Influence Music Releases Easter Worship EP 'Christ Redeemer'
Influence Music launches several new songs from Rochester Christian Church and Red Rocks Church on the upcoming Easter worship EP Christ Redeemer. Free chord charts will be available from influencemusic.com for the entire collection.
“Christ Redeemer,” a mid-tempo modern hymn written to express the breadth of Jesus’ life story, was written by worship leader/songwriter Nate Marialke. Nate serves as worship pastor at Rochester Christian Church, a Spirit-led ministry serving 600+ worshippers each weekend just outside of Detroit, Michigan.
“Your Love Changes Everything,” written by Jake Espy, worship pastor at Red Rocks Church near Denver, Colorado, is a contagious, rootsy anthem that aims to connect with believers and prodigals alike. “My intention was to write a song people could connect to the first time they hear it, whether they’ve been to church or not,” says Espy. “The verses were written from the first person perspective, what would it actually be like to be there, then the chorus opens it up - ‘Come into the water, come let the broken sing...’”
Produced by John Hartley (Matt Redman, Leigh Nash), these modern anthems and all the songs on Christ Redeemer EP reflect the grassroots approach of the Influence Music mission: to capture the sounds and spirit of innovative churches around the world.
“Christ Redeemer” made an instant connection with Rochester Christian Church worshippers. “From the first moment we sang it in church, our people just erupted in praise,” continues Marialke. “It’s been exciting to be part of it. This is what you want, to see people experience Jesus in a fresh way.”
Espy echoes those sentiments, saying, “People feel their background or past disqualifies them for God, but that’s a lie of the enemy. No matter what you’ve done, God is always on the other side, calling you back home. You haven’t gone too far to come home….”
“Part of the culture here at Red Rocks is writing songs specifically for our church,” Espy adds. “Our mission is to reach out to prodigals, to lay out a welcome mat for people to come back to church and not be judged. ‘Your Love Changes Everything’ reflects our mission. It’s very invitational and very gospel-centric.”
Rochester Christian Church senior pastor Richard Crisco says a song like “Christ Redeemer” is a natural expression of a church that places a high priority on honoring and hosting the Holy Spirit. “We have no other agenda.… We believe God inhabits the praise of his people, that when we come together collectively, in one spirit, our awareness becomes in tune with him. And when his glory shows up, it creates an atmosphere where God can in a moment do what we could never do in a lifetime. That’s why we give so much attention to worship.”
“These songs demonstrate Influence Music’s continued efforts to release worship music that brings the worshipper into a more intimate relationship with God,” says John Hartley. “Nate and Jake have written inspired pieces of music, and Influence Music is excited about getting these great songs into the hands of other worship leaders.”
