Ernie Haase & Signature Sound Remind Believers 'We Are The Church'
Gospel music’s premier quartet, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, is set to kick off the year with an impassioned new single, “We Are The Church,” releasing Friday from StowTown Records. In addition, the GRAMMY nominated, Dove Award-winning group’s popular “Friday Night Sing” YouTube series will make its highly anticipated return February 2.
Inaugurating Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s third decade of music and ministry, “We Are The Church” was penned by Haase, Sue C. Smith and Lee Black and produced by Wayne Haun. Choral and orchestral arrangements of "We Are The Church" will also be available for congregational use. The anthem, which epitomizes the group’s mission, sounds a clarion call for believers to stand firm in faith amidst worldly despair.
“I came to the table with this idea a couple of months ago, troubled by the way things are trending in our culture,” Haase shares of the song’s inspiration. “While it seems we’re all on edge these days and the future is uncertain, I want to remind my brothers and sisters in Christ that we’re not called to fight for an earthly kingdom. We’re here to promote an eternal agenda, one that defines who we are and Whose we are-bought by the blood of Jesus. Because of that glorious truth, we can weather any storm.”
Haase continues, “Jesus says in John 16:33, ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ No matter what the days ahead hold, we have this assurance. Who we are matters. We are the Church and it’s time to stand on that foundation.”
Subsequently, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound are poised to launch the long-awaited third season of their popular “Friday Night Sing” series. Debuting February 2 at 7:00 pm ET on YouTube, the six-episode season will be highlighted by intimate acoustic performances from the quartet, as well as special greetings from Bill Gaither, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sandi Patty and Pastor Robert Jeffress, among other friends of the group. A new episode will premier every Friday evening through March 8.
Originating as a way for the group to connect with their fans during the pandemic, “Friday Night Sing” exploded in popularity, with many episodes amassing large audiences and new viewers tuning in from more than 30 countries. “We’ve heard people loud and clear from all over the world; they’ve missed the community we’ve built virtually from our living rooms to theirs on Friday nights,” Haase says of the show’s return. “The stories we share and the fellowship we have through this online format just isn’t possible to this extent on the road.”
“Last year while we were touring in Scotland, we met a family with five children who told us they looked forward to watching ‘Friday Night Sing’ each week," he continues. "Despite the time difference, which meant they were viewing it live in the wee hours of the morning in Scotland, they wanted the opportunity to watch it together with everyone around the world. That means so much to us, witnessing people come together to share this unique experience.”
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s new single and “Friday Night Sing” reboot arrive on the heels of a watershed year for the group. Commemorating two decades of music and ministry in 2023, the quartet marked the milestone with the release of Live in Amsterdam: A 20th Anniversary Celebration last summer, and they shared the stage with the most awarded a cappella group in history, Take 6, for a showstopping performance during the 54th Annual GMA Dove Awards in October.
