September 14, 2024
This is the registration site for Magify!, the Hymn Writers Conference and Singing. Magnify! is a song writers conference and singing that is being organized by the Decatur Church of Christ in Decatur, AL.
Though the church has a history of men and women who contributed to our corporate worship with songs of praise, instruction and encouragement, in recent years there seems to have been a decline in that area. Many of the "new" songs we are singing are produced by professional, denominational, singers and songwriters and were not written with congregational worship in mind and, sometimes, it would seem that they are not overly concerned with the message conveyed in the song.
We believe that God is still placing songs in the hearts of true believers. And, in these times in which we live, it can be easier than ever before to create songs and to share them with our brethren throughout the church of Christ. With that in mind, we are putting together a conference to encourage and equip those whom God has blessed with talents - which may be lying untapped - to produce worthy and wonderful songs of praise and teaching, and to give them the opportunity to use those talents for the kingdom of God.
WHEN: Saturday, September 14, 2024
WHERE: Decatur Church of Christ, 2833 Danville Road SW, Decatur, AL 35603
The goal of the event is to ...
Magnify God: by creating songs that bring glory and honor to His name.
Magnify Ministry: by encouraging and equipping God's people for a much over-looked area of ministry.
Magnify Ability: by facilitating interaction between individual writers and composers/arrangers.
Magnify Range: by helping those involved in the ministry of song and hymn writing to get their songs to as many churches and brethren as possible.
We are excited to have some very knowledgeable brothers in Christ who are planning to attend and share helpful and encouraging thoughts with us.
Andy Robison, director and faculty member at the West Virginia School of Preaching, is known by many for his efforts with Church of Christ Songs (https://www.churchofchristsongs.com/). Andy knows music and has a great way of using that to God’s glory.
Mike Owens, one of the elders for the Hatton Church of Christ, has written seven number one country gospel hymns. He was awarded Songwriter of the Year by the International Country Gospel Music Association in 2020. But his real joy is in writing songs to share with his brethren.
Manly Thweatt, a shepherd from the Veteran’s Parkway church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN, has had multiple songs selected to be recorded by the vocal ensemble known as Concordia Sacrae under the direction of Christopher Scott Wyatt.
Tentative Schedule for Saturday, September 11th
This is a general overview. The actual schedule, on the day of the event, may vary.
| 8:30-9:00 | Arrival (and Registration for those who did not pre-register) |
| 9:00-9:20 |
Welcome and Introduction
|
| 9:30-10:15 |
Encourage:
|
| 10:25-11:10 |
Equip:
|
| 11:20-12:05 |
Exhort:
|
| 12:20-1:20 | LUNCH |
| 1:30-2:30(or beyond) |
Enjoy:
|
If you haven't registered yet, PLEASE do!
LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION
There are several levsls of participation. The following is an explanation of what we mean ...
- ATTEND: Coming to soak up information, ideas, and encouragement. Coming to enjoy and participate in the singing.
- CONTRIBUTE A SONG: This can be a song you have written,
arranged, or adapted. We will need the following in order to make
the most use of your song in the singing at the end of the
conference.
PowerPoint Slides, Sheet Music, or both. (You may submit "lyrics only" if the song utilizes a familiar tune, [example: Amazing Grace or Jesus Loves Me] but we encourage you to give the singers as much to go on as possible.)
Audio or video recording of the song to be made available to those wishing to pre-learn the songs.
Permission to print or post the song. (There is a possibility of Focus Press printing a song book with songs from this event. Any profit relating to Decatur Church’s use of these songs will be forwarded to the Little Mountain Ministries Camps.)
We will be accepting songs from March-May of 2024. The more quickly they are turned in to us, the more quickly we can get them to those learning to sing them.
The window for contributing a song for this year's singing is pretty much closed. BUT DON'T LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU. WE ARE MAKING PLANS TO HELP YOU FIND WAYS TO SHARE YOUR SONGS. MORE ON THAT AT THE CONFERENCE.
Types of Songs: Christians may write songs for worship... and beyond.
Congregational: Songs of worship, praise and edification intended for use in worship services. (The types of songs more commonly used in worship.)
Children’s Songs: Songs intended for use in teaching children’s Bible classes and VBS. (Example: The Books of the Bible Song or The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock) Sadly, talented brothers and sisters are creating wonderful songs for these environments that never get outside of a congregation or a limited regional use.
Edutainment: Some songs are not really meant for worship services, but are still beneficial when listening for pleasure and for their spiritual or uplifting messages. (Example: Albert E. Brumley’s Turn Your Radio On)
INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS TO PRE-LEARN SONGS: We will provide you with access to the songs and their recordings. We encourage you to get with a group of friends from church and practice together so you can all come help with the singing. Or you may burn audio to disc and practice on the way to work.
Songs will be made available as they arrive, but ALL songs should be available for learning during the months of June-August of 2024. (*** We are still working on getting a few ready for you in a useful format.)
SONG LEADERS: It takes someone brave and very familiar with a song to lead it well. Maybe you want to lead the song you wrote. Or, maybe, you have been recruited to lead your friend’s song. Or, maybe, you are willing to lead a number of the songs that you have pre-learned.
As you register, please choose the levels of participation at which you would like to be involved.
We hope you will plan to participate. Use the form below to register. Be sure to choose the level of participation that is right for you.
To view files that have already been submitted and approved, click here.
To upload files for Magnify!, please fill out the registration form below and select Author/Composer as your level of participation. You may upload multiple files at the same time. To select multiple files, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard while selecting the files you wish to upload.