NewSpring Worship On the Stories Behind the Making of "Able"

NewSpring Worship released their latest album, ABLE on February, 24. This album was recorded in studio and with Dream Worship.  Featuring songs like "Worthy" and the title track, "Able", this album is a declaration of our confidence in Jesus to finish what He started. "There's going to be rough times in your life," said Craig Sullivan, writer of "Able." "The lyrics in this album remind us if God can move the the highest mountains and calm the raging seas, He can do anything and that gives us hope for whatever situation we're in," said Sullivan.

The full version of this album is available on iTunes and debuted as the #2 Christian album.

Q:  Thank you for doing this interview with us.  I am sorry to hear what happened to you senior pastor Perry Noble who had to resign from the church.  How's the church doing now? 

It was certainly a really tough season for us, but through it God proved Himself faithful again and again.  Many of the songs on this new record reflect our heart in the last season.  We saw firsthand God is able to see us through every circumstance and not just to survive it, but to thrive in it.  The last several months have been extremely exciting.  God is giving us fresh vision for the future and pouring out His Spirit on our people like never before! 

Q:  Tell us more about your worship team.  Who are the key leaders?  And how many of you are there in the team? 

At each NewSpring campus we have a staff worship leader.   

We also have a Central Worship, which consists of 9 people. Our central worship team is here to serve and provide resources for the campuses. We'll set and communicate vision to help everyone stay unified. Our team also creates and shapes our new music. Central is also heavily involved in planning and execution of worship services for our broadcast stage.  

Our key Leaders are... 

Jay Phillips - Central Worship Director.  Everyone on our team reports directly to Jay.   

Tom Pellerin - Central Operations Director.  Tom keeps everyone united under the same vision.  He also oversees our internships.  

Jared Barber - Central Music Director.  Jared oversees the production/creation of our original music for NewSpring Worship. 

Adam Kersh - Central Worship Leader. Adam leads worship at our broadcast campus at NewSpring Worship.  

Q:  Congratulations on the release of "Able."  What are your vision and your hopes for this project? 

This album is a collection of songs that have been written from our people, for our people.  God has been incredibly generous by gifting us with lyrics that speak from the heart of our worship leaders and our church ... This new album, "Able" is nothing more than a declaration our confidence in Jesus to finish what He has started. 

Q:  What were some of the highlights in making this record?  

We had a great opportunity to work with some amazing people on this project.  Going to Gat3 studio in Charlotte and working with Glenn Tabor was a real treat!  We also brought in Steve Marcia to play some guitars on the record!  Steve is an Atlanta based musician and has had a hand in many many worship records that we love, so it was real joy to have him present as we shaped these songs musically.  

In general, making a record is extremely time intensive, so we spent a lot of time together! This process really brought our team together, and we saw an even greater degree of unity with each other than ever before.   

Q:  I notice that the songs are co-written mostly by the worship team.  Do you deliberately set time aside for various team members to write?   

Yes, we do set aside deliberate time to write together. When we create margin to write out of the overflow of what God is doing in us and through us, our best songs are born in those moments. 

Q:  I notice that just like your previous EP, you have included a hymn "'Tis So Sweet" on this new album.  Is that your intention to include a hymn on every album?  And why "Tis So Sweet"? 

It is not necessarily our intent to have a hymn on every album.  However, in this season that our church has been going through, we know that the Holy Spirit is with us, He goes before us, and we can trust Him!  Scripture says that He is near the broken hearted and He is with those who are crushed in spirit.  So even in the chaos, we know that God is using this time to create more faith in our hearts to trust Him more.  We felt there was not a more appropriate way to end the album than to just declare that our trust is in Jesus.   

Q:  You sing about God's might and sovereignty.  Over the course of leading worship, have you ever felt or experience God's power in a special way?  If so, tell us more. 

What we've discovered in this season is that the more we exalt God for who He is, the more we experience the infinite and eternal joy of His presence. Singing about his power and his sovereignty has given us hope and strengthened our faith over the past year. We are grateful for what He's done... but we are in AWE of who He is! 

 

 

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