 Its an early Sunday morning... more like a late Saturday night... why am I up? Because it was just a little over an hour ago that we just finished the latest recording session.
Tonight bass tracks were laid down for "Hear Them Calling" and "What A Mighty God We Serve" as well as recording a scratch track of "Are You Adorning the Doctrine."
We also re-recorded the guitar tracks for "The Church's Jubilee" since the first attempt using a Fender Dobro just didn't sound quite right; tonight we used the Martin Goya to record with and it has a much nicer "fatter' sound. We also laid down the bass track for this one as well; now its just adding the instrumentation, keyboards, vocal effects... yeah right, "just" adding...
As of now, things are moving along quite nicely; still lots to do but we've managed to get quite a bit done already. The longer we work on this project, the more exciting it gets. More to come later!
 Each of the songs on the project has a specific reason it was written. Some of these have stories that have been recorded while others the stories have been lost. The song "Who Will Suffer With the Savior" is one that was written amid persecution. In the book, "Birth of a Reformation" by A.L. Byers, the following story is related:
The song “Who Will Suffer with the Savior?” had its origin while the company were in the South in the winter of 1890-91. It was written at the time a mob assaulted the house in which Brother Warner was preaching and a sharp, flying missile struck him on the side of the face, causing it to bleed.
D.S. Warner (pictured on the left) penned the words and Barney Warren set them to music. The song carries even more meaning when the full story is known.
Who will suffer with the Savior?
Take the little that remains
Of the cup of tribulation
Jesus drank in dying pains?
Who will offer soul and body
On the altar of our God?
Leaving self and worldly mammon,
Take the path that Jesus trod?
Who will suffer for the gospel,
Follow Christ without the gate?
Take the martyrs for example,
With them glory at the stake?
Oh, for consecrated service
’Mid the din of Babel strife;
Who will dare the truth to herald
At the peril of his life?
Soon the conflict will be over,
Crowns await the firm and pure;
Forward, brethren, work and suffer,
Faithful to the end endure.
Chorus:
Lord, we fellowship Thy passion,
Gladly suffer shame and loss;
With Thy blessing pain is pleasure,
We will glory in Thy cross.
15 October 2010
Songs, hymns, spiritual melodies... so many to choose from! The hardest part is where to start looking? One thing that the early pioneers of the church of God reformation took took to heart was putting the message of the gospel to music. Often, as they rode into a new town, one of the ways they would "advertise" that a series of services was to be held was by singing! Quite different than how we "advertise" our services today!
The message of the movement was put to melodies characterized as having "close harmony" (which some folks at the time thought was too "worldly" or "sinful"). Those melodies mixed with the message make for a gold mine of songs to choose from. We have selected some of the well known standards as well as a couple that aren't know well at all but carry a message that is timeless.
By now you are probably asking, "C'mon already! Which songs are you working on?" Glad you asked! Here is our list:
The Church's Jubilee
I Know
A Living Sacrifice
O Church of God
I Cannot Be Idle
The Old Campgrounds
There Is Joy in the Lord
Once Again We Come
There Is Joy in the Serivce
Consecration
Hear Them Calling
What a Mighty God We Serve
I Will Praise Him Hallelujah
A Child of God
Who Will Suffer With the Savior?
Let Me See Jesus Only
Are You Adorning the Doctrine?
One other undecided song but its between 3 or so songs
So this is where we are at at the moment. Maybe one of your favorites is on here... maybe you don't even know any of them... maybe you wish there was another one (or two) that was on here but it isn't... but this is the current list. Pray that the work goes well!
Monday, 11 October 2010
Between the junction of US Route 40 and Ohio State Route 4, just outside the city of Springfield, Ohio, there lies a small (and hilly) hallowed plot of ground. Those who careen past this location travelling between Dayton and Springfield probably don't even give it a second thought; but for those who have spent time walking on it's sacred paths, these souls know that the Holy Spirit has moved upon countless men and women for over 100 years. For on these grounds God has saved from sin, sanctified hearts, called to greater service, performed miraculous healings, and sent his people forth into the world around them as witnesses to His unmatched love!
This is campmeeting! The home of the Ohio Church of God, Central District and every year, in the first full week of August, you can find this place filled with campers, tents, families, songs in the air, studies in the morning, kids crafts, and most importantly, men, women, and children seeking to know their Lord a little more.
Yes, campmeeting! The old fashioned, white painted tabernacle, wooden benches, hot summer heat, Holy Spirit filled campmeeting! And while our modern world has changed it somewhat (I mean, there is a sound system and we sing the songs using power point slides) the work of God still goes on.
Though the crowds are not what they once were, the dedication held by many is unwavering. Of course, lower numbers of people mean a smaller income. Here is where project : foundations seeks to help.
One of the chief aims is to raise money to support the campgrounds. Proceeds from the project will go directly to support the ministry here. After all, it was here that the project began and it is God who has not only laid this calling on our hearts but has given us the gifts that enable us to complete it.
To God be the glory!
Saturday, 9 October 2010  So? What is "project : foundations" all about anyway? Simply stated, it is a collaborative effort by a few individuals to share the music and message of our early church of God hymns. Friday, 6 August 2010 marks an important date in this project: the day when the seeds that God had planted began to break above the soil... if only ever so slightly.
It was during the break between worship team practice and the evening service at the church of God's Ohio Central District Campmeeting that two individuals met and discovered that God had placed a mutual interest on each of their hearts: the love of the old church of God hymns.
Looking back, it's hard to recall exactly how everything fell into place but it goes something very similar to this:
Jon: Wouldn't it be great if we could redo some of the old church of God hymns?
Mike: Are you serious?
Jon: Yeah... I think it would cool so that more people could hear these awesome songs!
Mike: You ARE serious.... WOW! You're not going to believe this but I've been working arranging some of the old hymns for about three years now. In fact, I'll be singing one during Sunday night's service.
Jon: Are you serious?
Mike: Yeah... I've just been hanging on to them asking, "Okay God; you gave these to me, now what do you want me to do with them?" I've been trying to figure out what to do with them for awhile now.
Jon: I have a recording studio and I'm looking to do a new project. I've always wanted to do something like this but I can't do it alone and I've needed to find someone to help me out.
Mike : I've always wanted to do a project like this too. I hate the thought that my kids and others might lose the deep message in a lot of these hymns but I've never had anywhere to record them...
And the rest is, as they say, history. To date Jon and Mike have met several times, usually with an instrument or three around, to begin working on what has become known as project : foundations. The excitement shared by Jon and Mike has bubbled over to some others as well and now they have become involved in the project as well.
This site is our first attempt to let everyone know what is happening with the project, what its about, progress reports, etc. So check back often to see what is happening! If you'd like to support us in prayer or just send a message to make contact then fill out the contact information on the CONTACT INFORMATION page.
Well, we decided to take the plunge and put a blog on here. The thought is, this would be the easiest way to share what we are doing with the project... and to hear your comments, should you decided to make any, as well. We'll have some updates on here soon so check back!
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