Sharing an idea for those of you in contemporary ministry

This Sunday, my pastor-hubby will be doing a multi-media photo/reading/song presentation. It's probably about 8-9 minutes long.

The music: "My Deliverer" by Rich Mullins, performed by our band.

The slides: photos of 9/11, Darfur, Malawi, Western US fires, droughts, Tsunami, and the Gulf Coast.

The reading: "a una sola voce' (see below)

Logistics: lower the lights, the band begins with "My Deliverer" intro, Voiceover begins the reading (live, or recorded), slides begin. Slides should be planned out to fit the words below, and timed properly.
Once the reading is done, the band and vocalists continue on with performing the song. Slides can continue as the song is sung.

Obviously, all rights need to be obtained for the public performance of the song, and for the photos, but there are photo sites that offer free use of some photos.

Please feel free to use the reading below. If you print the title or the piece in your bulletins/media handouts, please credit the author. Which is me. And I'm sorry I have to ask for that, but I'm a professional writer and I've had my stuff plagerized in the past. You can write it really small. ;-)


a una sola voce
(with one voice)
© 2005 Lisa McMann

Around the earth, One Voice.
From shifting shore to shuddering cliff,
A cry of sorrow, anger, broken hearts.
“Who will rescue me!”

The desert tastes of bitter,
the earth breathes fire; its rasping voice
chars our smoky paths.
We’re gutted, left with caverns
in place of souls.

India and Thailand
Waver on a single note
Of a terrifying symphony,
Unfinished.

Malawi weeps, feeding on the salt
Of her own tears.
Darfur, all but lost,
Desperate for lilting notes of mercy,
penned by The Great Composer.

Forever scarred, Manhattan’s eyes are vacant.
They plead for gentle lullabies;
their hearts for rest.

From the rooftops,
N.O.L.A. sobs “Deliver me! Isn’t anybody there?”
But the water only rises around us,
And spills from our eyes like rain.

It is all we can do to reach to the sky
like children,
straining for a glimpse, a whisper, a song:

“Your Deliverer is coming;
indeed, he is already here!”

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Thanks for thaking the time to share.