“What if we could help churches sing their way to Easter?”
This was the question on our minds when we imagined a brand-new ministry project: the Lenten Musical Calendar.
We envisioned a weekly video series, inspired by the lectionary. Each week would feature a different guest preacher and an original song performance by our duo, Infinitely More.
As a freelance music ministry, Infinitely More has been blessed to serve Anglican churches across the country, including those in our home diocese of Niagara. We reached out to several parishes to see if they would partner with us in this new venture. We were thrilled to receive a “yes” from everyone we asked.
The Lenten Musical Calendar is a fresh, creative expression of the Lenten journey, perfectly formatted for lockdown. By taking on the production ourselves, we have been able to take one more job off the plate of overworked clergy.
We were honoured that, after consulting with Canon Christyn Perkons, our proposal received a diocesan congregational support and development grant.
Our primary audience is practicing Christians, but the videos also appeal to the “lightly churched” – people with some church background or spiritual curiosity. Our words and music are deeply spiritual, but the delivery is relaxed and invitational.
Videos debut each Saturday at 11 AM, on Infinitely More’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
The response has been incredibly encouraging. Many churches share the videos in their newsletters and on social media. St. George’s (Georgetown) embeds each week’s video into its online worship. St. Thomas’ (St. Catharines) is using the music portion for its worship broadcast on Cogeco TV. At least two parishes play the videos for their long-term care and retirement home residents.
The enthusiastic response to the Lenten Musical Calendar speaks to the great desire for artistic, innovative ministry. People are hungry for the truth of the Gospel, especially in this pandemic season. Through music, inspiring words, and technology, we have a tremendous opportunity to bring that truth directly into people’s homes and hearts.
The Lenten Musical Calendar ends with a bang on Easter weekend! We’re honoured to have Bishop Susan join us for our Easter Gospel reflection. We’ll also debut a brand-new original Easter anthem, which is fitting to be shared and played all throughout the Easter season.
Allison Lynn and Gerald Flemming form the award-winning music duo, Infinitely More. They are based in St. Catharines. Find them at: InfinitelyMore.ca, Facebook.com/InfinitelyMoreBand and www.youtube.com/InfinitelyMoreBand.
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