"New Prayer Song"
Gretchen Weller Mertes came out of the womb singing, and hasn't stopped yet.
In a past life, she toured around the countryside in true Lutheran Rockstar fashion, playing at youth gatherings and churches across the country, and sharing the stage with other Lutheran royalty such as Rachel Kurtz, Dave Scherer, Jonathan Rundman, Peder Eide, and many more.
One time, Gretchen's band 'The Pull' won a Madison Area Music Award for best 'Other' album, much to their gladness and surprise. (Those Madison rockers never knew what to do with an album about Jesus. But at least they knew good music when they heard it!)
Today, Gretchen is the mission developer for Luther’s Table, a ministry of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Renton, WA. At Luther’s Table, she says, we choose “to follow Jesus’ practice of building relationships around table, and offer Luther’s Table as a gathering place for the people of this community to connect, honor each other’s gifts and talents, and offer gifts of service to others.”
Gretchen also enjoys raising her daughter Advent with her husband and bass player, Ryan.
Enter your best Lutheran alternative worship song.
Up to two winning songs will be published in the next volume of Songs For Worship!
ENTRY RULES
1) The song must be original, and entirely your own composition. Your song may be a collaboration of more than one person.
2) The composer(s) must be Lutheran: ELCA, LCMS, WELS, LWF, Lutheran Brethren, Apostolic Lutheran, Church of Norway, Church of Sweden, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, etc.
3) Record the song in a MP3, M4A, or similar format.
Our panel of judges will be the singer-songwriters of volume 2 of Lutheran Songs Today.
CRITERIA FOR JUDGING
* consistency of lyrics rooted in Lutheran theology and practice
* sing-ability of melody
* play-ability of music by instrumentalists