Music is usually a big deal to me in a worship service. I typically prefer contemporary music, but I do love the old classic hymns as well. Regardless of what songs we are singing, I want to be able to truly worship without being distracted by those around me, and without feeling like my voice is sticking out like a sore thumb. When I am playing the piano at a church, I am of the opinion "the more musicians the better" probably because I get more nervous if I'm all by myself. I also think that the more musicians there are, and the bigger the sound is, the more comfortable people feel singing out, and worshiping without distractions. Some people may disagree, thinking that if the music is too big or loud, the focus is on the musicians themselves, rather than on worshiping, and I'm sure this scenario is true in a lot of places, as too much of a good thing can often turn into a bad thing.
At CHBC there is no formal "music program" and no paid musicians, and the focus is on congregational singing. How could a church of 1000 members have good music without a paid person? Well, Mark picks all of the songs for the year all at once, and then during the week the pastors and interns come together and sing one verse of each song (usually in 4 part harmony and it sounds amazing!) and then decide if they want to change any for that Sunday. There is usually someone playing a beautiful grand piano and guitar each Sunday, and about 4 singers up front.
When we first went there and saw the bulletin with about 9 or 10 hymns, I was a little disappointed, because as I've said I do love contemporary worship music. After the 1st song, I realized there were several contemporary songs mixed in with the hymns. They usually include the music for every song in the bulletin, making it appear as though they only sing hymns, but I believe they do this so that people can read harmonies, because it sounds like a small taste of heaven the way people belt out those parts! The singing here is really fun, and probably my favorite part so far. I am actually thinking about the words I'm singing, rather than those around me, and truly worshiping the Lord.
The evening service is a very special time of "family news" where members share what is going on in their personal lives or how they had an opportunity to share the gospel this past week, or church wide events or announcements. At the end of all the announcements, various members are called upon to pray for each particular announcement. You really get to know the members during this service, as everyone is very open and honest when they go up and share. When someone becomes a member, they commit to coming to the evening service in addition to the morning service, so there is a huge turnout. One other unique thing about the evening service, is Mark usually has about 5 or 6 new books on various topics that he will briefly describe and give away to the first person who raises their hand.
This is a very warm and friendly congregation who love the Lord, and we are blessed to be a part of it for these 5 months.
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