Glory to God testimonial and update

April 27, 2016 by Paul Vasile in Congregational Song, Music

In 2013, several of my pieces were published in Glory to God, the new hymnal of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It's been a pleasure to hear how one particular response, Glory to God, Whose Goodness Shines on Me, has been helping congregations around the country sing their heartfelt joy and praise.

Earlier this month, I received a particularly meaningful testimony from Dr. Mel Bringle, who served as the chair of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song, the group that compiled and edited the hymnal.

and he tells me I am his own

April 27, 2016 by Paul Vasile in Music

Last spring, I collaborated with mezzo-soprano Kristin Gornstein to present a Mother's Day recital that included two settings of the 19th century Czech poem, Songs My Mother Taught Me.

The poem got me thinking about the songs my mother sang that shaped my musical and spiritual life, and inspired me to compose a piano arrangement of C. Austin Miles' beloved Gospel hymn, In the Garden. Sentimental, yes, but I remember it as one of my favorite lullabies and it's a tune I will always associate with my childhood. The text has also served as an ongoing reminder that I am God's beloved and invited to an intimate, tender relationship with Jesus.

residency in Cincinnati

Carthage Christian Church

April 20, 2016 by Paul Vasile in Congregational Song, workshop, residency

Join me for a weekend residency in Cincinnati, Ohio from May 20-22. We'll SING sacred music from diverse cultures and traditions, EXPLORE leadership practices that encourage and animate congregational singing, and REFLECT on ways that worship can be life-giving, inclusive, and prophetic.

now the green blade riseth

March 28, 2016 by Paul Vasile in Leadership, Easter, Worship

Interim/transitional music ministry and consulting is Easter work. And by ‘Easter’ I don’t mean the focus is solely on success, positive change, or growth. While some might offer churches a quick path to transformation or Seven Easy Steps to Worship Renewal, experience is showing me that healthy congregational processes require an encounter with loss and death.

Cycles of renewal and rebirth are visible all around us should we open our eyes to them. Like the Easter carol proclaims, grain rises out of wintery soil; the rich humus of what has died is a seedbed for new life. Perhaps we intuitively know that the church (the literal Body of Christ) will experience transition, metamorphosis, and even death. But we do not always live as Easter people and even resist what is inevitable, even as we praise the One who died and lives again.

Holy One, we welcome you

February 25, 2016 by Paul Vasile in Congregational Song, Music

I was raised in churches where Praise and Worship was an important part of our Sunday morning service. For those who are unfamiliar with it, the congregation would spend the first part of the service singing, offering up-tempo praise choruses, hymns, and slower ballads that helped them focus their attention on God. At its best, Praise and Worship energized and united the congregation through a shared repertoire of song. Worship leaders might weave scripture and prayers throughout, giving it a relaxed, contemplative feel at times and an ecstatic, joyful quality at others.

My musical life in the church, and even my prayer life, was formed through these experiences of worship.