I have two new resources to share that came to our congregation through a Kenyan brother who serves on our Music Team, Karl Katumu. Karl and I have been friends for a number of years now, but his family has been friends for several decades with my wife and her family, the Meiners, who serve with Mission to the World. These kinds of long term friendships are the real treasures of cross-cultural ministry. We serve alongside people who come from such different contexts and yet we are one family in Christ. It's a glorious miracle!

Sometimes, I get asked, "Where do you find all your great worship songs from these other cultures?" I can't ever really give people an easy answer because there is no short cut to relationships. You need to invest years of quality time with people, breaking down barriers, establishing trust and letting go of your self-interested motivations. NCFMusic.com provides a lot of excellent resources for cross-cultural worship, but it will not be a substitute for the work that any local congregation has to do to become the family of God through reconciliation.

These songs are both in Swahili and can be simple additions to your repertoire even for non-Swahili speakers. "Moyo Wangu" may have an original composer out there, but I haven't been able to locate a name anywhere. It is a celebration song that emphasizes the resurrection of Christ. "Amenitendea" is a simple chorus with many verses which can be added or subtracted based on your needs, and it focuses on what Emanuel has done for you and me.  They could make good additions to your Easter or Advent seasons.