the real Chris Marsh

I count myself of one of the privileged few to have been able to observe Vicky Beeching’s journey in ministry from its early beginnings all those years back at youth group in Canterbury. Even then, she had a quiet soul and a gentle spirit, and above all the heart of a true worshipper. In fact, it was during a Christian Union weekend away 15 long years ago that I borrowed her guitar briefly and strummed out the two chords I knew, which was the catalyst that pushed me to learn properly and ultimately pursue what became a clear call on my life to go into ministry, bringing me to where I am today leading the worship ministry at St James in Pimlico, London! What a journey! But that was back in 1995 – new things were happening in worship; Delirious were big news, Soul Survivor had birthed Matt Redman’s ministry, and was already raising up a young Tim Hughes.

Vicky’s not just a worship leader, or even simply a great songwriter – she’s a theologian. Oxford trained, no less, she’s not afraid to bring the occasional weightier concepts of God alongside tried-and-tested words of Biblical truth. Just as Phil Wickham manages to use certain picture language in his songs that sometimes feel a little out of place in a traditional worship song, Vicky provocatively uses words and images that cause the mind to stumble briefly before carrying on – something I think we all sorely need in a culture where challenge isn’t always that trendy.

As she sings on her newly released EP,  in Blessing And Honour, “The atmosphere is changing as eternity invades / And suddenly above us the floor of heaven breaks…”, the words invite the power of the Holy Spirit to break through. It’s big, it’s powerful, it’s challenging, and it has to be my stand-out track -  with the kind of chorus/bridge I just can’t wait to let loose on a congregation sometime soon! It’s exactly the kind of worship song that leaves me thinking ‘Drat, now why didn’t I come up with that?’

The sound is modern, the production is tight, and Vicky’s songwriting has clearly been influenced by the CCM circles she’s found herself in since relocating to the States. The end of Deliverer bears a passing resemblance to It’s Your Love off last year’s Hillsong offering, Faith+Hope+Love, but that doesn’t stop it from being a well defined hook that stays in your head for some time.

The EP is available now on iTunes, and at £1.79, it’s a snip.

As a bit of a fan of X Factor 2008′s Diana Vickers, who came fourth in that competition, it came as great delight to me to hear she would be treading the boards of the Vaudeville Theatre to star in Jim Cartwright’s The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice.

Unsure how she would hold up in a singing/acting role, it was a pleasant surprise that Vickers held her own very well, giving a strong but necessarily understated performance. The meatier acting roles were handled deftly by a small but strong cast; Lesley Sharp was a tour de force as LV’s burnt out slapper of a mother, who barely stops to draw breath, and Marc Warren plays a loveable but altogether mercenary talent scout.

A nice touch was having the curtains up five minutes before the second half, introducing us to the club scene, with a drums-and-keys combo rattling out some particularly cheesy lounge nonsense.

The show runs until the end of January before Vickers goes back to the studio to complete her debut album, before starting on her first tour. Given her vocal performances from the opportunities provided here, she should become a real star.

someone put a tiny model of a man in an armchair on to of a bus stop by the Oval. Why?

As things come to a close for this year, and indeed this decade, I should at least acknowledge some things that have happened, and what I am looking forward to…

• Had an eventful year of work – yes I was in work all year, despite the recession! That said, having grown in ministry and personhood, I have come to the end of the year having lost a vicar and an associate minister, and the weight of that on my work has been significant. But powerful.
• Music has been an interesting one – not much of note has appeared, but there has definitely been some interesting work going around. Watch out for my yearly roundup coming soon.
• As a performer, I experienced the highs and lows of running an open mic night in central London – no easy task, and the location was also a tricky one. I’ll be giving it another go in the new year, and will be making an extra effort to get performing more regularly around the city.
• Looking ahead; I’m so full of vision and ambition. I often have to calm myself and take stock of what I am currently faced with. Even so, I’m definitely looking ahead to the further possibilities that lie before me, and I want to do the absolute best I can with whatever I am faced with.

Following a friend’s recommendation, I have been listening to “The Gospel According to Jazz”, by Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet. In places it’s a little overdramatic, and occasionaly the jazz can be a bit trite, but for jazz lovers it’s a great way to listen to the gospel in a new way.