Restore Project

Featured in Worship Musician Magazine!

2011-05-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to check out the article on Mark/Worshiplanet.
Jump ahead to page 50 of the digital magazine!

2011-03-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

http://v.rbc.cn/play--s-/play_id_71111.html
The Door is now officially playing on the web and air waves in China! :)

2011-03-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a Chinese write up on us. Check it out!
http://am774.rbc.cn/netfm/interactive/postinfo/201103/t20110317_646846.htm

2011-03-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Please pray for us as we board Mongolian Airways tonight. We are due to land in Ulaan Batar late Friday nite after a 90 minute flight. Disappointingly, a previously scheduled trip cancelled abruptly so we kicked into ‘plan B’. But it doesn’t sound so ‘bish’ now because the Mongolian pastor said to Mark on the phone, “I was on my knees yesterday morning, asking God for encouragement and discipline within our worship teams, then the phone rang. I was shocked that my pastor friend in Beijing said you were coming to Mongolia! What a quick answer to my prayer.”

We are encouraged that maybe what we viewed as plan ‘B’ might have been the best plan all along. Pray for a fruitful 5 days and that what little Russian language skill we possess will return and multiply!

2011-03-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

We had a two hour window of chill time before the workshops. We met up with Benjamin & Megan and took the guys to 789, Beijing's premier art district. It is so encouraging to see budding artists with less and less restrictions. Little increments in the area of 'freedom of expression' really do make a difference in society as the years tick by!

2011-03-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

The WP Band lead two services at the BICF, Beijing's largest legal fellowship. Fourteen congregations, passports must be shown, and LOTS OF PASSIONATE worship!

Workshop Afternoon

2011-03-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Had the privilege of training leaders in worship over the weekend. Carrie worked with keyboards, Mark - guitar & vocal leading, Josh - bass, and Jon - drums. Lots of good interaction that came loaded with questions...and hopefully answers!

2011-03-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

There's no better way to keep a band happy than provide them with a little retail therapy and shopping for chopsticks did the trick.

Josh & Jon got their weapons out and were ready for the Chinese RMB to USDollars conversion in the Ya Show. It was a bit of a competition - Jon with his calculator and Josh with his handwritten chart!

2011-03-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

Five hundred senior students filled the Yuxin High School auditorium on Friday afternoon and we got to worship over them! The opening song was, 'Happy Day' and further in the program the students sang along with, 'Sing Beijing' and tried to whistle in the chorus of, 'Good Life'.

2011-03-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Had first half of the day off so we headed out to the Great Wall. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Never tire of seeing it.

Thursday evening we worshipped with the folks at embassy- BICF's young adult's weekly meeting. Young professionals, students, workers, and teachers made up the multinational congregation. It was a sweet time of intercession and worship, really refreshing for our team.

2011-03-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

Played a one hour concert for 800 Tibetan students at a high school. What great kids!

2011-03-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Mark & the team had a fab time with the hosts of the eTune internet show on Radio 773 Beijing. We played live, answered questions originating from all across China via the chat room, and loved getting to know David & Daisy & Christine at the station. Songs from both THE DOOR & RESTORE CD/DVD went out over the internet today. It was live streaming and available for replay.

Link to follow soon so watch this space.

2011-03-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

Our band-in-a-box is now complete. Jon & Josh landed safely last night. Today we rehearsed and gathered up last minute equipment items. Lunch was yummy steamed dumplings and oolong tea. Then we showed the jet lagged travelers a bit of Beijing. Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Beihei with its Buddhist temple were on the list. Tomorrow the work begins!

2011-03-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

We shut down worship-world and treated ourselves to some cooking lessons Sunday evening. Carrie's friend Chunyi runs a little hutong cooking school.

Benjamin & Megan met us there and we chopped and woked away! If you are ever in Beijing, you HAVE to do this. Check our Chunyis site at www.hutongcuisine.com

Sunday Morning Worship Services

2011-03-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

2011-03-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

Early morning Saturday rehearsal with the multinational team that will lead BICF services. English speaking congregations but 70 nationalities!

2011-03-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

Had a yummy lunch with CCTV (China Central Television) host and friend today. This was the same team that filmed us playing music at the BICF morning services in 2007. They also filmed our concerts leading up to the Olympics on 2008. It was great to catch up with Eva and hear about her work reporting the arts across Beijing. She brought a friend to lunch with her and together they listened to the new (not-yet-released) Arabic worship tune & viewed the I BELIEVE REMIX video. We invited them to bring out a film crew to any of the music events next week. Her response, "I will check with my producer and hopefully bring out a camera." Awesome opportunities here. And lovely, lovely people to work with!

2011-03-11T15:50:00.000-08:00

Generosity is a national trait of the Chinese. They are forever giving things to each other. We met with two Chinese worship leaders today to plan a bi-lingual and over hot drinks, I received a gift. My friend Christopher made his formal presentation and said, "For your health - a bag of oats and raisins from Xianjang province." If ever a gift brought me to tears, it was today.

Meeting with Chinese worship leaders.

2011-03-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

A cure for transpacific jet lag!

The world's coolest driver

Spacing - like timing - is everything.

A local worship leader helps us find a good deal on speakers & a small mixer.

Zipped past the Olympic Bird's Nest building on the way!

Landed Safely

2011-03-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

We landed safely in Beijing. Great, smooth flight. Luggage & musical gear in good shape. Pick up by precious Chinese driver & friend. PS. He’s the one who showed ‘The Door’ to his entire little village. Asleep by 7pm, went 10 straight after being up 31 hours! It’s Thursday here. First stop today. Starbucks. Mark & Wang Shr are off to find a mixer & cables. Carrie has some errands for our month long stay. Dinner with Ben & Megan. To bed. Heads are swimming with resurfaced emotions of why we love China.

A Busy March

2011-03-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

In March the Tedders will lead weekend services for Beijing’s multinational congregations and teach workshops. Weekdays are all about green tea with local worship leaders and musicians. Our job is to equip and encourage them. Mid March two more people (Jon and Josh) join the WP band for a week. University and High School concerts are on the agenda. More training of locals and Beijing Capital Radio 1 conducts a live interview. Thank you for your prayers.

RESTORE in SWEDEN!

2011-03-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

God continues to use the RESTORE CD/DVD project to encourage Christ followers around the world. The connections between Worshiplanet and northern Europe are expanding. We anticipate a week of two of ministry up north in the autumn of 2011. Watch this space for more info.

Check this out!

Poet Gerard Kelly Issues a Challenge

2011-03-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

A new Amsterdam? This poem from the Restore tour, filmed in Florence, Prague, Lisieux and Lisieux, was written with Amsterdam in mind. What is your vision for this city? What is God doing here, and how can you join with him? These are some of the questions we want to explore at our Bless Holland? event on Saturday: at Clara Maria far...m from 19h45.

I see a new City.mp4

Radio Interview

2011-02-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Interview with Mike Rimmer in the UK about RESTORE:http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/radio/console/?f=3838565

JOY! Magazine Highlights Restore

2011-02-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Below is an article from JOY Magazine's February 2011 issue!

Rebuilding the Ancient Ruins – Mark Tedder

Mark Tedder is no stranger to big visions: his last project, ‘The Door’, was the first live worship recording in China’s history and a powerful statement of Christianity’s enduring strength under Communist oppression. After leaving Beijing, Mark and his wife Carrie took a month off to travel in Europe, and found themselves inspired by the Christian heritage that surrounded them - a sleeping giant ready to be re-awakened.

“We weren’t looking to catch a new vision,” Mark remembers, “We just wanted to sit in cafes and regroup after our amazing experiences in Beijing. But being a follower of Christ, you can’t really get away from what God wants to stick in your heart!” Visiting the stunning cathedrals of Europe, Mark and Carrie were awestruck by the art and architecture, and saddened by a seeming lack of connection with the modern world. “There didn’t seem to be a lot of activity going on in these huge structures that at one time had been created for the glory of God, and it broke our hearts.” Moved by a sense of Europe's spiritual desperation and the call of Isaiah 58:12 to 'restore the ancient walls', the Tedders caught a new vision after all, and the 'Restore' project was born.

A Strong Foundation
A prophetic call to Europe to return to God, 'Restore' was recorded in Lincoln, Lisieux (France), Prague and Florence at acoustic events in historic cathedrals. For the musicians involved, the experience of worshipping in these historic buildings was humbling. “It was a powerful reminder that we’re building on the faith of those that have gone before us," Mark explains. "Scripture talks about one generation passing along to the next, and we were overwhelmed to the point of tears at times, knowing that we were simply a link in a very long chain."

Far from Hollywood’s fairytale image of Europe, ‘Restore’ is built on foundations laid during the Tedders’ twelve years living and ministering all over the continent. In fact, it was their experiences of cross-cultural worship in Europe that led Mark and Carrie to form Worshiplanet, an international ministry dedicated to mobilising, equipping and networking local churches around the world. “I think even back then, God was working on our hearts for the ‘Restore’ project,” Mark says. “We had an appreciation of European cultures and we understood that God is a lover of diversity and He represents all nations, tribes and tongues. I think it really helped us to go into ‘Restore’ with that perspective of God, to come alongside people and listen to their stories, and try to get a local expression of worship in each country we recorded.”

Hope for the Future
The resulting CD/DVD is a vibrant fusion of songs, poems, spoken worship and beautiful imagery proclaiming God’s faithful sovereignty over the European nations. Opening with the energetic ‘I Believe’, based on the apostles’ creed, the record incorporates a Czech string quartet and shades of jazz from Italy, as well as spontaneous demonstrations of worship such as a French pastor’s passionate prophetic prayer over Europe. The title track’s plea, “Show your power in this land, bring salvation,’ expresses a strong spirit of intercession for a continent that has wandered far from its creator.

“God is not restricted by frontiers,” Mark reminds us. “A lot of people are saying that south of the equator there’s a powerful work of God, but north of the equator it’s almost like He’s given up. But I really think God’s not restricted by that. This project wasn’t about a local church having a ‘knees up’ worship gig: it’s a shout out to Europeans to come back to Jesus; it’s a restoration call.” To those of us disillusioned with our culture’s abandonment of its faith, Mark issues a challenge: “There’s so much to do that sometimes churches don’t act because they don’t know where to shoot the arrow. We can become so focused on other people that we lose sight of who we are and what we’re called to do, but God hasn’t pivoted from His position. There’s still hope for Europe, for this continent that God so loves.”

Christian Marketplace Article

2011-02-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Restore – reaching out to the nations
Clem Jackson met with Mark and Carrie Tedder to discover how coffee and cathedrals helped to shape their latest project, this time in EuropeMark and Carrie Tedder are well known in the UK through their regular visits here, leading worship at Spring Harvest and other events with the Worshiplanet Band. In 2006 they moved to Beijing for two years, one outcome of which was the first ever live Christian worship recording in China, ‘The Door’.
Their latest album, ‘Restore’ sees them turning their gaze from China to Europe, a continent they lived in for 15 years, and when I met them both recently, on their way back to Colorado, I began by asking how the ‘Restore’ project had come about.
Mark says, “When Carrie and I left China in 2008 we took a very much-needed sabbatical in Europe. Carrie had this great idea to call it ‘Cathedrals and Coffee’, and that’s exactly what we did; we visited Cathedrals and we drank coffee – lots!”
Having started in London (at St Paul’s) they went to Paris. “We took communion on a Sunday in Notre Dame and God really met with us there, it was really powerful. That was a significant event for us – it really started the sabbatical.”
They travelled across Europe, “wanting to just really take in the art, take in the beauty, take in these ancient foundations that had been built centuries ago and do no more than just rest and refuel, after China” said Mark. “Of course what often happens, when you say you’re going to stop and turn everything off, is that God sometimes speaks through those moments.” Mark says they both felt God was hearing the burden once again “for these lonely, empty churches we saw as we travelled through Europe.
“In many of the churches we visited you could sense there was no life – there used to be - at one time there would have been hundreds of people worshipping there. But many of these churches were just shells now. So that’s where it all began.”
Having completed a project within the fastest growing Christian church in the world (China) I wondered whether the call to Europe, with the fastest declining church, was ordained?
I think it probably was,” said Carrie, “although there was a year’s gap between the time we left China and when Mark started writing for this project. The ‘Coffee and Cathedrals’ sabbatical took about a year to germinate some new things in our experience as artists and then we felt that the Lord was really saying something here and the whole Isaiah 58 thing came out.”
The ‘Restore’ album was recorded in four cathedral churches across Europe so how difficult was it to organise and what sort of challenges did they face? Carrie responded, “To get into cathedrals and do a modern, evangelical, praise and worship recording in ancient spaces is not an easy task. Then we got a phone call from a friend who got married in Lincoln Cathedral who said, ‘I can get you in there’. Next was someone who was friends with the Catholic Bishop in Lisieux, and then our violin player, who is a judge, said, “I think I can get you into a church in central Prague”. So really, the cathedrals came to us. The administration of it all was a nightmare but getting the venues less so.”
With a project recorded in cathedrals one might expect that the venues would be packed to the rafters with people. But watching the DVD it is very clear that there weren’t many people at each event. It was all very intimate and small-scale. But was there some symbolism in the fact that these big spaces were so sparsely filled? Carrie says that they deliberately chose not to advertise these events, “Part of our heart was to capture the space which means you don’t need the big ‘happy-clappy’, loud audience.” She added that it was a big challenge for the team to play on the tour and for Mark to lead in such a massive space, “it was just really off-putting and daunting at times.”
Worship leaders who will spend Sundays leading worship for just 20 or 30 people will, I think be encouraged by watching the DVD. It’s good to see that there is no reduction of quality or effort despite the numbers. And it is much more of an acoustic album and I wondered what the acoustic challenges in such big empty spaces?
Mark said, “Well Trevor Michael produced it; he’s a brilliant producer, he understands space. We asked him if it was possible to do it and he said, ‘Yeh, I think I can separate out the instruments and get it tight to where we can get a good post-production mix’. I think he did a great job.” He added that they set up a front of house system every time they played because they didn’t know how many people would show up. “Italy was probably our biggest crowd at about 80, but part of it all is that it reflected, in many ways too, the church.”
Mark said that on their recent tour to Italy and France, which they hope to follow up through the ‘Restore’ project, they saw so many churches almost empty. “There was a church we played in France with just 12 people there. But there’s a powerful energy cell happening in terms of a group of people who are determined to see their city changed and restored. When you see people like that who are living out Isaiah 58 it just encourages your spirit to know that the church isn’t dead in Europe.
“A big part of this project is a cry for those who have wandered from the faith; it’s a call back to God”, says Mark. “The songs, the spoken worship pieces and the prayers on this project are largely for those people. I think when prodigals see people in the church reaching out to the hungry, the poor and the needy, then they will say, ‘maybe the church does have something to offer’.”
A theme of the album is reaching out to the nations with deep Christian roots and cathedrals in Europe have centuries of history. As well as monuments to worship they are great centres of art and also cost a fortune to keep running. But given their recent experience, do the Tedders think there a place for these massive spaces in Christian worship today?
“In our eyes of faith in this project we see cathedrals filled again”, responds Mark. “I don’t think God’s given up on Europe, he hasn’t moved from establishing his Kingdom in Europe. Carrie and I see, very strongly, revival coming to Europe and these great spaced filled with worshippers again.” He says that there is too much going on in the small expressions of worship they saw during the tour for it not to be so. “‘Restore’ is just one little drop in a big ocean of what’s going on.”
One of the songs on the album, “Dwelling Place”, talks about God dwelling in us - not in buildings, but how did the song come about? Mark says, “Well God says, in Revelation 21, ‘My dwelling place is now with man’. When I wrote the song I really felt that a lot of people in Europe see God as a dwelling place, as a building. A lot of it is the lack of teaching and understanding of who God is; some people think that that God lives in the church building but actually God lives in the heart of man. We wanted to give a very personal, very accessible, image of God through that song.”

God TV Feedback

2011-02-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

Just watched the broadcast!
So great and so significant!
Praise God for voices of restoration.
Blessings

Canadians Worship Over Europe

2011-01-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Mark,
I am so glad I was able to encourage you. Your CD has been blessing me tremendously. ... It was "The Door from China" We bought it at The Treasure House in Newmarket, Ontario - a town of 70,000, and a small evangelical Christian population.

Well, be encouraged. God has good things in store! I am excited about how God is using you both. There certainly is a lot of work that needs to be done for the kingdom!

.. As for me, I am finished my year of bible college and moved back to Canada in September. I am unemployed - There are no teaching jobs... not even supply teaching which I had hoped for. I am using the time to write a bit. I am also the young adults leader at my church. I am challenged, but God is good.

Well, all the best to you and Carrie!

Blessings,

I Believe - Remix

2011-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

An announcement that is musical in nature: we are releasing a remix version of Mark's song, "I Believe". It will be downloadable in both audio and video format at all your favorite places to download music. Amazon.com, iTunes, cdbaby, and more. Simply search for Mark Tedder or I Believe Remix, keep an eye out for it in the next week. It will be available as a ringtone too! Remember that with each fundraising download, you help Worshiplanet top up the jet fuel tank!

Crossrhythms Radio Interview

2011-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

A 1 hour interview with Mark aired on Crossrhythms radio in the UK! The interview can be heard online in 3 parts. Go to http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/radio/listenagain/ and select the show Rimmerama. The three parts will be under 22nd, 23rd and 24th March.

Attention UK Friends

2011-01-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

God TV airs the RESTORE DVD across the continent next week. If you are in the UK late January try and catch this encouraging and worshipful project. Zip us an email if you watched it! info@worshiplanet.com

UK viewing times are:

Saturday, 29 January 2011 10:30pm
Sunday, 30 January 2011 3:30am
Sunday, 30 January 2011 6:30pm
Monday, 31 January 2011 1:30am
Monday, 31 January 2011 10:30am

God TV

2011-01-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

An unexpected blessing washed up on Worshiplanet's shore today! GOD TV will air the Restore CD/DVD on all their global platforms January 29 & 30. Check out the promo at http://www.god.tv/node/1093 and see when it is showing in your region. Songs of restoration will beam into countries that we might never get to. Pray as it airs, particularly in countries hostile to the Gospel, that it will do two things: encourage local believers and draw people to Christ. We'd love to hear if you were able to watch, and what you thought!

Defrocked

2010-12-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

At precisely 8:24AM and six minutes ahead of schedule we unloaded the RESTORE tour equipment into Lincoln Cathedral. The building was a little daunting and left us all wishing for another day of rehearsal. However, we were seriously thankful for the clear skies. We had fab weather for the entire tour. Sure made the loading/unloading process a lot easier!

Another Stone

2010-12-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

What an honour to worship in such a historical place. We felt the depth of spirituality gone before us and prayed that RESTORE recording would build on that strong foundation.

Free Download

2010-12-02T09:28:00.001-08:00

Hit this website for a free song download from Restore!
http://www.integrityeurope.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=119

Prose

2010-11-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

Spoken worship, also known as poetry, was a big part of the RESTORE recording. Gerard Kelly wrote original pieces for the project. By the end of the tour he had the poetry ingrained in his memory, but at our first gig in Lincoln you Gerard relying a little on modern technology. We can’t wait for you to hear the spoken worship pieces. They are wonderful!

RESTORE receives 9 out of 10 review in United Kingdom!

2010-11-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

We just received the following review from Crossrhythms - one of the largest web based christian radio stations in the UK. (crossrhythms.co.uk)

Helen Dean

Accomplished European musicians are led by globe-trotting worship man
Mark. This album features live worship recorded in the UK, France, Italy
and the Czech Republic. The project hopes to stir faith and call Europe
back to God. Spoken worship of Bible reading from Isaiah 58 in different
languages, poems read by inspirational Europhile Gerard Kelly, and a
passionate prayer in French, strongly contribute to the depth of the
album. "I Believe" opens and sets the tone for what follows, aiming for
living a life that leaves a legacy of love. This passionate care and
concern for people, in Europe and beyond, comes out most clearly in the
lyrical "For The Glory Of Your Name" lifted by the violin of Klara
Valentova. She also adds a lovely high string quality to the simple but
effective "Love Came Down", gives an eastern feel to "Live A Life" and
is joined by guest Czech string quartet on "Restore". "Turn The Light
On" is a lively jazzy track recorded in Florence featuring eye-popping
soprano sax accompaniment from guest Christian Pacini. The talented
musicians and presentation are generally low key, not muted and
downbeat, but exemplifying passionate humility in a harmonious
collaboration that doesn't try to be glossy. The bonus DVD underscores
the passion of the CD.

CCLI Article

2010-11-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

Below is an article that broke on CCLI this week! Hit the link below and visit the site.

http://www.ccli.com/WorshipCorner/Article.aspx?ContentId=0bd6052b-0f84-4770-a63c-901b06afade9

Stewarding The Glocal Call

Posted 11/10/2010

As a local worship leader in Colorado Springs, one of my main responsibilities is to equip my local church.
Equipping my local church not only involves stewarding those special ‘moments’ we all have when God’s Spirit is present in a very ‘tangible’ way. It also involves stewarding the other aspect of my calling as a worship leader – a call to the nations. You may be reading this saying, ‘but I’ve never been overseas’. Actually, you don’t have to be a “missionary” as such to steward such a call.
The Wikipedia definition of Glocal is: “To think locally and act globally”
Every one of us as worship leaders has been called to ‘steward’ that which God has entrusted to us through the leaders of our local church or fellowship. Stewarding what we’ve experienced, read, etc. is part of what God wants to use through those weekly worship services. However, I must emphasize a word of warning: it is not our place to preach or take unnecessary time from the platform to convert someone to an ideal or something that has greatly impacted us through what we’ve read or experienced. Rather the platform has been entrusted to us to ‘lead’ through our ‘global’ experiences. Let me give a couple of examples.
My wife and I have lived abroad much of our married life. Therefore much of what we’ve experienced through living out our worship in other cultures and regions of the world has greatly impacted our paradigm and understanding of the Global nature of God. We’ve been infected by a Glocal call – to think locally and act globally. We’ve lived in Moscow, London, Prague and Beijing. All of these places have greatly affected the way we lead worship, the way we converse, and the way we respond to our local congregation in Colorado Springs where we now are based as a ministry. Often I’ll share a scripture and story from abroad (or from a book that I’m reading) that has impacted my heart, as a tie-in to the next song. I keep the story very brief (with perhaps an acoustic guitar or pad playing underneath my story) Sharing these ‘global’ stories, takes our congregation ‘outside’ their personal, sometimes ‘selfish’ world. It’s part of the equipping aspect that I feel worship leaders are called to.
We have to see ourselves as leaders who simply construct a slick, ‘flowy’ seamless set of worship songs, and start to assume a greater leadership role of equipping our congregations and challenging them to action – to get our hands dirty for the advancement of the kingdom!
I’ve listed a few ideas that could perhaps get you thinking about equipping through those transitional ‘moments’ of worship: 1) a conversation you’ve perhaps had on a mission trip that impacted you or your team; 2) a story of compassion about an adoption situation that God used to rescue a child from trafficking; 3) a time when you’ve lead worship in another context where the song you’re about to lead played an important role in a persons journey/life. There are many times I’ve read something (from a current book I’m reading) that I’ve used in the context of worship that’s moved the congregation.
Remember that “story” is powerful because we all live there! Everyone has a story, and stories are what often shape our journeys and our relationship with God. Again, I want to emphasize that we must keep our story short and to the point! If what we share is too long and complicated, it could have an adverse effect. This is again something that you must steward as a worship leader.
I love my congregation in Colorado Springs. I want too see them grow in the knowledge of who God is and what he desires to do in and through them. I also see my role as an equipper, to take them on a journey beyond themselves. Obviously (and hopefully) this is all done under the authority and prompting of the Holy Spirit as I prepare, select songs, look at the text and theme of the message and ask God to help me lead with humility and authority under his almighty example.
One recent story: We recently released a project called “Restore” which is a live acoustic worship CD/DVD project we recorded in Cathedrals across Europe. The opening song is called “I Believe”. I wrote this song after doing an in-depth study into the Apostles Creed – digging into the foundations of our faith as Christ followers. I introduced I Believe to a church in Northwest Arkansas this summer. A week later, the worship leaders called and said he’d like to re-introduce that song again the very next week. After that service, a 17 year old girl was leaving the Sunday service and mentioned to her mom that she has a “new favorite worship song called I Believe”. On Tuesday of that week, the 17 year old girl was attending a John Mayer concert in Fayetteville Arkansas. On the way home from the gig, she was instantly killed in a car accident. It obviously sent shock waves through her immediate family, her school, the church and her friends. The mom called my worship leader friend and requestedI Believe to be played in the memorial service for her 17 year old daughter – it was a fresh worship song that was ‘singing’ in her heart in the hours leading up to the time she would meet Jesus face to face.
Mark Tedder
www.worshiplanet.com

Coffee & Cathedrals

2010-11-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

The 'coffee' part of the RESTORE Cathedrals & Coffee tour was fulfilled again today. Mark & Mike played a few songs - live - at La Costa coffee bar in Lisieux. It was the lunch crush and was a nice opportunity to advertise the praise concert tonight. Proclaimation & Praise - and in the public arena! God is SO creative.

RESTORE in France

2010-11-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Worshiplanet Band arrived in France yesterday after picking up two members, Mike & Dan at London's heathrow airport. Songs from the RESTORE project will be sung out in the La Costa cafe in downtown Lisieux tomorrow. Then Wednesday evening, more songs and spoken worship pieces from the RESTORE project will be part of the evening concert of prayer, held at La Source.

2010-11-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Leading worship for the evening service in Lincoln.

Under the Sea

2010-11-08T05:35:00.000-08:00

The RESTORE van has two sleeping passengers as it crosses the English Channel. Mike & Dan just arrived from their overnight Atlantic flight and are very tired. Once on the French side, it is a short 3 hour drive to our destination - Bethanie Christian Centre!

Additional Team Members Arrive

2010-11-07T03:24:00.000-08:00

Please pray for Mike (our percussionist) and Dan (our bassist) as they fly today. They need endurance, health, safety, and covering for their families back in the USA.

Mark & Carrie Tedder will pick them up at London's Heathrow airport and head straight to France. After driving 7 hours, Mike & Dan will have 24 hours to sleep off jet lag and get rested up for a grueling eight day schedule. We are excited to have them join us for the French/Italy portion of the RESTORE tour.

Live On Saturday

2010-11-06T04:34:00.000-07:00

Local guitarist Martin Clark and drummer Steve Marshall played alongside Mark Tedder this morning on live radio. Lincolnshire BBC Radio, hosted by John Rockley, reaches a listening audience of 120,000. Two acoustic guitars and a cajon were the musical accompaniment for Mark as he sang, 'Love Came Down', off the new RESTORE CD/DVD. Pray that Mark's verbal encouragement to those who "have wondered from the church" would be used by the Holy Spirit to led men and women back to faith.

On Air

2010-11-06T03:06:00.000-07:00

We need your prayers on Tuesday, November 16th. Italy's largest Christian radio station will interview the Worshiplanet Band, currently on a RESTORE tour of the UK, France, and Italy. Pray that our words will honour God and bless this body throughout Europe. Check out the station here: RadioItaly

Linked Up

2010-11-05T03:06:00.000-07:00

Check out the video upload of 'I'm Weak You're Strong' via CCLI.

"Father, may it be an encouragement to the church in Europe!"

RESTORE upload link

Lincoln - Sunday, November 7th

2010-11-05T03:03:00.000-07:00

RESTORE is back in Lincoln. We are not the Cathedral this time but will instead be serving New Life Fellowship in the city. Mark will lead along side resident worship leader, Howard Williams, in the morning services. Then at 7pm NLF will host a RESTORE evening of praise. If you are in the area, come worship with us!http://www.newlifelincoln.org.uk/

RESTORE in Italy

2010-11-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

RESTORE Interview

2010-11-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

Pray for Mark today as he interviews with http://www.crossrythms.co.uk/ about the RESTORE CD/DVD project.

2010-11-02T06:10:00.000-07:00

Pastor Mark Madavan in South Hampton, UK interviews Mark Tedder about the new release of Worshiplanet's CD/DVD - RESTORE.

New Life Lincoln, UK

2010-11-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Next weekend, 06 & 07 November, we will be at New Life Church in Lincoln.

We'd love to have you join us!

New Life House

22 Newland

Lincoln

LN1 1XD

http://www.newlifelincoln.org.uk/

ew Life Christian Fellowship

I Believe in Southhampton

2010-11-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

The congregation at Locks Heath sings along to 'I Believe' fron the RESTORE project.

RESTORE in South England

2010-10-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Worshiplanet Band teaching workshops for St. Paul's and Locksheath Free Church.

Restore Tour in Europe

2010-10-28T03:38:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody - We're thrilled to be back in Europe where we filmed and recorded "Restore - a live acoustic project from Europe".

Below is our schedule of events, concerts and workshops. We're gonna be doing some interviews and other fun stuff along the way as well. watch out for us on facebook and this blog for pics and stuff.

hope you can make one of the shows!

Mark & Carrie

30 & 31 October: Locks Heath Free Church - (near Portsmouth) Worship workshop on Saturday; Sunday services 9 & 11am

04 & 05 November: Radio interviews on Restore

06 & 07 November: New Life Lincoln, UK

9 - 11 November: Lisieux, France

12 November: Florence, Italy

14 November: Mantova, Italy

15 November: Torino, Italy

16 November: Verona, Italy

18 November: Brussels, Belgium

19 November: Sidley, UK

20 - 21 November: Eastbourne, UK

Taking a Moment

2010-10-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Author and poet Gerard Kelly takes a moment to soak in Lincoln Cathedral's word-in-art.

Turn The Light On!

2010-10-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Turn the light on. Join the celebration. Turn the light on.

Mourning into dancing. Dancing into freedom.

Everyone around the world. Turn the light on.

Darkness

2010-10-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

The four hour drive from our South London rehearsal location meant that we arrived in Lincoln as the moon was rising. All the photos on this blog are from friend and Cathay Pacific photographer, David M. He volunteered his time and obvious talent for the RESTORE tour. What a shot!

From The Rockies

2010-10-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Mark and Carrie were thrilled that other Coloradans joined the RESTORE tour. All friends from Woodmen Valley Chapel and 2nd Presbyterian Church, the Americans on the team had a bit of adventure even getting to Europe. Because of the volcano, all seven landed in ROME and trained up to London! Crazy stuff. They were more than happy to pose for a victory-over-the-volcano shot outside of Lincoln Cathedral.

lyrics

2010-10-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

The RESTORE project is for Europe, half of the team are Europeans and all of the venues for filming are within the historical Continent. It is no surprise that several song choruses were in different languages. Giorgio sang in Italian and Spanish. There was a prayer in French. And below are the Czech lyrics for the chorus of This Is Our God.

Czech this out!

Náš Bůh zvítězil, smrt již nemá moc

On sám cestu prošlapal, nohám mým

Na kříži hřích porazil, ďábla rozdrtil

Víc než slunce zář, to je náš Bůh

Open Air

2010-09-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

We got last minute permission to play an open air concert in Prague. We love to praise in the high places! Located at the Prague Castle and overlooking the city of Prague, the Worshiplanet band set up. Carrie & Manu will had the time off since there was no electricity.

A big thanks to Klara, the bands violinist and long time friend of the Tedders, for getting the permit.

Worshiptogether.com

2010-09-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Worshiptogether.com has included a never released version of "Be Still" on their site. Please hit the front page, hit the song Be Still, download the song and make a comment. :)

Thank you!

Worship Together: New Worship Songs Music and Resources

www.worshiptogether.com

Practice, Practice, Practice

2010-09-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Before the RESTORE tour - Mark, Carrie, & Mike got in their first live practice with a full band. While our tour bass player, vocalist, violinist, and poet were missing, local friends stepped forward to fill in the gap. Don McCaleb, a bassist from Colorado Springs, and Kristin Wood a local worship leader, made our sound complete. On May 14th, this same Colorado based band will hosed a home concert which included the new pieces of spoken worship and all of Mark's original songs.

Worshiplanet

2010-09-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

RESTORE is a special project inspired and funded by Worshiplanet, Inc. It took a small army of generous donors to make this CD/DVD happen.To learn more about the purpose and focus of Worsiplanet, check them out at www.worshiplanet.com or find them on Facebook.

Other projects by Worshiplanet include The Door, the first-ever live worship event recorded in mainland China. Learn more at http://www.thedoorchina.blogspot.com/

Pre-release Party!

2010-09-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

In preparation for next week's RESTORE CD/DVD launch, the American based team met up for a pre-release party last night.

Camera man Jim, Percussionist Mike, Front of House Soundman Josh, Bus Driver and Powerpoint Perry all met up at Mark & Carrie Tedder's house. They all watched the RESTORE DVD together and enjoyed a steaming bowl of spicy chili!

Excited to see what God does with this Worshiplanet project!

Integrity

2010-09-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

The link below is exciting info Integrity Europe put out about the upcoming October release of Restore!

http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/restoring_worship/41114/p1/

Spoken Worship

2010-09-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest things about the RESTORE project is the inclusion of Spoken Worship. UK poet and our friend of more than 20 years, Gerard Kelly, has written new material for RESTORE. We are so excited to see how the Holy Spirit will use the marriage of music & the spoken word.

Here's a bit more info on Gerard.

Author BiographyBorn in the City of Bath in South West England, Gerard Kelly has lived in the UK, Ireland, Canada, France and the Netherlands. He is today the co-leader with his wife Chrissie of a missional community and training centre in Normandy.

Gerard has worked for over 20 years in Christian mission to contemporary European cultures, and is the author of 10 books published in the UK, USA, Finland, Germany and France. He is the founder of 'twitturgies', an innovative prayer stream on twitter.com. His poetry has been featured on BBC Radio and Television and is featured in the Lion Book of Christian Poetry and the Young Oxford Book of Christmas Verse. In 2009 Gerard contributed live poetry to 'The Door' - the first ever live worship event to be recorded on CD and DVD from Beijing, China.

Gerard's blog can be found at www.gerardkelly.tumblr.com and he contributes to www.blessent.eu and www.liveforothers.eu

Current Projects:

The first twitturgies collection will be published in book form in 2009

'A Prismatic Church" - reframing mission for the 21st Century will follow

Family:

Gerard is married to Chrissie and has four children - Joseph, Aaron, Anna and Jake

Charities/Causes:

Gerard is a trustee of the Bless Network and of the Lacey Theatre Company in the UK, and a member of the Schuman Council in the Netherlands

RESTORE in the Jungle!

2010-09-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

RESTORE will hit the international church community of Chiang Mai this weekend! The Tedders are in northern Thailand for 5 days of ministry and worship leadership training. And of course, where the Tedders go, RESTORE follows!

Special Guest in Lincoln

2010-09-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

We had a special guest for the UK concert date on Friday, May 21st.

Guitarist and Lincoln native, Martin Clark, played acoustic on the RESTORE CD/DVD. We worshiped alongside Martin at Woodmen Valley Chapel when he visited Colorado Springs last year. It was a great delight to have him accompany us for the UK portion of the tour. Thanks Martin!

Restoring Beijing!

2010-08-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

Friend and college Bruce holds a comp copy of RESTORE. It will be interesting to see how God uses Worshiplanet's latest CD/DVD as a resource for Asia. Pray that it will bless the body of Christ in China and beyond!

Come worship with us in Chiang Mai

2010-08-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

More from Euro

2010-08-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Czech judge and violinist, Klara V, trained to London as part of the RESTORE team. She was instrumental in helping us secure both the Cathedral and a special musical surprise awaiting us! A spectacular Czech quitet!

Two drivers took care of ‘getting us to the church on time’. Our first driver was Tim Mobley from Brussels. Tim is Mark and Carrie's much loved brother-in-law and used to drive a bus driver for Living Sound! Back in the day.

On BGVs was our long time friend, Giorgio, and what a voice and can really relax knowing that he is supporting him vocally. Like Klara, we went to Giorgio's home town on the tour. Florence was the 3rd concert stop.

RESTORE goes East

2010-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

The RESTORE project officially makes it around the world today. Mark & Carrie Tedder, project founders, are headed out for a 2 week Asian ministry trip. They will be leading worship and teaching workshops in China and Thailand. Like a shadow, the RESTORE project goes where ever the Tedders go. Please pray that as Worshiplanet's CD/DVD launches in Asia, that is will be a blessing to the Body there. It is a call for Europe to return to God but it is also a prayer for restoration and Asia is part of that prayer!

Love Came Down

2010-08-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Southern Tour Complete

2010-08-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

North Little Rock was the last city on the RESTORE 10 day southern tour. Fellowship Bible Church is one of Worshiplanet's supporting churches and they hosted an evening of worship with the WP band. We taught the congregation a few songs off of the RESTORE project. What a pleasure to worship with those faithful folks!

In 5 days RESTORE heads to Asia!

Through the Lens

2010-08-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Camera man David M., an American living in Hong Kong, is graciously joined the team. He was our still-shot guy and will hopefully made us all look good. Mega-Structures Series videographer, Curtis R. was on camera #2. He is an Australian but shoots mainly in China. Both David and Curtis were part of The Door filming.

RESTORE HEADS SOUTH

2010-08-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

If you are in the central Arkansas area, you can pick up a copy of the RESTORE CD/DVD. A local configuration of the Worshiplanet Band will debut a few of RESTORE's songs live at 6:30pm, on Wednesday August 18th at Fellowship Bible Church in North Little Rock.

North Americans

2010-08-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

What a team! We are often overwhelmed by the talent and generosity of Christ's body around the world. And the city of Colorado Springs seems to be teeming with those kinds of people. One of two camera men, Jim K. from Woodmen Valley Chapel joined the project. Josh S. ran sound for both the band and the audience. This CD project leans more towards the acoustic side. We weren't rockin' out with a full band or big loud drum kit. That is where percussionist and friend Mike H. (via Canada) came into play. He was our groove setter and held us all together.

RESTORE arrives in Colorado!

2010-08-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

The RESTORE CD/DVD project arrives in Colorado Springs today! What started out as a crazy dream back in November of 2009 is complete at last. Get your copy at http://www.worshiplanet.com/ today.

Euros

2010-08-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

London's Heathrow airport was busy in May with RESTORE travelers. Though the Europeans didn't fly very far, they still had a lot of time invested in this project. Trevor (from Ireland via Eastbourne) joined us as recording engineer. While we will were worshipping away in the vast cathedral spaces, poor Trevor was tucked away in closets and back rooms making it all happen.

German bass player, Manu, was the next to arrive. He came from just north of Frankfurt and has been a part of the Worshiplanet team for years. He laid the foundation for our musical chords and kept us all entertained with his keen sense of humour!

Spoken worship artists and the Tedders long time friends, Gerard and Chrissie Kelly, are a vital part of RESTORE. The Kellys are English but live and operate a ministry in France. Gerard wrote original material for the CD/DVD and he was also a part of the theological foundation for RESTORE. Chrissie delivered some of the spoken worship on location in France.

RESTORE SHIPS!

2010-08-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

RESTORE, Worshiplanet's CD/DVD ships out of the Texas warehouse today! Order your copy today a www.worshiplanet.com .

2nd Driver

2010-08-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

We found the much needed 2nd driver for the RESTORE tour. Perry M. from Colorado took charge of the 9 seater van. He is a great friend of the Tedders and very dependable. Big thanks to Sonscape (the ministry he works for) and Perry's family for allowing him the time off - and at such short notice. We are SO thankful. Our team is complete!

RESTORE IS READY!

2010-08-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

The Tedders picked up the first shipment of boxes containing the RESTORE CD/DVD today! They are on their way to Texas/Arkansas/Thailand/and China for a pre-release events. Can't wait to see what God does with it.

Pics from our March scouting trip to Prague

2010-08-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

Jan Hus Statue in front of St Mikulas Cathedral

Mark & Klara - St Mikulas - Prague

Lamb of God statuette 'front and centre' of the altar in St Mikulas Cathedral

Mark & Carrie - atop Old Town Square - Prague

Easter Eggs are celebrated in a big way in Prague!

Lincoln

2010-08-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

This was the first recording venue in May. Lincoln Cathedral in the UK. There are lots of words to describes cathedrals, none of which I find very adequate. But I have to use at least one weak word so inspirational will have to do.

We had quite a few choices as to exactly where to conduct the live worship event but settled on the area called the quire - pronounced choir. Carved wooden stalls surround the walled off area near to the high alter. Although a massive space, the quire has a cozy and somewhat intimate feeling about it. Actually Holy might be a better word to use. Many services over the cathedrals nearly 1000 years have been conducted within the quire so we felt pretty honoured to follow such a great faith history.

Restore [re•store - ri stôr]

2010-08-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Restore is Worshiplanet's newest CD/DVD project. It is our goal that Christ followers everywhere will use Restore as an evangelistic tool, much like The Door was used. We pray it reaches the ears of Europeans who have wandered from the church. And of course it will be used as a resource for worship leaders and their teams.

Curry and Completion!

2010-07-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Tedders have friends in Prague who own an Indian Restaurant. It was the location of the team farewell dinner on the final night of the RESTORE tour.

We were all so tired it was a challenge to sit back and enjoy it all without falling asleep!

Oh Yeah!

2010-07-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

Somebody's happy the RESTORE tour it over!

RESTORE

2010-07-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Pack Up, Unload, Pack Up

2010-07-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

I love it when people say, "I wish I had your job!" Oh really?

Keys to the Kingdom

2010-07-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

Bus driver Perry Meyer takes a moment to enjoy Prague's monument to the Velvet Revolution;

a troubled time in Czech history yet a triumphant one!

ISRC Codes and Such

2010-07-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

You can't imagine all of the details surround the making of a CD/DVD. Long after the jet lag has subsided and life has returned for each Worshiplanet band member, the administration for RESTORE continues. One such task is obtaining the various codes and permissions. For example each song has to have its own ISRC code. It stands for International Standard Recording Code. Even the spoken worship pieces and prayers need coding! These ISRC codes get embedded on the discs at pressings. This provides a way of tracking the project. They look like this: USPR37300012
Boring huh?!

A Prague Prayer

2010-07-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

We were very aware during the RESTORE tour that without God's presence and power, we played in vain. Each concert began seeking God's blessing in prayer.

On The Job

2010-07-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

Camera man Curtis working hard at capturing concert footage. Both cameramen and the photographer were like kids in a candy store! The cathedral in Prague was particularly wonderful to shoot. It was very ornate and with it being a lunchtime concert, the light was near perfection as it filtered in through the ancient stained glass.

One More Time

2010-07-17T02:59:00.000-07:00

These photos show Mark and Giorgio running through the Czech lyrics one more time. The chorus of 'This is our God' was sung in both English and in Czech. Klara rehearsed with the boys on their pronunciation and metering. The guys did a great job and their efforts brought smiles throughout the audience.

A Surprise!

2010-07-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

Worshiplanet team member, Klara Valentova, organized the addition of a string quintet for the RESTORE recording. Klara was joined by four other musicians (including her father on bass) and became part of the live worship recording at St. Mikulas Cathedral in Prague.

We can't wait for you to hear them on the CD/DVD!

Back Home

2010-07-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

What a treat for Mark & Carrie to be back in the land that they formerly called home. The Tedders spent four wonderful years living in Prague. Their boys went to secondary school while Mom & Dad served the International Church of Prague and the European Evangelical Alliance.

Mark & Carrie developed lifelong friends there. It was a wonderful experience that they cherish even today, fifteen years later!

Prague was also the place that they first met Klara Valentova. At the time she was a budding Czech violinist who was also working as a lawmaker. Now a judge, Klara is a faithful member of the Worshiplanet Band. She joins us on tour every year and has lead God's people into worship literally around the planet!

For the glory of Your Name!

2010-07-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a clip of the new restore project that will be released in September. This video piece was shot in Firence, Italy - "For the glory of your name".

Our Focus

2010-07-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Central to our faith is the cross of Christ.

In Prague’s famous Hussite church known as St. Mikulas, the cross hangs front and centre for all to see.

The crystal chandelier was brought in by the Russian Orthodox community who worshipped in the building at one time. It was one of our favorite parts of the building!

Rolling Out The Red Carpet

2010-07-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Making music and worshipping inside of St. Nicholas Cathedral was better than any red carpet treatment that Hollywood could muster! The Worshiplanet Band got to be a part of history. We were honoured to worship in a place where hundreds, even thousands, of worshipers have gone before.

Chillin'

2010-07-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

We had our moments!