We Are Together

I recently watched the docu-film on channel four "We Are Together" - the story of the Children of Agape. It was crafted sensitively and beautifully and refrained from becoming a typical Oxfam-esque appeal to the wealthy nations. The film followed the lives of the children at Agape - an orphanage in South Africa.

"Agape was founded by a lady called Gogo "Grandma" Zodwa. She was working as an HIV counselor and found that many of the people she was counseling expressed deep concern about what would happen to their children when they were no longer around. So Zodwa established Agape to look after these children. Agape has had a tumultuous journey, but under Zodwa’s loving guidance it continues to grow stronger. Agape is a Greek word meaning “unconditional love”, which is exactly what the children at Agape receive." (http://wearetogether.org/children/)


Grandma Zodwa noted that she wanted to show these children the unconditional love of God that everyone deserves. This was not a story of destitution and lives torn apart, but a quiet observation of orphaned children getting on with life as they know it. The hope-inspiring twist to this tale is the music. Singing, as naturally as breathing, takes place morning, noon and night in the orphanage. The children formed a choir and together they express their love, hope, dreams and sorrow through the songs they sing. They have no written music, no instruments and no accompaniment. They simply sing - and they are fabulous. The man who conducts the children said that, "We cannot all speak at once but we can all sing." How true.

It is this gift of music that has provided significant funding and hope for Agape. The orphanage was destroyed in a fire and the centre lost everything it had. However, the children were invited to perform in New York with Alecia Keys and they recorded an album. I thought that perhaps given this opportunity they would get a big band and make their album a stunning, technical, musical masterpiece. Thankfully they recorded only their voices, keeping the album as pure and true as the gift they have been given. The money from this was used to raise a new centre which could house even more children than before. It was a truly moving piece. There was no narration, special effects, fancy camera work or significant bias. The cameras merely recorded and reflected real life. I would encourage anybody to download some of their music from iTunes or buy it online. Watch the DVD and you will understand it even better. In the title track from the album, "We Are Together" the children sing, "We are together, we are family." This is what Agape provides along with unconditional love - a family.

Thankyou Lord for the gift of music and the hope that it brings.

Music for the Soul

The final day of 2007. This morning I had to get up at what seemed like a horrific hour (8:30am) and head over to the 'KBC sound studio' as I now know it, to do some recording. This was a first. Usually anything I have recorded has been an 'all-in-one' production, just hitting record and doing it in one take. However, today I was recording the first song from my album - the song I wrote for our previous youth minister's leaving service. I'm ashamed to say the song was only half-written when I performed it due to work pressure and time constraints so I vowed to someday rewrite and record it properly. At least I can say I managed by the end of the year.

Recording it 'properly' was a new experience but one I thoroughly enjoyed. The difficulty in composing the song was that it was just me and the piano - I had to invent and practise all the other parts separately and just mix them in my head. It was a beautiful journey to hear each part be recorded and come together just as I had imagined. I was working with a brilliant team - three of my best mates and Deacs, who has become a complete legend in my books. We just got down to business and started putting it together. The girls were fabulously patient as I did all the piano, all the synth etc. and just waited until their parts were due. The vocals were the part I was most nervous about. Somehow when singing I feel like I'm giving away part of myself and so if it doesn't sound good I can be quite unhappy. I managed to get away with only three or four takes and although I'll never really be happy with the way my voice sounds, the edited production will sound great thanks to the wonders of modern technology.

So, one song down, six to go! My new year's resolution (one of them anyway) is to finish the album by the end of next year but more preferably by the end of summer. Now that I have a better idea of what's involved in the recording I can be more prepared. I'm so grateful to the people who are willing to come on this journey with me and be part of a new chapter in my life. With that in mind I'm looking forward to the next year despite the onslaught of work I am facing. I'm sure I'll find my therapy in making the music that I enjoy with the friends that I've been blessed with. Here's to another year.