More than 100 worshipers erupted in applause as Tam Tran finished the opening riff on his South Vietnamese vọng cổ style guitar. Then as he began a soft strum, two more musicians joined to sing a song that they had composed at a workshop two weeks earlier. “The first song ever with both vọng cổ and soul!” said Phuoc Ho, from the Vietnamese Mennonite Church in Philadelphia.
Watch the performance of this composition
Kingdom Builders, an Anabaptist network in greater Philadelphia, prepared for this Pentecost service at Philadelphia Mennonite High School on May 4. James Krabill, senior executive for global ministries at Mennonite Mission Network, led the workshop, entitled Sing a New Song. Twenty people took part – from six language groups, eight ethnicities, and 11 churches.
Krabill taught about the shift from Old Testament worship to New Testament worship; from place (Jerusalem) to person (Jesus), and from detailed instructions about worship to virtually none.
“As the Gospel of Jesus moves out into different cultures, people are free to worship with the ‘heart music’ that they know and love,” taught Krabill. “Jesus gave us no instructions about worship concerning style, day, time, place, kind of dress, or type of music. We are to worship ‘in spirit and in truth’ gathered around Jesus in the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
Following his teaching, five ethnically diverse groups were formed with the task of creating new music based on brief texts from Acts 1 and 2. Though many people in the groups had not met before, and few had ever composed music, they had an hour and a half to create a new song together. Sound possible?
It happened!
Tran shared with his group that he had had a dream about writing a song based on the Acts 2:17 text: “In the last days, says the Lord, I will pour out my Spirit …” When he came to the workshop, he learned that this was one of the verses to be used in song writing. The group followed his lead, and a song took shape.
On May 18 in the joint Pentecost worship at the Philadelphia Praise Center, all five workshop groups performed their newly composed songs. The most common response was, “It was amazing! I never thought we could do it!”
Pastor Juan Marrero from Christ Centered Church led communion and noted, “Jesus took Pentecost and gave it a whole new meaning! He transformed it. And he does that with our cultures, our music and traditions – he does not destroy them, but brings new life!”
Following communion, a combined choir sang “Total Praise” under the leadership of Wendell Holmes, choir director of Second Mennonite Church. “You are the Source of my strength,” sang the choir of 16 from seven different churches. “I lift my hands in total praise to you. Amen.”
Kingdom Builders pastors and churches have been gathering for joint Pentecost worship every year since 2002. It has become a time to celebrate the vision of unity amid diversity that is the evidence of God’s Spirit moving, an annual taste of the great banquet that awaits us.
Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, exists to lead, mobilize and equip the church to, together, share all of Christ with all of creation. With offices in Elkhart, Ind., and Newton, Kan., the Mission Network supports ministries in more than 57 countries and 31 U.S. states.
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Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact news@mennonitemission.net.
