Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
- Colossians 3:16
The chief purpose of all humanity is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Therefore, the primary aim of our music ministry is doxological—to ascribe all honor and glory to the Triune God. Doxology (the praise of God) without theology (the truth of God) is impossible. The songs we sing are full of Scripture and shaped by Scripture.
This essential principle is the conviction that the corporate worship of God must include only those elements that are explicitly instituted or commanded by God in Scripture.
The primary instrument in corporate worship is the unified voice of the congregation. As a priesthood of all believers, our most vital act of musical worship is the robust singing of God’s people together (Eph 5:19). Musical leadership and instrumentation serve to support, adorn, and encourage this congregational praise, never to supplant or distract from it.
We pursue musical excellence not as a performance, but as a fitting offering to a worthy King.
This ensures that our preparation and execution are skillful and free from distraction, thereby directing all attention to the greatness of God. Song selections for our services are based on two primary criteria: theological truth and musical excellence.
GRACE ACADEMY OF MUSIC
The Grace Academy of Music is a learning opportunity for school-aged students to learn church-based music through choirs, ensembles, and instrument lessons (both group and individual).
These course offerings are seasonal and reflect both the availability of instructors and to meet current needs in the church. Some classes will be offered for adults. Check this page for links to schedules and semester offerings.
SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS
For access to this week's worship songs, click the "GCC Songs for Sunday" tab below. To listen to a larger selection of songs we sing, click the "Singing the Word" tab below.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who are some of the musical influences on the singing of GCC?
The modern church stands on the shoulders of many excellent composers and musicians who have sought to write songs that congregations can sing together. The unifying distinction in all good compositions is that they chiefly display the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ while also putting our rich biblical theology to song. GCC draws from older hymn writers like Watts, Toplady, and Newton, while also singing the more recent songs of those like the Gettys, Boswell, Papa, CityAlight, and the Kauflins. No period of history is favored over another. Rather, music is chosen and sung for its faithfulness to Scripture and its suitability for congregational singing.
Why does GCC use The Sing! Hymnal?
We use a hymnal because it is an invaluable tool in the spiritual formation of the church. We use both projection screens and hymnals so that people can see, read, and sing out in the church. Dan Krieder has notably said, "Neither hymnals nor projection make a congregation strong or weak. But tools can help or hinder." The Sing! Hymnal, thoughtfully curated by hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty, hosts a collection of timeless classic and contemporary hymns. Featuring numerous readings, psalms paired with popular hymns, useful indexes, and a variety of cover formats, this hymnal is designed for use in private and congregational worship. See here for more on The Sing! Hymnal.
Timeless Character: 497 classic and contemporary hymns, carefully curated and beautifully presented.
Thoughtful Design: Every detail has been carefully considered, from the musical arrangement to the design of the page layout and the various cover options. This hymnal is the first to give careful attention to its design across many features that are easily taken for granted. Page and staff size, fonts, lyric baselines, note spacing, lyric alignment, and stem length are just a few of the technical design elements that have been given careful thought.
Enhance Worship: Featuring 403 readings, psalms paired with popular hymns, and stories about each hymn, the hymnal is perfect for worship services, small group gatherings, as well as private and family worship.
Voices from Church History: Many readings include quotations from classical and contemporary writers and theologians, including Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, J. I. Packer, John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, and many more.
Useful for musicians and teaching music: The hymnal is also offered in a lay-flat edition designed for easier page turning and reading. This edition is made for musicians and includes chord symbols above the staff. An online account through the hymnal website also allows for downloadable versions of sheet music and charts.
A suite of resources: The hymnal offers an ever-growing list of resources available on the website (singhymnal.com).
How can I learn what GCC sings?
GCC Music offers two different Spotify playlists to help the congregation learn what we sing. Both playlists can be found by clicking the links above or on Spotify under "Grace Music HSV."
The "GCC Songs for Sunday" gives the setlist for the songs you will hear that week (4-5 songs). The playlist entitled "Singing the Word" includes most of the songs you will hear throughout the year at GCC.
What other opportunities are there to learn songs or grow in musical abilities?
All the songs of The Sing! Hymnal can be browsed here and are searchable by such things as title, scripture reference, and key. There is also a helpful feature where you can listen to the tune of every hymn.
Throughout the year, GCC hosts congregational hymn sings (usually on a Sunday evening). Also, from time to time, GCC partners with other like-minded churches in the area for hymn sings.
The Grace Academy of Music is a learning opportunity for school-aged students to learn church-based music through choirs, ensembles, and instrument lessons (both group and individual). These course offerings are seasonal and reflect both the availability of instructors and to meet current needs in the church. Some classes will be offered for adults. Check this page for links to schedules and semester offerings.
Can I join the GCC music ministry as a vocalist, instrumentalist, or A/V technician?
To get started, fill out an application here