All praise and worship to the lord on high
by Elaine Reimers, Adult Ministry Director
I have always loved music. Since the days when I was wearing diapers and before I can even remember, music has had the power to move me. I grew up with parents and an extended family who had a wide range of musical tastes, so I was exposed to nearly every genre. I remember listening to mostly country and doo-wop R&B with my mom as she would pat her leg to the beat. When I was with my dad, I recall listening to mostly R&B and pop music. My Aunt Karen would fly down the road, flicking the ashes of her Marlboro Red out the window with my cousin Melissa and me in the back seat, blaring music by artists including Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Queen. I have fond memories of listening to "Eye of the Tiger" over the years with my Uncle Rick while we watched the "Rocky" movies. My Vietnam Veteran stepdad would even break out his classical music/symphony vinyls at times. My friends and I listened to hip-hop, rap, and alternative music, and even dabbled in heavy metal and goth music for a short time. My mother tells me, as she giggles and reminisces, that whenever Hank William Jr.´s Born to Boogie would come on the radio, I couldn't stand still and I´d boogie all over the room. She says ¨that song just turned on your boogie!¨ and that I would come close to boogieing right out of my diaper. Can you imagine?!
As I have gotten older, my taste in music has not changed much, but I just don´t spend as much time listening to the same stuff. When I joined the staff at Mission Adelante in November of 2023, I had no idea that my role would eventually allow me to lead the praise and worship team at our Latino Church on Sunday evenings. When I was offered the spot to take Gissell Vazquez´s place as leader, I was nervous and felt underqualified. Although I absolutely love to sing, I am not the best singer, and, besides playing the recorder and a plastic harmonica in elementary school; giving my best shot at playing the string bass and singing in a chorus in junior high school; and, as an adult, volunteering as a mentor with a gospel music youth group called Next Generation KC (NGKC) for a year, I did not have any formal training in music or leading a team of singers and musicians. Thankfully, there is no ¨right¨ way to praise and worship!
Over the last couple of years, our praise and worship team has been comprised of people from our congregation and our staff. It´s been a beautiful thing to see people from both avenues feel led to get up on that stage and worship Jesus in a way that only they can. Although we have had a few constants, people have come and gone from the group over the past couple of years. Our constants: José Tellez has been our drummer on and off due to his work schedule for as long as I have been leading. José Godoy joined the team as our electric bass player, prompted by one of my earliest desperate pleas to grow our team. Jarrett has always made himself available to play the guitar and sing his heart out when needed. SHOUT OUT to Lucy, our young, talented, and outstanding singer and pianist, who we were blessed to have on the team full-time for over a year. (It was an honor to have you and see you grow. I really miss worshipping with you, Lucy! Please come baaaack!) People I am thankful to have had on our team in the past and miss now: Gissell, Lester & Yacenia, Juan & Carrie, and Liliam.
More recently, we have had a surge in the number of worshippers on our tiny stage. When I heard that Lucy was leaving us to go to college last Fall, I panicked and attempted to learn to play the piano. It has not come easily to me, and although I am still learning to play, I am so grateful that Patrique has a natural and very recently discovered talent for playing! I am so proud of you, Patrique! Since acquiring a new piano player, our team has continued to grow as we have received the blessing of others with the will and desire to praise and worship front and center: Carla, Erika, Ramón, Elian, and Rosmerys. Oh, and we can´t leave out the Google Slides lyrics DJs Kristina and Erick!
Worship is such a unique and sacred act, and one of my favorite things about being on the stage, looking into our small crowd of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, is seeing everyone´s true worship. Hands raised in total surrender. Tears shed for the lost, sick, and broken. Hearts being poured out at the feet of Jesus in total adoration. At times, there are more people on the stage than there are in the congregation, but God hears us all the same. My prayer for our church would be that we continue to offer our worship up to the God of the universe with reverence, and that it would grow not just in number, but that our congregation would also worship and praise Him as a living sacrifice, even when we don´t feel like it and even when times are tough. In Jesus´ name. Amen and amen.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ”
Key Dates in 2026
Trimester 2:
New Volunteer Orientation: Interested in serving with immigrant and refugee kids, youth, or adults in KCK? Come learn more about Mission Adelante and the work we do on Saturday, May 16th at 9am. Register here.