In May this year, the band and I travelled to Plymouth to play at the Annual Baptist Assembly.
This included the launch of the Thailand songs, God Are You There and Mr Free Man, both of which feature on the BMS World Mission DVD, This Dark World.
Check out the video below to hear about the songs and watch a performance of Mr Free Man, filmed at the Redux evening session at the Assembly.
Click here to buy the album and listen to two FREE tracks!
1. Come Everybody Let’s Go
2. Symphony Of Praise
3. We Believe
4. God You Are My God
5. Holy Is The Lord
6. Jesus Loves Me
7. God With Us
8. Signs
9. God Fill My Life
10. I Built My House Upon This Rock
11. Stronger
12. We’re Coming Home
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Throughout the centuries songs have told stories. These are no different. They are both my story and the story of our church as we live out our faith in our city and our world. We have seen the stuff of dreams: miracles on the streets; the homeless dancing in worship; lives being transformed by the gospel.
We’ve also seen the stuff of reality. We’ve experienced moments when it makes no sense at all. Even as I recorded the vocals for this album we were grappling with saying goodbye to our own young hero of the faith, who passed away unexpectedly.
Between these two worlds exists a place where the Kingdom can break in and bring change.
This Dark World is a new & innovative DVD from BMS World Mission.
Filmed during my visit to Bangkok with BMS in 2009, the documentary explores mission on the front line of spiritual warfare in the context of the international sex industry.
Both of the songs written in response to what I encountered, God Are you there? and Mr Free Man feature on this DVD and will be performed at the album launch gig on May 23rd.
You can order your copy by visiting the BMS World Mission website and it will also be on sale at the launch gig where we will be joined by representatives from BMS World Mission.
Click here for more on the album launch on May 23rd.
With just over two weeks to go until the album launch it’s all go here at the PJM office. The art work is complete, the mastering done and the CD is being pressed. We thought we would give you a little taste of what’s to come by giving you a track before the official release, for free!
Come Everybody Let’s Go is the opening song and will be played at the launch gig. So once you’ve downloaded it, get learning it ready for May 23rd and come ready to sing your heart out!
Enjoy and thanks for the support.
Click here to listen to and download Come Everybody Let’s Go.
You can also pre-order the album on CD for £10 (plus P&P) which will be send out after the launch.
Most of the last month was spent in what has commonly become known as, among musicians at Philadelphia, The Old Studio. Sat right in the heart of our church campus, the building that formerly saw daily recording sessions and rehearsals had become vacant and lifeless. Now, it is a vibrant home for creativity, worship and music.
It’s been symbolic for me to record my first full album of worship songs in The Old Studio. Philadelphia was where they were birthed and so it has been great to record them there. I hope it breaks new ground for many more home grown songs and recordings to come from our Campus.
Everything has been recorded and programmed and we are now in the mixing phase. I’ve had the first few back and they’re sounding great. On May 23rd, my hope is that the night will be about more than just the release of the album, but also a night when we gather to sing songs that have come from our story and our journey as a church.
For now The Old Studio has returned to being a rehearsal venue as we prepare for the gig.
On Pentecost Sunday this May, I will be launching my new worship album with a massive gig held at St Thomas Church Philadelphia, Sheffield.
You will be the first to hear songs from the new album performed live, as well as some of the songs from the Thailand trip. Girl band Golddigger will be the supporting act & we will be joined by representatives from BMS World Mission.
This will be an amazing night!
When: Doors open 6:15pm on Sunday 23rd May 2010
Where: St Thomas Church Philadelphia, Sheffield (click here for directions)
Admission: Entrance is free and the album will be on sale throughout the night, priced at £10
Your invite: For those of you on Facebook, accept your invitation here!
This is an open event so please feel free to invite your friends.
The last month has been a busy one and it has reminded me how much I enjoy travelling.
Leading worship at LEFC, Vancouver
I was invited to visit a church in Langley, Vancouver and spend some time working with their worship team. It was great to meet so many fantastic people. I’m really looking forward to building great friendships there and working more with the team.
I was home for a week before flying out to Greece with some of the team from St Thomas Church, Philadelphia (Philly) for a European Church Planting Network conference. NJC (Nicola James Communications) were event managing the learning community and I led the worship as well as overseeing the technical side of things. The time out there was a great opportunity to refine songs and arrangements for the album as well as writing a song. I decided that inspirational views of the sea and mount Olympus were good for creativity…what a beautiful world God has made.
And now as I write this, I am sat on a plane flying back from Greece, counting down the days until we begin making the album. The team at NJC are working hard on all the preparation for the album launchand it’s crazy to think in just over a Month it will all be recorded.Alongside all this we have some big events coming up at Philly such as the annual church gathering which is going to be a great night.
Please pray for the recording process; for creativity, inspiration and that everything will find its place musically in the songs. Will keep you posted. Thank you!
Accept your invitation to the album launch on Sunday 23rd May 2010 by clicking here.
Over the last few months I have been busy writing songs for a new worship album and I’m very excited to announce that the album is due to be launched with a massive gig on the evening of Sunday 23rd May 2010.
This will be held at St Thomas’ Church Philadelphia in Sheffield, where you will be the first to hear the new album performed live and in full!
I’m also excited to announce that we will be collecting an offering for the work of BMS World Mission during the gig. They are an amazing organisation that I’m privileged to have the opportunity to work with. As we will have just launched the Thailand material at the beginning of May it will be great to have some of the guys from BMS with us on the night and raise some money for them.
BMS resources will also be available to buy at the gig and below you will find more information about BMS and ways to get involved.
So take a look and remember to bring lots of cash on the night to support their work!
A bit about BMS World Mission…
BMS World Mission is a Christian mission organisation working in 34 countries across 4 continents. They have been faithfully seeking to change lives for the better ever since BMS was founded by William Carey in 1792.
Their work is diverse and far reaching, aiming to provide those in need with funding, training and expertise in core areas, such as church planting development, disaster relief, education, health, media and advocacy.
“Every story has to start somewhere. Mine began in Reading, Berkshire, where I started to learn the ropes of leading worship, song writing and singing. I self financed my first album when I was 20 and titled it On A Mission. It was a celebration of VW camper van culture and the call to Christian mission hand in hand. It was fun making it and I learnt a lot. I also had the privilege of working with some amazing musicians, including Raul D’Oliveira and Noel Robinson, both of whom featured on the album.
It sold about 1000 copies, had a huge launch concert at Reading University (with 500 people, but again self financed) and remains a happy memory of my first steps into song writing and recording with some great friends.
As I’m working towards the release of my first worship album, someone recently suggested that On A Mission deserved an airing. The song writing and vocals may have developed a bit since then but the same passion to celebrate life and mission hasn’t changed.
So, you’ll find two of the stronger tracks available to this listen to via the mini player below and to download from the online shop, for your listening and entertainment pleasure………all for free.
Enjoy and thanks for all your support!”
Click here to be directed to the online shop (as shown below).
When BMS World Mission was looking for the best way to highlight its work in Thailand, it turned to a musician. Ben Rochelle talks to Pete James about his experiences on a recent BMS visit there.
Sex for sale, film, mission and music. Worship leader and singer/songwriter Pete James recently got an insight into the ways in which these apparently unrelated elements are being drawn together on the streets of Bangkok.
Pete, who’s worship leader of Sheffield’s Baptist/Anglican St Thomas’ Church, Philadelphia, was part of a BMS World Mission filming team that recently travelled to Bangkok.
The capital of Thailand is often considered the capital of the world’s sex-tourism industry. The team were there to highlight the plight of trafficked women and how their dignity is being restored. Pete’s reflections, and the music the environment inspired, will form the focus of a forthcoming BMS video resource.
1. Come Everybody Let’s Go
