Fourteen songs recorded for an album isn’t totally uncommon, but what is uncommon is those songs being written, sung, and released by artists who are nearly all in the neighborhood of 14 years old!
This summer, teens from Fearless Student Ministries at Christian Life Church in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, spent their time recording their first album, “Uncommon.” According to Michael Williams, student ministries pastor, and Marc McFadden, a long-time music teacher who assists the youth worship team, the album is not only unique, but it fills a need.
McFadden says, “The first time we’ve had kids write songs from scratch, including the lyrics and melody, and make it into a song we could use in our actual worship services.”
Williams says that the songs vary in style, from worship choruses to more of a reggae feel, but all are written with the purpose of glorifying God and using them in the youth services.
Williams and McFadden both had initial concerns that the lyrics could be problematic as they opened the opportunity to write and sing the songs to the entire youth group. However, aside from changing a few words here and there to help meet the musical composition of a song, poor theology and/or caustic vocabulary never came into question.
McFadden says, “There is a renewed dedication to taking worship seriously and their approach to God seriously, they’re going to write things that will reflect Scripture and what it means in their lives.”