of us gathered together we also wanted a real “family reunion feel,” so we tried to have a good chunk of songs that we have historically enjoyed singing together, songs that reflect our unique history.  We wanted to have hymns, popular contemporary Christian songs, gospel songs, and songs written by members of our churches through the years.  We wanted to represent as many different styles of North American worship music as we could reasonably pull off and yet still have everything flow smoothly together.  In addition to a good mix, we also wanted to add a few new songs that were written by several in our fellowship of churches, songs that were already tried and tested in several of our churches and had many of us singing these already: “You Are My Everything” by Betty Collins, “Holy, Perfect, Always, Forever” by Ross Lippencott, and “Deeper” by Chase Mackintosh.  The new theme song was a collaboration as well (with Jeff Mannel’s daughter McCall and the St. Louis team), and I’ll do a future blog post about the formation of that song. 

With so much tension in our country we prayed that God would make our time as the body of Christ be such a celebration of unity and diversity.  And I believe God answered our prayers!  Here is what I typed in my prayer journal a day after the conference ended:

God, thank you for answering the many prayers for a successful conference.  Thank you for how your word was preached and your church was ministered to.  Thank you that both classes [the ones I taught] seemed to go well.  Thank you for the diversity of singers and song leaders, and for the choir doing so well.  Thank you that there was a real spirit of unity even in the midst of such racial tension in our country right now.  On a personal level, thank you for the many many moments of worship and connection with you when tears filled my eyes and chocked my throat and I couldn’t even sing.  There were so many moments that were so moving.  On Zion’s Glorious Summit.  Deeper.  The theme song.  Rick’s song with the hall filled of waving cell phone lights!  Here Am I Send Me.  Can’t remember them all but there were so many great moments.  Thank you for how, as Tina [Crawley] mentioned it, everybody “had their love language spoken to” musically. 

The only negative thing about the set lists I’ve heard more than once is that we didn’t sing the song “Rejoice (I will lift my voice).”  When I’m planning for an event like this my primary concern is what is going to  be the best fit for the moment, but I can struggle with being self-conscious about doing too many of my own songs and I really try to limit how many of them we do.  I’m grateful to work on a team with an evangelist in charge of the event (Jeff Mannel in this case), fellow worship leaders which helps with objectivity and making sure I’m not ruling out songs I shouldn’t.  (Tim Schmidt in this case helped choose all the songs and selected the song leaders and part singers)  However, in the case of Rejoice, that is what happened.  I was thinking that I wasn’t sure how many of our churches sing it, and I didn’t want to do another of my own songs.  That was the only complaint.  (Except for the lyrics problems, lots of complaints about that — I’ll have to write a separate post about that –what a source of frustration and a learning experience that was!)

Anyway, here are the resources and the set lists and I hope they help you in your efforts to lead the congregation in joyful song!…

Here is a link to a resource page that has teaching recordings and videos of the way we planned to blend songs together (we tried some of these things in our local congregation prior to the conference). 

Here are the chord charts for all the songs we did in the sets.

Below are the Reach 2016 Set Lists (the key we did the song in is also listed)

**********THURSDAY**********

O Lord Our Lord  Eb   

You Are Good   E 

On The Mountain of the Lord    D     

Opening Production, “Reach” (10min)

Reach (Theme Song)  – introduced, with track and Video  G

Flag Ceremony closes production

Welcome (5 min)

Prayer (30 sec each – Eng / Spanish / French)

On Zion’s Glorious Summit   (a capella)    Ab

10,0000 Reasons (Bless the Lord O My Soul)    F

Scripture reading, Isaiah 12 –

My God is Awesome    E

Our God Em / G  (Eng and Spanish)

He Reigns (All God’s Children Singing) E   

Stand In Awe E   

Short prayer –

Mighty to Save  A 

Lesson, “Reach Up” – Shawn Wooten (45 min)

Closing Announcements (10 min)

Memorial moment – AT Arneson (2 min)

Special Song, The Witness

Anchor for the Soul G (featuring Speech)

**********FRIDAY**********

Reach (Theme Song) G   

Home in Heaven (both Eng and Spanish) Am

La Montaña (Spanish song)   Bm

Friend of God (gospel)   C

Welcome (5 min)

Stage time for misc. (10 min)

Deeper D 

What A Fellowship (Leaning on Jesus)  G

You Are My Everything D   

Come Thou Fount   D

Scripture reading – Psalm 103

Praise the Lord O My Soul / How Great Thou Art   G

Let It Rise   G   (a cappella)   

Lesson, “Reach In” Chip Mitchell – (45 min)

Closing Announcements (10 min)

Production: “Beyond Reach” Pt.1 (15 min)

I Hear God Singing to Me  D-E

**********SATURDAY**********

Feeling Alright / I Feel Good C

His Love Endures Forever E 

Forever A 

Welcome (5 min)

Disciples Today Presentation (15 min)

Reach (Theme Song) G 

Scripture reading, Revelation 7:9-17

Great Among the Nations D

Praises Heard Around the World B

Here Am I Send Me (with rap by Big City) E

Men Who Dream E   

Lesson, “Reach Out” – Douglas Arthur (45 min)

Closing Announcements (10 min)

Special Song, Reach Upside Down – Rick Biordi

Production: “Beyond Reach” Pt.1 (15 min)

**********SUNDAY***********

Songs with REACH Choir

Power  Dm   

Prayer (30 sec each – Eng / Spanish / French) –

Holy, Holy, Holy D

Jesus Messiah G      

Every Praise  G – A 

Holy, Perfect, Always and Forever  Cm    

Welcome (5 min)

HOPEworldwide Presentation – Robert Carillo (15 min)

It is Well With My Soul D  (a cappella)

When I Survey E – G

Communion Lesson – Jeff Mannel (10 min)

Revelation Song D (after 3 min of meditation)

This Is Amazing Grace G 

I’ll Fly Away / Victory in Jesus 

Lesson, “Within Reach” – Frank Kim (45 min)

Closing Remarks (20 min)

Reach (Theme Song) G   

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