‘In-Deep Worship’ is a musical worship event that seeks to gather those who serve in our local churches’ worship ministries for the purpose of networking and so as to experience an evening of combined worship, alongside their counterparts from other churches in Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC).
In-Deep Worship has been an event synonymous with the TRAC Board of Worship & Music (BOWM) over the past quadrenniums. It used to be linked to the promotion of local worship songwriting, but in 2015, the Board gave it a face-lift and remade it into a musical worship event that unites TRAC churches’ worship teams and worship servants at a single venue, to network and be rejuvenated in their crucial ministry to the Church.
Held in collaboration with Wesley Methodist Church this year, 220 people attended this new In-Deep Worship concert on 27 June, led by Ms Tanya Riches (below), a well-known worship leader, singer/songwriter and speaker, currently doing her PhD at Fuller Theological Seminary in the USA.
Many were blessed by the songs Tanya shared from her album Grace, as well as her message of hope and trust in the Lord for the days ahead by remembering what He has done for us in the past, based on Joshua 24.
When first told about the initiative to bring worship servants together for the In-Deep Worship concert, Tanya had replied that she would love to do it, and desired to see local churches grow and formulate their own identity in the area of worship, synonymous with the context of the local church.
Tanya was the perfect person to help us do this. Though young, she is very experienced in the musical worship ministry. At the age of 15, she wrote ‘Jesus What a Beautiful Name’ for Hillsong Australia, which became the sixth most-loved Christian song in Australia and charted internationally.
While at Hillsong, she also wrote other songs such as ‘Hear Our Prayer’, recorded by the Hillsong United band on the album Everyday, and ‘King of Love’, recorded by the Hillsong Band on the album Hope. Both albums reached gold status in Australia.
She administrated Hillsong’s United Live Youth Band along with Reuben Morgan and Marcus Beaumont until 2003 when Joel Houston became music director and lead singer of United.
Tanya was in Singapore to speak at the Methodist School of Music (MSM) Worship Symposium over the period of 23-25 June 2015 (see P20-21 for the Methodist Message report on the Symposium). The TRAC BOWM partnered MSM in this effort by encouraging those who serve in worship teams and choirs in TRAC local churches to be further equipped at this Worship Symposium, and subsidising TRAC participants.
This two-pronged initiative – encouraging TRAC attendees at the Worship Symposium and organising the In-Deep Worship concert– is in support of our TRAC President Rev Dr Gordon Wong’s focus on the aspect of Worship this year, as part of the Annual Conference’s emphasis on the five ‘W’s of Word, Worship, Welcome, Witness, Wonder over this quadrennium.
Photos by Nicholas Tan
The Rev Joel Yong is Chairperson of the Trinity Annual Conference Board of Worship & Music, and Pastor-in-Charge of Holland Village Methodist Church.