Red Letter Society Speaks About their Vision to Produce Doctrinally sound Songs by and for the Church

Red Letter Society has just released their brand new EP Live Project.  The record features three live worship songs that you can't help but sing along in worship with. 

Red Letter Society is a collection of local worship leaders united in a passion to write songs for the Church. Following graduation from Bible school, a group of friends found themselves located in the same city. A weekly get together to sharpen music skills quickly turned into songwriting sessions and, later, Red Letter Society was born. While multiple members of the team serve in full-time ministry at their local churches, the band is motivated by a fervor to see the global Church continue to grow in the truth of God's Word and to surrender to His Lordship in their lives.  

Q: Who makes up Red Letter Society?

Red Letter Society comprises Kyle Gibson, Alexandra Gibson, Jordan West, Sarah West, David Bedford, Summer Bedford, Tyler Landis, Jaclyn West, David Guy, Sam Connor, Andy Connor, Amber Connor,  Todd Holloway and Caleb Poppell.

Q: How did Red Letter Society start? What is (are) your goal(s) as a collective?

We originally started in 2016 when Kyle, Alexandra, Jordan, David, and Tyler all found ourselves in the same area of Virginia. At the time, we were all employed or serving at different churches and gathered weekly for dinner with our spouses to maintain community. After a few months, dinner shifted to dinner + jam sessions and later developed into a band. As we've grown and gained greater opportunities for ministry, we've invited friends and other worship leaders to come alongside our vision and join our team.

We chose the name "Red Letter Society" as a reference to the words of Jesus (printed in red ink in some Bibles). We are driven by a desire to produce doctrinally sound music by the church and for the church. Our primary goal has always been to use our platform as an opportunity to encourage the Church to be dedicated disciples of God's Word. We truly believe in, and have experienced, the transformative power of the Holy Spirit through His Word and always hope to encourage others to experience it as well. 

Q: Red Letter Society has just released a new EP. How did this EP come about?

This EP was a combination of songs we have produced over the last few years and finally had the opportunity to record live! "Holy Spirit" was the first song we wrote and recorded as a team, and "Matthew 5" had been years in the making. We chose the three songs-- "Matthew 5", "Holy Spirit", and "Strongholds" as part of a worship night and were excited to gather with our church community to sing them. 

Q: What were some of the highlights while making this record?

This was a unique project for us! Typically, when we record and album or EP, we meet separately in the studio to record different instrumentation. However, on this project, we were able to record everything straight from the worship night. This helped bring a distinct energy to the ministry and recording.

Additionally, this was our release for "Matthew 5" AND the first time that we played it all together! We had the chord chart and had heard the scratch recordings made by Jordan and Tyler during the writing process, but this was our first time really bringing it together as a group. As mentioned before, it had been years (and many prayers) in the making, so it was especially exciting for us to really bring this song to life.

Q: Do you have any new projects planned for this year? If you do, tell us more about them. 

We do! We have a goal to release new  music every month this year, have our first full length album,"Into Light", coming in July, and another project premiering in the winter. We have also realized how many of our team members are very gifted in teaching, so we are hoping to lean in and utilize those gifts as part of our ministry a bit more this year. 

Q: In this age of anxieties and fears caused by the coronavirus pandemic, what words of faith do you have for our readers?

As a team, we have been discussing how to manage worry and not become overwhelmed with the current coronavirus pandemic. We have really been encouraged by Philippians 4: 6-8 and Matthew 6: 25-34. We realize that, with every temptation to worry, comes an invitation to trust God despite our fear. This doesn't mean living in denial or without taking wise precautions, but not letting fear drive our response.

We have found that some of the most practical steps (informed by these scriptures) to take when faced with worry are to intentionally focus on gratitude, humbly present our requests to God, and acknowledge (and sometimes say out loud!) the truths that God is both sovereign and good. 

 

 

Tags : red letter society red letter society live project red letter society interview david guy red letter society news