By Peter Fraser
The following worship songs were written over the last eight years, and were inspired by a need for quality worship songs with good theology at the churches where I attended. While I have enjoyed introducing them to the individual churches, my ultimate hope is to share them with a larger audience. So before leaving Light of the Hill UMC in Puyallup, our worship team called Psalm 150, recorded ten of the songs and put them on YouTube. I’m grateful to the team and to Winslow Barger for recording and formatting the videos.
The songs were written to be sung by a group and are meant to be relatively easy to learn and sing. Even though they are recorded with a full rhythm section, these songs can be lead with just guitar or piano and voice, or with more instrumentation if needed. There are also lead sheets (chords/lyrics/melody notation) for each one. A link to each is embedded next to the song titles down below.
My hope is that you find a song or songs that would work for you and your congregation and please feel free to share them. I offer them at no cost, but if you feel a need to contribute financially, I ask that you donate to your local church or to our conference camping program. And please let me know if you have any further questions or comments about them.
Thanks everyone,
Peter Fraser – Email
Here are the songs and links:
1. Help Us (up tempo) | Download Lead Sheet
This was the first worship song I wrote and probably the one that has been sung the most. It’s up-tempo with a fairly straightforward message about hearing God’s call and seeking God’s help when we are in need.
2. Search Within | Lead Sheet (piano) | Lead Sheet (guitar)
As the name implies, this was meant to be a reflective, self-searching song. Originally written for the Lenten season, it can be also be used anytime. The recording has a Latin feel, but it can be sung at a slower tempo as well.
3. Ready To Serve | Lead Sheet
‘Ready To Serve’ is a medium tempo worship song inspired by Molly’s ordination. My hope was that I could sing it for her at the service, but that never worked out! I did have all the new pastors on my heart when I wrote it though. The chorus is simply, “ready to lead, ready to serve” and is repeated.
4. A Voice Cries Out | Lead Sheet
This is based on Isaiah 40:3-8 and much of the text of the song is taken directly from these verses: “A voice cries out, prepare the way of the Lord.” This is a fast tempo song as well and can be sung during Advent or anytime of the year.
5. The Thank You Song | Lead Sheet
The Thank You Song is a fun and silly up-tempo tune originally written to be a kid’s song of thanks to God, but it works well for adults too. There is a part at the end that is interactive where the audience needs to say things they are thankful for, and we found this song works well with a blue-grass group or at camp.
6. Amos 5 | Lead Sheet
There aren’t many worship songs based on the book of Amos, but this one is! This is a fast, hard-driving song that’s fun to play. I studied the book of Amos one summer in college and it made quite an impression on me.
7. Let It Be You | Lead Sheet
This is a slower, introspective worship song, and was originally meant to be sung during Lent. Written at a time I was feeling particularly selfish, hence the words, “Lord take the ‘me’ out of my walk with you.”
8. Peaceful Kingdom | Lead Sheet (piano) | Lead Sheet (guitar)
Isaiah 11 is a great part of scripture that talks about how the ‘wolf shall live with the lamb’ and it makes a nice setting for a worship song. It has a ¾ time signature and is more up-tempo.
9. God Loves The Poor | Lead Sheet (piano) | Lead Sheet (guitar)
I felt like there weren’t enough worship songs that talked directly about God’s love for the poor and that was part of the inspiration for this song. I was also feeling convicted of the ways I overlook the poor in my life, and realizing how much I take for granted what I have. The tempo of this song is slow to medium.
10. Loose The Bonds | Lead Sheet
Based on various parts of Isaiah 43 and 58, ‘Is this not the fast that I choose, to loose the bonds of injustice.’ This is another up-tempo song with a chorus that tends to get stuck in my head! I especially like the part of this scripture where it says, ‘Then you shall call and God will answer, you shall cry for help and God will say, Here I Am.
