Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

Imagine an American gospel church and you'll know what to expect when you pop this video in your machine. It's always difficult to catch a live event on camera, partly because everyone knows that they're being filmed and partly because after editing it easily becomes a collection of songs rather than a service of worship. It's also hard to assess a group of people praising God and give them a mark out of 10! One of the first things that stands out is that this is a truly multi-cultural church, with many types of people involved at all levels. The musicians are tight and play sensitively accompanying the worship with the choir. Having a pastor who can actually sing helps! Members of the team say a few words about the church between each song which gives a bit of background information. There are several very "American" moments, eg, the Hammond solo bit before Fanny Crosby's "Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour" (which sounds a far more funky hymn here than I remember it!). The songs are mostly written by people in the church and are not that different to any you will have heard before, but two that stand out are "You Are My Song", a beautiful declaration of Jesus, and "Drawing From The Wells". However, they are not ashamed and pussy-footed about making a joyful noise to the Lord, and with the song of dedication at the end I echo the words "Here am I, send me." If you like this sort of thing you'll love it.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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