“Vertical Church Band is framed around the idea that church isn't about us. It is about God,” states Luke MacDonald, Creative Director of the Vertical Church Band, and son of senior pastor James MacDonald. “The best songs we can sing aren't about our experience with God or our love for God or hopes for our relationship with God, but when we sing to God about God.”
That God-centered focus anchors each song on the 13-track CD that features Vertical Church Band worship leaders Andi Rozier, Meredith Andrews, Lindsay McCaul, Jacob Sooter, Seth McConkey, Kyle Fredricks and Heather Headley. Recorded at Harvest Bible Chapel's historic downtown Chicago campus, the project was produced by Paul Mabury (one sonic society, Hillsong United) and Jason Ingram (Tenth Avenue North, one sonic society, Chris Tomlin). James MacDonald served as executive producer.
Pastor MacDonald’s new book “Vertical Church: What Every Heart Longs For” (David C. Cook, August 2012), will be issued the same day as Live Worship From Vertical Church. “Our church is been going for almost 25 years and has planted 80 churches or so around the world,” says Luke. “This book really is the encapsulation of everything that we’ve learned and everything that we’re trying to be about.”
Live Worship From Vertical Church captures the passion for worshipping God and for spreading the gospel that has made Harvest one of the fastest growing churches in the country. Luke has fond memories of the snowy night the album was recorded in the historic location. “It’s an old cathedral in downtown Chicago, two blocks off Michigan Avenue, and it’s one of only a few buildings that survived the great Chicago fire in 1871,” he shares. “We gathered all of our worship leaders and all of our bands from several campuses together, 700 or 800 of the most fired up worshippers in our church. We just blew the place out for four hours singing these songs and I just remember everybody coming away from that feeling like---even if the album never amounted to much---having this night together to worship God was enough. It was worth it, just for that.”
“It was a really, really powerful time,” says Andi Rozier, who was recruited from the U.K. 11 years ago to serve as Harvest’s senior worship leader. “We were in this building that withstood the Chicago fire and we filled it full of people and the sound was just huge. We were just lifting up the name of the Lord in worship and it was a really, really powerful moment. It really was less about an album recording and more about our church getting together to worship God in a building that God had given us for the advancement of his kingdom.”
The presence of the Holy Spirit can be felt throughout every song, including the powerful lead single “All Glory,” led by Tony Award winning vocalist Heather Headley. “I absolutely love it. Andi wrote such a great song,” says Headley, whose soaring vocals lead the congregation on the passionate worship anthem.
“My favorite lyric is in the end when it’s like ‘All glory, all honor/All wisdom, strength and power/All glory, all honor/Are yours alone forever.’ When the church sings it, it’s an amazing thing. It gets me all teary.”
Headley, an acclaimed gospel artist and Broadway star who won a Tony Award for her lead role in Aida, has been attending Harvest Bible Chapel with her husband for eight years. “She came in and actually auditioned to be a part of the worship team. I was like, ‘You probably could have just sent us a picture of you holding your Tony award and that would have been enough,’” Luke says with a laugh. “That’s the kind of person she is.”
The Vertical Church Band is filled with those kinds of people---extremely credentialed, talented individuals with servant hearts. The collection opens with the rousing new anthem “Open Up the Heavens,” led by Rozier and Andrews and written by Rozier, Andrews, Ingram, Stu G and James MacDonald. “I’m a worship leader myself and I can tell you that worship leaders are always at a loss trying to find new fresh up-tempo songs,” Luke says. “‘Open Up the Heavens’ is a really exciting, intense up-tempo song about asking God to bring his glory down. I’m getting tweets almost every single day now from people around the country that are starting to teach that song. I think it will find its way inside a lot of churches.”
“Word of God,” led by Rozier, is another soul-lifting up-tempo number that is fast becoming a favorite among worshippers. “That’s one of my favorites because I have an emotional attachment to the song,” says Rozier, who co-wrote the tune with Brenton Brown. “We started talking about things that we don’t have in our vocabulary of worship. One of things is we don’t sing about Jesus being the word of God because we don’t want to sing a song about the Bible. We don’t want to worship the Bible, but in scripture, Jesus tells us that He is the Word of God.”
“We started talking about things that we don’t have in our vocabulary of worship. One of the things is we don’t sing about Jesus being the word of God because we don’t want to sing a song about the Bible. We don’t want to worship the Bible, but in scripture Jesus tells us that He is the word of God. We wrote the verse to the song in about 45 minutes and then spent about 14 months working on the chorus and the bridge. We wrote six different choruses and it was a really fun experience because Brenton and I are both like to make sure our i’s are dotted and our t’s are crossed when it comes to songwriting.”
One of the most compelling moments on the album is “Not For a Moment,” led by Andrews and Sooter, who co-wrote the song with Mia Fieldes. “Her passion and her intensity for the Lord is just so evident,” Luke says of Andrews. “She’s not just a great leader and not just a great singer, but she’s also a really great writer. She had a hand in most of the songs on the album. Every song she writes comes out of her authentic intense relationship with the Lord.”
Live Worship From Vertical Church is filled with memorable worship songs. “The Greatness of Our God,” led by Kyle Fredericks and Lindsay McCaul is a soaring, emotional anthem that celebrates the majesty of God. “I Believe in You,” penned by Matt McCoy and Chris Moeller, is an infectious song driven by a catchy melody and penetrating lyric. Seth McConkey leads as the congregation jubilantly sings “Jesus, the One, the One who saved me You are the King, forever reigning.” Written by Ingram and McCaul, “Who Will Rise Up” is a poignant ballad underscored by McCaul’s beautiful lead vocals.
“This is about us wanting to open up a window to what God is doing in our church,” Rozier says of the album. “It’s not about Harvest Bible Chapel and it’s not about Vertical Church Band. It’s about Jesus Christ and it’s a huge honor for our worship ministry to be given this opportunity to do this. If you come to our church, you’ll hear on stage exactly what you hear on the record.”
Luke agrees. “These weren't songs crafted for an album,” he says. “They are the songs we sing week to week. We are trying to talk authentically about what our church is really like. The book and music both support that. This is who we are. We are hoping it draws people toward their own vertical experience with God.”
In their time with Essential Records, Vertical Church band has released ''Live Worship from Vertical Church'' on July 31, 2012'' Vertical EP'', on May 7, 2013 through Essential Records, the album ''The Rock Won't Move'' on October 29, 2013 and ''Church Songs'', on January 20, 2015.
Call on the Name
Vertical Church Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Worship Leader: Seth McConkey
(Jason Ingram, Andi Rozier, Reuben Morgan)
My light when I'm lost
My rest when I'm weary
My peace in the raging storm
You will never falter, You will never fail
My song in the night
My shield in the battle
My help when I need it most
You will never falter, You will never fail
I will call on the name
I will call on the name of the Lord
My God is greater
Find my strength in the name
Find my strength in the name of the Lord
Jesus, my Savior
My sin on the cross
My promise of Heaven
My hope is in You alone
You will never falter, You will never fail
You will not falter, You will not fail
For You are strong to save
You will deliver, You will prevail
Yes, You will make a way
The lyrics to Vertical Church Band's song, "Call On The Name," express the singer's deep trust in God and reliance on His strength in all situations. The song acknowledges that in times of darkness and weariness, God is the source of light and rest. When facing battles and storms, God is a shield, a help, and a peace that surpasses understanding. The lyrics also emphasize the singer's belief that God is trustworthy and will never falter or fail, giving them the courage to call on His name in times of need.
The chorus serves as a declaration of the singer's faith and a reminder of the power of God's name. They proclaim that their God is greater and find their strength in calling on His name. The name of Jesus is highlighted as their Savior and source of hope for eternal life. The final lines reinforce the message that God is strong to save and will make a way, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Overall, the message of the song encourages listeners to trust in the power of God's name and to rely on Him in all situations. The lyrics reflect a deep sense of faith and a belief that God is a reliable source of refuge and strength.
Line by Line Meaning
My light when I'm lost
You guide me when I am in darkness and have lost my way
My rest when I'm weary
You provide me with a place of comfort when I am tired
My peace in the raging storm
You bring me calm amidst the chaos of the storm
You will never falter, You will never fail
I trust in Your unwavering strength and commitment to never let me down
My song in the night
You give me a reason to sing even when the darkness of night surrounds me
My shield in the battle
You provide me with protection and defense when I am under attack
My help when I need it most
You stand by my side when I am in greatest need of assistance
I will call on the name
I trust in the power of Your name and will turn to You for help
I will call on the name of the Lord
I will rely on Your strength and salvation
My God is greater
You are the one true God, the strongest and most powerful
Find my strength in the name
I find the courage and resilience necessary to face challenges in Your name
Find my strength in the name of the Lord
I rely on Your power to face trials and tribulations in life
Jesus, my Savior
You are the one who saves me and leads me on the right path
My sin on the cross
You took on my sins and redeemed me through Your sacrifice on the cross
My promise of Heaven
Through Your love and grace, I have the promise of eternal life in Heaven
My hope is in You alone
I place all of my trust and faith in You, knowing that You will never let me down
You will not falter, You will not fail
I know that Your strength and power will never diminish or weaken
For You are strong to save
Your strength and power are enough to save me from any situation
You will deliver, You will prevail
You will bring me through any challenge that I face and lead me to victory
Yes, You will make a way
I trust that You will provide a path forward in any difficult circumstance
Writer(s): MORGAN REUBEN TIMOTHY, INGRAM JASON, ROZIER ANDREW
Contributed by Peyton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Matthias
This encourages me that God will give me the things I really want. I want to be holy, though I have little to no power to achieve it. But God has promised -- he has come alongside to teach and to guide my steps. Awesome.
Will a parent give their child a snake when they ask for a fish? So will God freely give good things to those who ask -- even the best thing, the spirit of holiness.
My light when I'm lost
Your word has been the rock of my life.
My rest when I'm weary
You're always there when I run out on my own and lose strength.
My peace in the raging storm
You love me so much, no matter what I do. Your strength over me is always kind.
You will never falter; you will never fail
You will never leave me.
My song in the night
Closer and more beautiful than any other person.
My shield in the battle
Incredible ridiculous power over the darkness.
My help when I need it most
I am the son who says yes but goes away and does otherwise.
You will never falter; you will never fail
You will complete your work in me.
God our Father. Servant of God
I love this worship song. Beautiful.
Richman29 Channel
Every song move my Heart to Worship HIM, more and more😍😍😍
Walter Libby
Amen! Thank You!! Thank you Lord Jesus for our salvation from this world saved by your grace thru faith in you Jesus!
God our Father. Servant of God
My fav worship song.
Erin B
A great reminder that He never fails.. all we have to do is call on Him. Something too often forgotten. #myGodisgreater
Maria Santana
glória a Deus obrigado Jesus lindo louvor 🙏🏻👏🏻👍🏼🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷💙💝brasileira 👸👸👸Brasília louvando o senhor Jesus amém 🙏🏻👏🏻👍🏼🎶
VENO K
Thank you so much for the upload. This song is really awesome.
Kirkland Stickney
Love this. Powerful music about my faith. Strong reminder of the battle for my heart.
Sipho Motloung
WOW!! im so in love this song!!!
Nihsel
i love this song!! Very powerful.