Sojourn Music Releases Holiday Inspired Songs “A Child Is Born” Set for Release November 22nd
Christmas at Sojourn has always been a unique thing. From the first year in the life of the church, Sojourn have been fascinated by the more gritty side of the Christmas story. The church fathers chose the darkest time of the year to celebrate the dawning of the Light of Lights in the birth of Christ, the entrance of hope into darkness.
The Christmas story itself is one of contrasts – God as a baby. A king in a manger. His birth was welcomed not by crowds and royalty, but by outcasts and foreigners. Because the Christmas story is ultimately a story of hope for the hopeless, healing for the broken, and light in the darkness.
Sojourn Church has sought for many years to capture that emotion in their Christmas music. There’s a place for joy, a necessary and central place for celebration, but that joy and celebration has its most weight when seen in the context of the suffering and longing from which it emerges. So Christmas music at Sojourn has always had a dark edge, a sense of tension and angst, which points us to the darkness of our own hearts that longs for the light of Christ.
This new CD recording, titled “A Child Is Born,” is birthed almost directly out of Sojourn Church’s Christmas worship services. The members of Sojourn recorded this new list of tracks at home, so to speak, at the 930 Arts Center (our Midtown campus) and at Eddy Morris’s, Sojourn’s Production Director and at Ear Candy studios, where Sojourn also recorded the albums, “Before the Throne” and “These Things I Remember.” Sojourn’s own pastor, Mike Cosper, states, “It’s an indie rock record, recorded the indie rock way, piecing together what we could to give fans and music lovers this homemade gift. It’s not perfect, but most home-made things aren’t.”
Sojourn Church also reached out to some friends and borrowed their songs for the making of “A Child Is Born,” including Bifrost Arts’ “Joy Joy,” a song based on a very old melody that perfectly captures that tense, advent joy. They also recorded Bill Mallonee’s “Knocking at Your Door”, a song we sing every Advent season whose gritty and earthy words bring the season home. In addition is Sandra McCracken’s “This is the Christ” a text McCracken reworked from Martin Luther, and was an instant favorite for Sojourn during last year’s holiday sermons.
In addition, Sojourn Church has a number of originals and traditional songs, including a punk-rock inspired “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” the grittiest version of “Go Tell it On the Mountain,” anyone will ever hear and ambient pop versions of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and “Silent Night,” a John Newton text reworked by Brooks Ritter (“Oh Glorious Hour”) and an ancient anonymous text reworked by Jamie Barnes (“A Voice is Sounding”).
“A Child Is Born” is now available on Sojourn Music’s Bandcamp page and also available on Itunes and CD Baby.
For more information on Sojourn Church, please contact Chip Schutzman at Miles High Productions: chip@mileshighproductions.com or 323-806-0400.
Custom Printed Christmas Cards the Less Expensive Way to Go
According to My Merry Christmas.com 71 percent of Americans plan for a merrier Christmas in 2011, inclusive of a healthy increase in senders of Christmas cards. Holiday cards remain the most cost effective means of sharing Christmas with family, friends and business associates. And in 2011, the cost of professionally printed Christmas cards has remained steady against previous seasons while mass-market boxed card sets have skyrocketed in price.
“Christmas cards do two things for people: they convey a merry message appropriate for the season and they add a creative decorative element to any home,” said Chris Caso, CEO of of CR Digital Design, parent company of Holiday Card Website.com. “The modern art of sending a Christmas card is not too unlike sending a gift. It has to be more personal and appropriate than ever before. It not only conveys the attitude and style of the sender but it also personalizes the season for the receiver.”
That is why professionally printed Christmas cards are the preferred choice for Christmas card senders. Through an online interface that allows for complete creative control over the design and messaging of a card the buyer can completely proof the card before placing an order at Holiday Card Website.com.
Holiday Card Website.com features 108 best-selling holiday cards for personal and business use, discounted 10% when ordered online. Printed on high-quality recycled paper the cards can include pre-printed Kwik-Seal envelopes. Though designed to be completely self-serve through the website, a toll free number is available to answer questions and to receive support for any card order.
According to a shopper’s review at ChristmasFinest.com professional printed Christmas cards represent a bigger value in today’s marketplace.
“In our survey of boxed cards from Hallmark, American Greetings and some of the off-brands marketed at big discounters we found that the higher-quality full color printed or foil-deigned cards are running in excess of $2.50 a piece,” said Melanie Barnes, a consumer surveyor for ChristmasFinest.com. “As many manufacturers have this year the makers of boxed Christmas cards have reduced the number of cards in an offering. It used to be you could get 25 cards typically in a boxed set with envelopes and this year we’re finding that most boxed sets are averaging about 18 cards per set at the same cost of what 25 cards were just a year ago.”
Holiday Card Website.com offers 1000s of designs with customized messaging and matching envelopes at prices significantly less than purchasing cards in boxed sets from retailers.
For more information:
CR Digital Designs
http://holidaycardwebsite.com
877-362–8942
FAX 877-209-3420
sales@crdigitaldesign.com
Better Business Bureau Warns of Dangers on Santa Sites
The Better Business Bureau is advising parents to be on alert when it comes to “Dear Santa” sites this Christmas.
The BBB reports more than 60 domain names have been registered in the name of Santa Claus and not all have the same wholesome intent as the real Jolly St. Nick.
All of the sites offer children the opportunity to email Santa with their wish list but some could potentially share personal information.
Parents are encouraged to review the site before allowing their child access. They should be able to determine who is requesting the information, how it will be used and if it will be shared with third parties.
According to the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) all websites directed at children should display a privacy policy explaining the site’s information collection practices. The policy should also include the company’s name and complete contact information.
CARU offers the following tips when reviewing a “Dear Santa” site:
- Check to see what they want you to hand over. Websites directed to children should not ask a child to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activity – a first name and email address, for instance.
- Limit the personal information children share with Santa and omit physical addresses. In many cases, there really shouldn’t be a need to share this information. Especially since Santa already knows where all the children live.
- Check websites for unwelcome content. Some sites are geared toward adults and may contain language or advertising adults may not want children to see.
- Check the links. Since hyperlinks can allow children to move seamlessly from one site to another, investigate the hyperlinks to assure children don’t access inappropriate content.
