You who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.” (Psalm 135:2-3)
Worship is an essential part of our church. And God created music so that we could worship him. So that we can praise Him and glorify Him.
In each service we have a time where personally and together as a church, we can come before God to worship him for who He is, and for His amazing love and grace.
video
In 2008, our worship team recorded the live worship album “How Great is our Great”.
This new, two-part “Making of” video gives a little glimpse into some of the people and stories that happened behind the scenes .....
Part 2
conferences
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School of Ministry
Clicking on the links below you can listen to the teachings and download their notes on the topic of worship which were taught at the School of Ministry between March 9 and April 27, 2009.
week topic
speaker
recording
notes
1
Worship Evangelism
Mike Payne
mp3 pdf 2 What is the role of a Worship Leader?
Mike Payne
mp3
pdf 3 Holy, holy, holy
Gábor Dobrocsi
mp3 pdf 4 Song expression Mike Payne mp3 pdf 5 Worship Leaders from a Pastor’s Perspective Phil Metzger mp3 6 Working as a team
Mike Payne
mp3 pdf 7 Discipleship Mark Walsh
mp3 pdf -
Who can find a good musician?
You can listen to the studies from the 2007 Calvary Chapel Budapest Worship Conference by clicking on the topics below.
At the conference we were examining the attributes of David from 1 Samuel 16:16-19 and talking about what somebody in the worship ministry should be like.
1. “skillful player on the harp” – Michael Payne
2. “a mighty man of valor, a man of war” – Michael Payne
3. “prudent in speech and a handsome person” – Michael Payne
4. “the LORD is with him” – Michael Payne
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Creativity in the church conference 2004
You can listen to the teachings of the 2004 Creativity in the church conference in mp3 format by clicking at the title of the lectures.
Creativity in the Bible – Mike Payne
The Artist in the World – István Madarász
The Artist in the Church – Iván Folk
The Barriers of the Artist – Matt Schellenberg
Songwriter’s forum
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worship conference in Calvary Bp. in 2003
You can listen to the teachings of the 2003 worship conference in mp3 format by clicking at the title of the lectures.
Opening session – Kim Hutchcroft
session #2 – Greg Opean
session #3 – Kim Hutchcroft
session #4 – Folk Iván
session #5 – Phil Metzger
session #6 – Kim Hutchcroft
session #7 – Mike Payne
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worship conference in Calvary Bp. in 2002
You can listen to the teachings of the 2002 worship conference in mp3 format by clicking at the title of the lectures.
The Role of the Worship Leader – Michael Payne
Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit – Mark Zeeman
Practical advice to worship teams – Michael Payne
Worship as a lifestlye – Michael Payne
articles
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Student of the Word
Although through God all things are possible, it is not in your best interest or that of the church's if you lead people in the worship of a God you do not know. Though it is true that we will not truly understand our Creator until we see Him face to face in heaven, He has given us His Word revealing a glimpse of what that joyous time in heaven will be like.
We need to become experts in this revelation for several reasons:
- Your relationship with the Lord will continually be refreshed as you learn more and more about Him. His greatness, goodness, mercy and grace will lead you as you lead others.
- Your sensitivity to the Spirit of God will increase causing the worship ministry and teaching ministry to continuously complement one another.
- Your song selection will be in line with what God is doing in your church and with the vision that God has given the pastor.
- If you have a gift for song writing, you will have greater insight and in turn more creative and powerful songs.
- Discipleship – as a leader of your worship team and within the church itself you have a responsibility to lead by example, but you will also be called on from time to time to disciple others, whether in your worship team, or church as a whole. God has called us all to be a shepherd to someone, and we need to be able to instruct and pass on the things God has given us in His Word.
- Greater Discernment
We will have discernment concerning new people in the church who seem to have these great new ideas for you worship team, who might be overflowing with zeal but lacking in knowledge, or they just have their own private agenda. God's Word gives us tools to confront these issues and not get sidetracked by the latest trend happening in Christian music.
I’m sure there are many more reasons you can think of for why being a Student of God’s Word is important. The gift of music that God has given you is an extension of the relationship you have with Him, which is why the knowledge of Him should be the foundation for all that you do.
Blessings,
Mike Payne
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all watermelons look alike
Have you ever traveled out of Debrecen heading out on the 4 highway during watermelon season and seen no less than 20 watermelon stands all selling watermelons? How do I know which one to stop at, or which one is the best, they all look the same? I just recently came back from a trip to Korond in Romania where they make a lot of pottery. Every store looked the same to me. Some of the more courageous and energetic shoppers (mostly women) found some interesting differences, but to me it all looked the same. The same thing, here in Budapest down at Deák tér during tourist season. The same hand bags, same tablecloths, no variety, no creativity.
We are a world who likes formulas, we like our comfort zones. I know when I go into McDonalds the bathroom will be clean, the menu short, the coffee hot, the tables clean. I always seem to order the same thing when I go to a restaurant. (Now my wife on the other hand loves to try new things.)
Unfortunately this lifestyle has crept into the church. We like everything to be in its place and we don’t like any surprises. Creativity is not encouraged from out of community, but is left to those who are brave enough to go against the flow. This is especially true in music. As the years go by and God does new things through different kinds of music, some churches embrace it, and some give the famous line – “we have never done that before”.
I see two extremes happening in the church, both lacking the creativity God himself displays for us in the pages of the Bible.
The first is never breaking free from the traditions of the past. Unfortunately this usually always spells death for any movement of God. History clearly shows that whenever God wanted to do something new, he used someone new. Many times this person was outside the mainstream Christian establishment. And many times the music was outside of what was considered normal in those times. Consider Martin Luther putting Christian words to common bar tunes of his day, or many of the famous choruses that came out of the Jesus Movement in the 70's in the USA. In this extreme, creativity is seen as rebellion and is discouraged and usually leads to bitter divisions.
(Let me make an important distinction here. Creativity in this context could be interpreted as not conforming to the old way of thinking, but should not be confused with contradiction of the biblical foundations of the bible. Anything new in the church should always be checked with the bible (I Thessalonians 5:1, Jude 3). Creativity and innovation in music and art should not be without boundaries and structure, but build on the foundation of God’s Word.)
The second lends itself equally to the quenching of the spirit, but is not as readily recognized because of all the earthly effort that goes into it – When churches find themselves following whatever trend is happening in the mainstream Christian establishment. The style of music, the delivery of the gospel, etc... This extreme also has a famous saying – “This is the way they do it at their church” No one stops to ask – “What is it that God wants to do in our church?” No!!, we must have this song or that preacher, or this program, or God will not show up. Burnout and disillusionment are the by-products of this extreme.
So what is the balance to all this. First of all it is an understanding that God wants no image made of Himself (Exodus 4:4) – 3rd commandment. Second in answer to the woman's question at the well (John 4) – we are not to worship on a particular mountain, but in Spirit and in Truth. We are so prone to put a face on God, to try and put Him in a box, mold Him into an image we can see and touch and feel. The ministry of Jesus was full of creativity, and it is very hard to create formulas from His life. He did what His Father in heaven told him and the result was beauty. The religious establishment of the day was incensed by his methods. So much so, that they killed him. Are we in danger of killing true creativity in our churches? Are we free and willing to be used by God as an instrument in His hand? Are we as leaders in our churches encouraging creativity in music and art as a community? What is the Spirit of God wanting to do in your church are you willing to join Him in accomplishing it?
In His Grace,
Mike Payne
Calvary Chapel Budapest
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guitar 101
Your guitar is a very versatile instrument and is only limited by your ability to play it. I once read that the guitar is the easiest instrument to learn how to play, but the hardest to master. A couple of hours a day will have you playing some of your favorite worship songs in a month.
Great musicians and mediocre musicians are separated only by desire. As with most things in life – nothing comes easy, it requires hard work and the guitar is no exception. Guitar playing boils down to understanding a few musical concepts and a lot of muscle memory. And even little or no understanding of music theory will not hinder you from sounding great on your guitar. As long as you know you alphabet and can read G, C, D – you will be sounding good.
I would like to share a few basic concepts that will expand your guitar playing, adding color and style to your music. If you are a worship leader this will help you add personality to your songs, so they don’t all sound the same, removing some of the monotony that so quickly creeps into music.
1. You should think of your guitar as a six instrument orchestra. The low bass section with cellos and rhythm, the highs with the flutes and violins, and the horns in the middle. The guitar covers a wide frequency range. In an orchestra all the instruments do not play all the time all the way through the song. The instruments come in and out creating different dynamics and colors, making the music live, giving it emotion. This same idea is carried over to your guitar. You don’t need to play all the strings all the time. This will get boring really fast. Create rhythm with the bass strings, color with the high strings. Strum and finger-pick, trying to bring your song to life. Play quiet, play loud. Compliment your playing with the words of the song. How you play a song, is almost as important as the song itself. You can add to or take away from the effectiveness of a worship song by how you play it.
2. Chords, chords, chords – learn as many chords as you can and incorporate them into your worship songs. Learn how to play chord fractions [i.e. D/fisz, G/H, A/E, etc...], learn about chord subsitutions. The types of chords you use can turn a boring song into a powerful one.
3. Rhythm is one of the hardest things about playing guitar as a worship leader or in a worship band. It is very easy to get stuck on one rhythm and play it in every song. This might not be so bad if you are in a band, but if you play alone, this can get boring very soon. Learning to play rhythm can be accomplished by reading rhythm charts, or as I did it, by listening to music and trying imitate the rhythm with my guitar. The best way to do this is by listening to the relationship between the drums and the bass and then trying to mimic that with you guitar. Not an easy task, but well worth the effort if you give it a try. The more you do this, the easier it becomes.
4. Learn how to play clean. Don’t play strings that are not supposed to be played. Learn how to use your other fingers to mute strings that are not supposed to be played. There is nothing worse than listening to someone play a D-Chord and listening to them play the E and A Strings as well. It sounds horrible. Learning what notes not to play is also important to making your guitar playing sound good.
5. Practice, practice, practice and when you are done practicing, practice some more. Work on your new chords or rhythm until you really know them. The indicator for me is when I can play something new in front of people without feeling nervous about it. You need to get a new concept from your brain into your fingers. People sometimes ask me – “Do you know this or that song?” – and my reply is no, but my fingers might know it. You have to practice until your hands move automatically without even having to think much about it. If you sing and play at the same time, this is essential.
I hope that some of these concepts will be useful to you, they have helped along the way to develop my abilities as a guitarist and worship leader. Maybe we will explore some of these concepts deeper in later lessons.
Blessings,
Mike Payne
Worship Leader
Calvary Chapel Budapest
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the fear of God
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1–4)
We can learn a few valuable lessons from Isaiah’s encounter with the presence of God. Lessons which can bring back the sincerity, love and adoration that maybe lacking in our relationship with our Father in heaven. We all encounter times in our Christian walk when our worship is mediocre, lacking in sincerity. Maybe we are just going through the motions, overcome with distractions in the worship service or in our private devotions. We’re always talking of how great it was in the past and our worship experience of God is not something of the present. Maybe our priorities in life have changed and our devotion to God is somewhere at the bottom of those things important to us.
Consider Isaiah’s reaction as he was there in the presence of God - “...woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5).
Isaiah realized he had no business being anywhere near the presence of God. The idea in the text is that death was eminent for Isaiah unless there was some outside intervention. The chasm that has separated man and God since the fall of Adam was made clear to Isaiah. And as a burning match could not survive in an ocean of water, so Isaiah realized his predicament. The fear of judgement for his sin was real.
As Christians we don’t need to fear God in the sense that He is waiting to punish us at every turn. This is condemnation and there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Jesus bridged the gap that separated us from the Father (Eph 2). But the bible also says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy understanding.” – Proverbs 9:10. This is a healthy fear, as someone might have with fire; if it is respected it can be used for good, if abused it can kill. The fear of the Lord is manifest in reverence and respect, and when in His presence, it means complete focus and devotion to Him, recognizing Him not only as our Father, but also our creator and Lord; all powerful, all knowing, righteous and holy.
The theme for this article was sparked by an experience I had at a 24 hour worship event. I was amazed to see how people could be at one moment engaged in worship and the next grabbing for their mobile phone as it rings, not only disturbing those around them, but bringing into question their level of engagement in worship. I’ve seen people run out of prayer meetings to answer their phones or even right there in the meeting. Is God big enough in our eyes to take care of our lives for at least 2 hours a week? Allow me to rephrase Isaiah's experience to represent some of the things I have experienced over the years as a worship leader {caution - sarcasm} – “Woe Lord, let us get to the point, for I am a man of little time, and I dwell in the midst of a people with little time. And my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts, and that robe he is wearing is just not 20th century. We need to get Him some new threads to make him relevant. And can they sing another song, I know I have heard this one before – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord”, I think we have worn this one out. And...just a minute Lord, let me answer my phone before we do the whole burning coal thing"
Much of the church today wastes time trying to make God relevant to the people instead of presenting Him as the scripture does – Holy, Righteous and full of love for His children. A God full of grace who desires to give blessing and gifts to those He loves. A great worship band, the latest songs, an entertaining preacher might create a great atmosphere for people to encounter God, but our experience comes down to our knowledge of His greatness, His holiness and His love for us and consequently our disparity without Him. A true encounter with God transcends any generational, ethnic, denominational or cultural gap.
Humbleness is key in this discussion and is shown to us by the seraphim in vs. 2 of Isaiah 6. They had six wings, four of which they used to cover themselves – a sign of humbleness, and two they used in flying. Our humbleness before the Lord should exceed our activity for Him. Lack of humility usually is accompanied with lack of reverence and results in a lot of our flesh being shown to the world. Not enough time at the feet of Jesus results in a life of distraction and resentment of those who are not working as much as us. (i.e. Mary and Martha). “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” – James 4:10 What freedom we have when God lifts us up. We fly instead of walk, life is full and abundant, His presence is a place of refuge and love. Not a place we dread to go.
- Is there a healthy fear of the Lord in our lives resulting in a true understanding of His nature and our response to that? Maybe our lips of flesh need to be burned with fire so that the Spirit of God can speak more effectively into our lives and through our lives (Is 6:7).
- Do our priorities need to be re-sorted, giving our creator the pre-eminence? (Col 1:18)
Verses for further study on the ‘Fear of the Lord and wisdom’ – Job 28:28, Psalms 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, 15:33, Isaiah 11:2, 33:6
God bless,
Michael Payne,
Worship Leader
Calvary Budapest
interview
interview with Mike Payne
What things awaken the wonder of God in you?His day to day faithfulness to my family and I. God is the greatest promise-keeper, He is always on time, does what He says He will do, and is always there. If I keep my eyes fixed on Him, He always seems to take care of the life around me – what to do next, important decisions, finances, etc…Even in my unfaithfulness, He is faithful.
What is worship really about?Worship is about our response to God’s revelation of Himself. The more I learn and experience about God and His love for me, the more I want to lift my voice and praise Him. It is also about obedience – Romans 12:1. Worship is more than 30 minutes on Sunday, but a lifestyle of obedience to His call on my life, being surrendered to Him even when the feelings are not there. God is more concerned with who I am on Monday than if I sang the right notes on Sunday.
What are some ways you see God working in and through the worship in our church?
I think the two words that I hear the most from people are ‘release’ and ‘perspective’. Many people have told me that through worship the things in their hearts, the expressions of love for God are set free. They feel they can be themselves before their creator.
For some they can get a true perspective of life in worship and the things that are most important. The things of the world fade away and they are able to see through spiritual eyes and worship God in the knowledge that He is in control.
How did you get called to become a worship leader?
I have been playing on worship teams for over 20 years now – piano, drums, guitar. I grew up in a Christian home, so I was leading worship at my parents’ home fellowship at an early age. Wherever I went during my time in the military, I would find a bible study somewhere or home fellowship and before long I was leading the worship. I always felt it was something that God had called me to, but I never thought I would end up in
What are some of the most rewarding aspects, for you and the worship team, of being involved in this ministry? What are some of the challenges?
The most rewarding experience of being involved with a worship team is found on several levels: Being together with like-minded musicians and sharing your abilities and talents with one another and unto the Lord, but also serving in one purpose as servants of God unto Him. The greatest reward is when everyone involved, the musicians and the congregation are there before God and everyone knows that this is a special moment, the worship team knows that God has taken their offering and multiplied it one hundred times over and God’s glory is made manifest amongst us.
The toughest challenge is trying not to make things happen when those special moments don’t seem to be happening, trying to manipulate the congregation on an emotional level. Our job is to be obedient to God’s calling as a worship team and be committed to serving Him and He will take care of the congregation.
Do you and the worship team have any favorite songs?
Yes we have favorite songs, and each member has different favorite songs which keeps things interesting. Songs become older faster for us since we sing them 20 times before the congregation hears it once. We have songs that we don’t like but we sing them anyway because there are church members that like them. We are always trying to keep things “fresh” while holding on to the old, good songs.
In 2006, the worship team traveled to some remote places to lead worship and do some concerts – places like
Doing outreach is always a good thing. It takes you out of your comfort zone, puts you in front of different people. These experiences always draw the worship team members together in prayer and fellowship. I am always energized leading different groups in worship.
The worship team has already recorded a couple of worship albums. Is this something you are planning to continue doing?
We are always planning to do something more, but time and money are always factors. You can always pray for this. We have a lot of new songs that would be great to put on tape and make available.
What advice do you have for any young musicians, who are thinking they’d like to join a worship team some day?
Practice, Practice, Practice, Pray, Pray, Pray. Great musicians do not always make the best worship team members – that is why you should pray and practice. Pray that your gift and talent does not get in the way of you serving the Lord. A worship team is a hard environment to be a musician in. You have to be very flexible and patient and self-sacrificing. You have to learn to follow before you can lead – this is a hard lesson.
If someone is interested in being a part of our worship team, what should they do?
Very few people get on the worship team by just asking me. Most people come recommended by someone I know and trust, or I have personally asked someone to join whom I felt qualified to be on the team. Those who would like to be part of any ministry should pray and then let God open and close the doors. I look for people who have already been faithfully serving in the worship ministry somewhere else, whether it be in home fellowship, youth group, etc.… I led worship for many years in a home fellowship, then after that 3 years in a retirement home. Out of the 20 years I have been involved in the worship ministry, only the last 5 have been as a worship leader with a large band, big stage, and a large congregation. God taught me many lessons through those years, and I still continue to learn. God will take His time to mold the people He wants, and I want to be faithful to receive them when He sends them.
sound team
sound team
The sound team performs a vital role in our worship.
The team works on a rotating schedule – so that 1 sound guy is always at worship practices on Saturdays, and then at church early on Sundays and Wednesdays to setup the sound.
If you are interested in being part of the sound team, even if you don’t have any experience in sound, please talk with Mike Payne, our worship leader.
news
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Nagy Vagy Urunk – Behind the Scenes video
In 2008, our worship team recorded the live worship album “How Great is our God”.
A new, two-part “Making of” video gives a little glimpse into some of the people and stories that happened behind the scenes .....
To watch the video, please click on the “video” tab on this page.
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elindult a webshop
ELINDULT a golgota webáruház, ahol online megvásárolhatod a gyülekezetünkben kapható cédéket, dévédéket, könyveket, kottáskönyveket
stb. A kapható cédék dalait egyenénk mp3 formátumban is megvásárolhatod.
Legújabb cédénk Dobner Illés: Állomások c. albuma, amelyhez 2900 Ft-os áron a Könyveasztalnál is hozzájuthatsz.
Nézz körül a webshopban még ma!
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Classical worship on DVD and CD
Watch their live worship concert from a Sunday Night service that was held in February 2009. The interviews with the team and the bonus audio CD makes this new release a real treat.
„Klasszikus Vasárnap Este” (Classical Sunday Night) is a brand new DVD & CD featuring our Classical Worship Team.
Available at the Book Table for 2000 HUF.
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new live worship CD
The new live worship CD or our worship team is now available in our church (2500 HUF) and in the Christian bookstores.
To watch a short film of the CD, please click here
To download the chords and lyrics of the songs, please click here .
Songs on the CD:
Rám találtál
Barátom lett az Úr
A kegyelmed elég
Több mint elég
Áldom szent neved
Nem engedsz el
Fenséges Isten vagy
Ha indul a dicséret
Leborulva
Arcra borulok
A mennyben fent
Nagy vagy, Urunk
Nem miénk
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Rólad szól 1: new sheet music songbook

Rólad szól 1. the new hard cover songbook has been published!
You will find sheet music and chords for 37 worship songs including the most popular songs from the best Golgota CDs (Nagy vagy, Urunk; Te éltetsz engem; Mea: Az életem legszebb napja; Hûsége végtelen) and yet to be published songs of Hungarian songwriters (Illés Dobner: Köszönöm a vért, Gábor Dobrocsi: Trónodnál).
In the appendix of the songbook there is a selection of useful guitar chords and empty chord chart pages which are very handy for jotting down your own chord ideas.
This is a great resource for worship leaders, but also highly recommended for any musicians.
It is available at our book table and also in the Christian book stores.











