JFH News: Cross Point Music Announces First-Ever LP, "Never Going Back," Releasing July 23

CROSS POINT MUSIC ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER LP NEVER GOING BACK TO RELEASE JULY 23

Declarative, Joyful First Single “Oh The Wonder” Releases Today

NEWS SOURCE: Hoganson Media
March 19, 2021

Nashville’s Cross Point Music is set to release its first-ever LP, Never Going Back, July 23 from Centricity Music. Written and recorded by this collective of nearly 400 volunteer musicians, vocalists and songwriters anchored by worship leaders Mike Grayson and Cheryl Stark, the new seven-song LP features the lead single, “Oh The Wonder,” which releases today and is available now at digital and streaming outlets everywhere.

Led by Grayson and co-written by Grayson, Stark, Heath Balltzglier (North Point Worship) and Matt Armstrong, “Oh The Wonder” is a surprisingly joyful song. It was written during the pandemic last August as members of the Cross Point Music worship team were prayerfully asking God, “Where are we and where do we need to go? What’s next? Lord give us a song for where you are taking us.”

“There was a moment, a sense of freedom to move,” reflects Grayson, who is the former frontman of MIKESCHAIR. “We felt like the Lord was saying, ‘Joy is coming, and help people see it.’ It felt so weird to still be on Zoom – we weren’t even in the same room – writing a song about joy and acknowledging the joy we have because of what Jesus has done. Even in the midst of the pandemic, this is still true.”

“I remember when we wrote the bridge of the song, Mike said, ‘That was the moment for me where the skies began to part’,” recalls Stark, who previously served as a country writer for Sony/ATV and is married to Apollo LTD member Adam Stark. “I knew that for him this was a huge moment of perspective shift. Hey, we are not going to be stuck here forever. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus, and this is where we are going.”

I’ve got joy that’s found in a heavenly hope

Peace like a river down in my soul

I’m held by the power of the Holy Ghost

Oh what a wonder

(“Oh The Wonder” bridge)

“My prayer is that our church and the people of God would see that His faithfulness has gotten them to where they are,” adds Stark, calling attention to Psalm 126. “…and the prayers that they prayed in their darkest moments, they will return back home with armfuls of laughter and blessing.”

Along with the new single, the full Never Going Back LP is the result of the Cross Point Music team realizing that God has been moving them forward, through even this incredibly tough pandemic season that began right after their main downtown Nashville church campus was largely destroyed by a tornado.

“We have learned so much about worship and who God is that we never want to go back,” affirms Grayson. “We all learned how to worship again from a place of ‘I’ve got nothing but me and my room.’ No stage, no lights, no people even. You’re singing to a phone and it’s like, ‘Lord, I trust that you are going to use it.’

“I’m so pumped for people to experience what came from these songs and these recordings,” continues Grayson. “The fact that this recording all happened in the last year is only a God thing. That we were able to write, record and videotape songs….it is a celebration of what God did and what He is continuing to do.”

The new single and upcoming LP follows Cross Point Music’s debut EP Never Stop Singing that released in January and features the title track along with three more original songs. Each song was organically birthed from the worship emanating from Cross Point Church, which serves about 10,000 people across six campuses in and around Music City.

For all the latest Cross Point Music news, visit https://crosspoint.tv/music/, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music.

About Cross Point Music:

In the heart of Music City sits a church that believes everyone’s welcome, nobody’s perfect and anything’s possible. It’s a mantra that’s carried Cross Point Church across the past 15 years of its existence and a vision that’s shaped its primary musical expression, Cross Point Music, into a collective that seeks out collaboration both inside and outside the walls of their church. Helmed by lead pastor Kevin Queen, Cross Point is a multi-site church for the spiritually curious, a place for people to find and follow Jesus. Moreover, their robust web presence reaches people around the world through digital discipleship and online evangelism.

About Centricity Music:

Centricity is an independent Christian music company based in Franklin, TN. Founded in 2005 with a commitment to artist development and stylistic diversity, its artist roster includes Andrew Peterson, Apollo LTD, Caitie Hurst, Chris Renzema, Coby James, Cross Point Music, Jason Gray, Jonny Diaz, Jordan Feliz, Lauren Daigle, Neon Feather, North Point Worship, Patrick Mayberry, PEABOD and Unspoken. Providing label and publishing services, Centricity is a family-owned organization, and they like it that way. The committed work of its staff and artists has yielded successes such as Grammy Awards, Billboard Awards, Dove Awards, K-Love Fan Awards, and multiple Gold and Platinum Albums and Singles. For more information on Centricity Music, visit www.centricitymusic.com.

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