{"id":22641,"date":"2014-12-08T16:13:47","date_gmt":"2014-12-08T21:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=22641"},"modified":"2016-01-06T09:28:06","modified_gmt":"2016-01-06T14:28:06","slug":"two-recordings-of-the-walking-roots-band-aim-at-nurturing-discipleship-and-the-church-aided-by-kickstarter-contributions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/two-recordings-of-the-walking-roots-band-aim-at-nurturing-discipleship-and-the-church-aided-by-kickstarter-contributions\/","title":{"rendered":"Two recordings of The Walking Roots Band aim at nurturing discipleship and the church, aided by Kickstarter contributions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Walking Roots Band<\/a> has always been about relationships,\u201d says Seth Crissman, student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary<\/a> and member of The Walking Roots Band. \u201cWe started out as a group of friends who happened to make music together, and that\u2019s pretty much how things are today, seven years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Walking Roots Band, formed when many of the members were students at EMU, will soon issue its second album of church music, titled \u201cLight: A Hymn Reclamation Project,\u201d in which they take old \u2013 sometimes ancient \u2013 hymn texts and set them to folk melodies and other new arrangements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe writing of this album has been such a beautiful process of articulating Good News musically and lyrically in our current context,\u201d says Seth. \u201cThis is an enduring Good News, and these songs connect us to so many who have lived before us as Jesus’ disciples through the ages.”<\/p>\n

For music teacher and band member Greg Yoder, the album is an opportunity to \u201cemphasize discipleship and what it means to truly follow Jesus.”<\/p>\n

And the band\u2019s sound resonates with a wide audience, with guitars, harmonica, accordion, violin, upright bass, mandolin, banjo and minimal percussion, along with rich vocal harmonies. The sound is best described as folksy, Americana, roots music.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt our shows there are often people who are our age, in their 20s and 30s, but also grandparents and grandchildren,\u201d said Crissman.<\/p>\n

Yet they don\u2019t limit themselves to church music.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are equally comfortable giving a concert at a coffee house or bar on Saturday night or at a worship service on Sunday morning,\u201d said Yoder. \u201cWe want to be in both places because we believe that God is in both places.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to \u201cLight\u201d the band hopes to record a six-to-eight song EP called \u201cPrayers for the Church.\u201d They plan to give this music away for free, as a gift of encouragement and admonition for the church.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe church is Christ\u2019s body here and now, and we want to encourage everyone to pray that the church may continue to be Christ to the world,\u201d says Yoder.<\/p>\n

Eastern Mennonite Seminary and University have pledged support for \u201cPrayers for the Church\u201d \u00a0through the band\u2019s online Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a crowd-sourcing platform that encourages artists to collaborate with their supporters to undertake projects that might not otherwise be possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love the example EMU\/EMS set,\u201d said Yoder, \u201cand we think it’s a great way for churches, conferences, businesses and other organizations that are committed to the church to get involved in our project. We would love to have many more partners in helping us make Prayers for the Church available as a gift, mostly because of what it would look like to have that many people saying, \u2018Yes, we believe in the church and want to see it continue and strengthen.\u2019”<\/p>\n

Crissman\u2019s seminary studies serve as catalyst for many of the songs in the new hymn collections. The prayer practice of using music to connect to and spend time with God is one his professors have encouraged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been able to learn from and study with incredible professors and students who have walked with me as I have encountered God in new, and also ancient, ways,\u201d says Crissman. \u201cI really appreciate EMS’s commitment to equipping students to become ‘wise interpreters, mature practitioners, discerning communicators and transformational leaders.’ It’s been a beautiful place for me to grow into my call.\u201d<\/p>\n

To contribute to the Kickstarter campaign of The Walking Roots Band, visit https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/1052936583\/light-a-hymn-reclamation-project\/<\/a>. Or visit www.kickstarter.com<\/a> and search for “the walking roots band<\/a>.” Watch their Facebook page<\/a> for updates, or email: thewalkingrootsband@gmail.com with comments and questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Walking Roots Band has always been about relationships,\u201d says Seth Crissman, student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary and member of The Walking Roots Band. \u201cWe started out as a group ... read more about Two recordings of The Walking Roots Band aim at nurturing discipleship and the church, aided by Kickstarter contributions<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":22643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,264,265,5623,4513],"tags":[5944,14997,14998,14995],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-22641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-graduate-programs","category-seminary","category-special-programs","category-student-life","tag-giving","tag-greg-yoder","tag-seth-crissman","tag-the-walking-roots-band"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo recordings of The Walking Roots Band aim at nurturing discipleship and the church, aided by Kickstarter contributions - 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