Lea Brook Methodist Church > Dreamng of a Holy Night

We were priviledged to invite Graham Kendrick to Dudley Concert Hall on Sunday 8 December 2008. He performed songs from his 2007 Christmas album "Dreaming of a Holy Night". He was accompanied by Philippa Hanna - herself a Christian singer/songwriter - as well as his band Roy Johnson (Bass), Andrew Small (Drums), Mark Walker (Keyboards) and Dan Wheeler (Guitar) under the guidance of musical director Steve Thompson.

We were fortunate enough to be able to put together a choir of nearly 70 people to accompany Graham, Philippa and the band on five "Dreaming of a Holy Night Tracks" - "Look What The Lord Has Done For Me", "Suddenly A Light", "We Have Seen The Light", "A Prince Is Born" and "Rejoice, God Is Now With Us". The sound we made was fantastic and even some of the harmonies that we had struggled with in rehearsal (it was quite high in places for the tenors !) all came together. In a couple of tracks the choir had a couple of parts without Graham and Philippa. Whilst we were singing, Graham turned and the smile on his face suggested that this was exactly the sound he had hoped for.

With words from the Gospel accounts and echoes of traditional carols, "Dreaming of a Holy Night" explores history's greatest story both from the inside - through some of its characters (Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah), and from the outside - looking back in awe at the incarnation, whilst longing for the fulfilment of what began on that holy night.

It was an inspirational concert, particularly the way Graham used the chorus of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and the verse "Sing, Choirs of Angels" as a worship song. It really reminds us that existing and well known songs can be used in a different way to enhance a message and that sometimes we can make worship too complicated and you can have a powerful effect by doing something simple.