Tag Archives: RP#3

An Open Letter: Help Us Raise $10,000!

Buzz, Recording, , , , , ,

Dear Pastors and Churches,

Thanks so much for your time and taking just a minute to read this letter. I know you are all very busy and I want to respect your time.

In just a few, short weeks, Restoration Project will be launching a Kickstarter project to fundraise $10,000 to pay for the recording and manufacturing of our next EP series. I would love to have your support and that of your church, and share with you a bit more about what God is doing in and through us.

There are a number of things that your church can do to support our fundraiser, but the one I want to highlight first is simply playing our promotional video during a Sunday morning service.

You can preview our video here: http://youtu.be/2gohvXypEmI 

Please also prayerfully consider other ways your church can help during our 30-day campaign, from August 9th until September 7th, 2013 – everything from highlighting our work in your Sunday bulletin with a flyer, a blurb in your e-newsletter, hosting a hymn-sing, or pledging as a church to our Kickstarter campaign. Also think about other pastors and churches who might be interested in helping out and either pass this info along or provide us with their names and contact info.

We’ve already created a lot of the materials you’d need to help in these ways. Take a look: http://resproj.com/media-kit.

Here’s just a little more about the EP series we’d like to create with the funds we raise:

The “Firm Foundation” series will be a two-album collection of Sunday School hymns with new arrangements and lyrics. Our fresh approach to these songs will give them greater theological depth and clarity and a modern musical feel. Great care is also being taken to preserve most of the original melodies. Songs in this series include: “Jesus Loves Me”, “God is so Good”, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, “My God is so Big”, and “This Little Light of Mine”. So far, over twenty people from over six different churches have been involved in this album’s production. Learn more at: www.resproj.com/kickstarter.

Thank you so much for your support!

Yours In Christ,

Jay Mathes
kickstarter.com/profile/jaymathes

Beulah Land demo

Buzz, Community, Recording, , , , , , ,

Rosa Celeste: Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven, The Empyrean
A while back I found an old hymnal from the early 1900’s that had a number of songs I had never seen in any modern hymnal. I’ve been working on new melodies for a few of them, and Beulah Land by Edgar Stites (1876) is one of them. My wife made the comment that she liked this one because of its warmth and homey-ness, not because of some great theological depth that we often think of hymns providing. But if thoughts of Heaven make us warm and feel at home, then Amen. That’s good theology right there.

Here’s a demo of the first verse I made using my new fancy Garageband app on my phone (so pardon the quality).

Beulah Land – Verse 1

I’ve reached the land of corn and wine,
And all its riches freely mine;
Here shines undimmed one blissful day,
For all my night has passed away.

Refrain

O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land,
As on thy highest mount I stand,
I look away across the sea,
Where mansions are prepared for me,
And view the shining glory shore,
My Heav’n, my home forever more!

My Savior comes and walks with me,
And sweet communion here have we;
He gently leads me by His hand,
For this is Heaven’s border land.

Refrain

A sweet perfume upon the breeze,
Is borne from ever vernal trees,
And flow’rs, that never fading grow
Where streams of life forever flow.

Refrain

The zephyrs seem to float to me,
Sweet sounds to Heaven’s melody,
As angels with the white robed throng
Join in the sweet redemption song.

Refrain