“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.
The Rock Won’t Move
Vertical Church Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Worship Leader: Kyle Fredricks
(Tyler Miller, Jacob Sooter, Kyle Fredricks, Landon MacDonald)
When the ground beneath my feet gives way
And I hear the sound of crashing waves
All my world is washing out to sea
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves
That You are holding tighter still to me
The Rock won't move and His word is strong
The Rock won't move and His love can't be undone
The Rock won't move and His word is strong
The Rock won't move and His love can't be undone
The Rock of our Salvation
My hope is in the promise of Your blood
My support within the raging flood
Even in the tempest, I can sing
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves
Holding fast to the promise of Your truth
That You are holding tighter still to me
Woah, woah
Woah, the Rock of our salvation
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
The Rock won't move, the Rock won't move
When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest in His unchanging grace
The Rock won't move, the Rock won't move
In The Rock Won't Move, Vertical Church Band speaks about the assurance and security that one finds in their faith during difficult times. The song starts singing about a person who's experiencing turmoil; the very ground beneath their feet has given way, and they hear the sound of crashing waves, depicting a situation of extreme difficulty. However, despite everything falling apart, the singer has hope, and it's because they're safe in the God who never moves, who holds tighter still to them, and whose strength is steadfast.
The lyrics of the chorus represent the central message of the song. It explains that the "Rock of our Salvation" won't move, and neither will His word, nor His love, which can't be undone. The verse then highlights the hope in the promise of God's blood and support within the storm. The song then concludes with a resounding chorus celebrating God's unchanging nature and presence, with the declaration that on Christ, the solid rock we stand, and all other ground is sinking sand. In essence, the song is about taking refuge in God during hard times and putting one's faith in His steadfastness and love.
Line by Line Meaning
When the ground beneath my feet gives way
Even when my life feels unstable and uncertain
And I hear the sound of crashing waves
When I'm faced with overwhelming challenges and difficulties
All my world is washing out to sea
Everything I rely on seems to be slipping away
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves
But I find security and peace in the unchanging nature of God
Holding fast to the promise of the truth
I cling to the truth of God's promises
That You are holding tighter still to me
Knowing that God is holding onto me even more tightly
The Rock won't move and His word is strong
God is immovable and His word is trustworthy
The Rock won't move and His love can't be undone
God's love is unshakeable and cannot be taken away
The Rock of our Salvation
God is the foundation and source of our salvation
My hope is in the promise of Your blood
My hope for salvation is in the promise of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross
My support within the raging flood
Even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, God is my support and strength
Even in the tempest, I can sing
In the midst of difficulties and trials, I can still find joy and praise God
Woah, woah
Musical refrain
Woah, the Rock of our salvation
Further emphasis on God being the foundation of our salvation
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
My foundation for life is rooted in Jesus Christ
All other ground is sinking sand
Anything else I might try to build my life on will falter
When darkness seems to hide His face
In times when it feels like God is distant or not present
I rest in His unchanging grace
I can find rest in the fact that God's grace and love for me remain constant
The Rock won't move, the Rock won't move
Reiteration that God is a steadfast, unchanging foundation for our lives
Writer(s): MILLER TYLER, MACDONALD LANDON WESLEY, SOOTER JACOB LEE
Contributed by Emma N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Nailartloveressie
When the ground beneath my feet gives way
And I hear the sound of crashing waves
All my world is washing out to sea
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves
Holding fast to the promise of the truth
That You are holding tighter still to me
The Rock won't move and His word is strong
The Rock won't move and His love can't be undone
The Rock won't move and His word is strong
The Rock won't move and His love can't be undone
The Rock of our Salvation
My hope is in the promise of Your blood
My support within the raging flood
Even in the tempest, I can sing
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves
Holding fast to the promise of Your truth
That You are holding tighter still to me
The Rock won't move and His word is strong
The Rock won't move and His love can't be…
@njokimcl
"When the ground beneath my feet gives way
And I hear the sound of crashing waves
All my world is washing out to sea
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves
Holding fast to the promise of the truth
That You are holding tighter still to me... THE ROCK WONT MOVE & HIS LOVE CANT BE UNDONE....My hope is in the promise of Your blood
My support within the raging flood
Even in the tempest, I can sing
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves
Holding fast to the promise of Your truth
That You are holding tighter still to me"
@dandonahue1403
If we Christians would walk in the knowledge of the immutable nature of God's character, His love for us, and the assurance of our salvation in Jesus Christ, then we would live fearless lives of love that would inspire an unbelieving world to turn to Jesus. I acknowledge my own need to walk in that faith. This song does an amazing job of illustrating this for us. Thank you Vertical Worship.
@louisbrucetatarsky9817
I often question my lack of walking in faith. I’ll pray, through the Holy Spirit send the understanding and courage we need.
@kevindavis6839
I sing along loudly with this amazing song, "The Rock won't move, no, the Rock won't move!" That's a wonderful Truth that all followers of Jesus can adopt as their anthem of faith. Our Firm Foundation, Christ the Solid Rock, is the only ground where we can stand that won’t move or let us down. That’s something worth singing about.
@amitkremer7439
I am a jew, and i declare that Jesus Christ is the rock of my salvation that won"t move. amen!!!!!
@cindygillilianbowe3215
Amen
@mongmm.
Amen. It’s a miracle. Messiah is coming soon again!
@michelesturtevant
@@mongmm. That is excellent, Monica! I really dig the chord progressions of this song. I love, love, love this song!!!
@katal8242
You won't regret
@rebekahkubli8162
Hallelujah ❤
@herobear88
Just had my apartment flooded last weekend and God has really used it draw to Him. He Will be there. No matter what happens