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29 February 2012

Homemade worship

by Claire Musters

With their second album already receiving acclaim, Rend Collective Experiment continue to push boundaries to express ancient truths in new ways in line with their passion for engaging the Church in heartfelt worship. We caught up with them to find out more about the story behind their latest album, Homemade Worship by Handmade People, and their ‘organic’ vision.

idea: How did you come together as a band?
In 2004 we were simply a group of 20-somethings trying to figure out life, God, community and kingdom living. We had each played in worship teams together over the years but never came together in an official sense. After we graduated we started writing and recording songs together. By 2007 we had grown into a collective of musicians and artists that were simply trying to share with the world what we were learning. We see ourselves as a family more than a band.

What exactly is ‘organic’ worship?
Organic worship involves the collective of Christ coming together; school teachers, stay-at-home mums, musicians, doctors and plumbers all joining in one song to respond to the living God. Organic worship, as it suggests, is something authentic and fresh, not artificial and processed. In Hosea we read that God desires steadfast love above sacrifice, to truly know Him above simply attending church and prayer meetings. God is looking for an authentic and living response from us.

What’s the story behind your new album?
Each album was written within a certain time frame of our lives. Some of the songs on the first album are nearly seven years old and they reflect our journey with Christ at that point. As we continue to follow after Him we experience new things both of God and life. These songs are snapshots of moments in time within that journey so it is quite natural that there are songs that feel slightly different to others. In the new album we tried to get the balance between worship songs for the Church and music that reflects the creative nature of God. Ireland is called the land of saints and scholars and that depth of history and culture massively affects our approach to writing and music. Like hymn writers of old we try to pursue lyrics that empower us to see God more clearly. The album was written and recorded in our own homes over a period of a year. We wanted it to come purely from us, and have that intimacy of producing it from our family homes. We are all handmade people – individuals, beautifully created by God’s hands – and the album is our response to this wonderful truth.

You have already been on tour with Chris Tomlin and Francis Chan. What do you hope the future holds for Rend Collective?
We have had the opportunity to minister with some of our heroes of the faith and this is something we count a great privilege. Our greatest hope, however, is to grow closer to the heart of God as a band. The world needs people who primarily yield their hearts to be changed by the grace of God so that, as His reign comes in us, we will see His kingdom come here on earth.

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