FULLERTON, CA — Members of a local church gathering took notice of a substantial increase in the volume of the congregational singing when the worship leader snuck in an old classic hymn during last Sunday morning's service.
"It seemed like they finally had something great to sing," said the worship leader, Luis Garcia. "After so many contemporary songs, tossing in an old hymn is like kicking praise and worship into hyperdrive. It's a night and day difference!"
After what had seemed to be a ho-hum time of worship during songs from modern creators Bethel, Hillsong, Elevation, and Chris Tomlin, Garcia dropped a hymn bomb out of nowhere with "It Is Well With My Soul." The vibe in the sanctuary immediately experienced a palpable shift, with congregants raising their hands in the air and weeping as they sang impassionedly to their Lord.
"You can only take so much of today's songs," said churchgoer Brad Armstrong. "Singing repurposed U2-style songs with endless bridges gets old after a while. When Luis busted out ‘It Is Well With My Soul,' it was almost like the Spirit of God descended on the congregation. We were truly in awe of God and how great He is. If I didn't know better, I'd say there's a reason old hymns have stood the test of time for hundreds of years."
At publishing time, Garcia was considering the revolutionary idea of doing an all-hymn worship set, believing it could lead to an outpouring of worship greater than anything the church had ever experienced.
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