CORAM DEO: A Night To Remember

THE EVENT:
We had a great time celebrating Coram Deo at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Prince Edward Island – it was everything we hoped it would be.

The gorgeous sanctuary was filled with about 300 folks from all over the island, representing about 10 streams of the Church, Catholic and Protestant, gathering for a night of worship and prayer together.

It’s one of the top 10 concert halls in the world based on acoustics, so the sound of the most acoustic pieces was incredible.

THE SOUND:
The acoustic nature of the Coram Deo ensemble works well in these settings (though a bit of a sonic challenge – special kudos to Terry, Phil and the impeccable sound crew for their labor of GodLove).

My Jesus, I Love Thee began the night, played by Matt Frise on the violin from the balcony; a 3-part male vocal rendition of What Wondrous Love filled the dome with a quality of worship expression only a spiritual can evoke.

We did a fresh acoustic/organic version of my rendition of Apostles’ Creed (We Believe) and a host of other contemporary and traditional hymns filled the night.

THE CONTENT:
Here’s a .pdf of the Song/Prayer Sheet for those who’d like to see: PEI SongSheet.

For me, the highlight was in the prayers we prayed in unison together – prayers of Orthodox, Celtic, Jewish and British origin, all brimming with living poetry.

THE IMAGES:
Here are some images from the night, though the lighting was dim for the sake of atmosphere: Flickr: Photos from danwilt

THE BAND:

Dan Wilt: Leader, acoustic guitar and hammered dulcimer
Will Bernard: Co-leader, acoustic guitar
Lindsey Roszell: Lead and background vocals
Matt Frise: Violin, whistles, Latin prayers and percussive sound effects
Jacob Murphy: Upright bass and belly laughter

THE RESULT:
Worship… unity… bridge-building… engagement with God and one another.

It was taste of what many of us who attended loved – a night of ancient/present/future worship.

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Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms

Sheltering Mercy, along with its companion volume, Endless Grace, helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains 75 prayers drawn from Psalms 1-75, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and foil-stamped hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.