Page 13 - MyFaith Dec 2016(1)

So after six months of purging through
a quarter-century of life as they knew it,
Paul and Rita left their church family with
a blessing, and headed back to the land
from whence they came, the northeast.
They bounced around between their oldest
daughter Sarah’s place near Philadelphia and
their son David’s studio apartment, eventually including worship leaders and musicians
landing in a one-bedroom apartment in New
York City.
“Parenthood is not for the fainthearted,” says ( John Arndt, David Gungor) along with Onaje
Paul, who is the grandfather of two. “Young
adult children need you just as much as
younger children do, a fact that continues to
challenge my self-centeredness. It’s a fantasy and Madison Cunningham also make ap-
that we get to do whatever we want when
we want, but I have to learn to be a better
listener
and only give advice when it’s asked for.
When they are adults, you start relating to
them as adults, but our nature is to want to
guard them from making mistakes, life-alter-
ing consequences… It’s a delicate balancing
act, like in marriage.”
But it’s a balancing act that the Baloches
gladly attempt while continuing to transition
into this new adventure. “We don’t know ex-
actly what we’re going to do here,” said Paul
after the move. “But our prayer is, ‘Lord, we
would like to be available to the church here
in NY, and to be an aunt and uncle or mother
and father to these kids in ministry who are
just getting started’.”
Over the last 18 months, Baloche has been
featured at festivals, conferences and work-
shops in the US, UK, France, India, Nether-
lands and Philippines. He has also plugged
into a church where his son—himself
CL myfaithmag.com
a singer/songwriter and teacher—attends, One of the perks of this season of life, he
and has begun building a new community, says, is “knowing who you are, and what
reaching out to churches like Christ Taber- you’re good at, and even though we tend to
nacle in the Bronx, Redeemer Church and discount our experiences, I consider it a gift
Trinity Grace. to be trusted by worship teams of various
denominations, a precious gift. And for as
Most recently, members of this community, long as they’ll let me, I want to be an authen-
tic voice… sharing, listening, praying, advising,
from around NY and the northeast, joined a friend and pastor to other pastors… to
him in creating a new album. This com- affirm and serve the church with no agenda
munity includes labelmates The Brilliance and to experience the beauty in that.”
Jefferson (Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir) and “Most of all, I want to be an authentic human,
worship leaders/musicians from New York a faithful husband and father,” says Paul, who
and the northeast. Vocalists Jennifer Holm beams with pride over David’s latest video
production, daughter Cherie’s entrance into a
pearances, and Baloche’s wife, Rita, and son, Master’s program and Sarah’s growing fam-
David, round out the contributions. ily. “To finish well, maybe in 50 years or so,
that’s my deepest desire. I hold it precious.”
The resulting project, Your Mercy, which has
already received a 5-star review from Wor-
ship Leader magazine, is available globally
in stores and on digital platforms through
Integrity Music.
Recorded live in a Brooklyn studio, Your
Mercy seems an appropriate title for this new
season as this “worship pastor of worship
pastors” depends anew on God.
Paul describes the project as “honest worship
sessions with very few overdubs… no digital
instruments or synthesizers... a back-to-ba-
sics simplicity, singing together new prayers
and songs as a community to glorify God.”
For Paul, who has spent the past 30 years
teaching and training worship leaders around
the world—with instructional DVDs translated
into 10 languages and albums in three lan-
guages—this new chapter holds great prom-
ise on both personal and ministry fronts.
DECEMBER 2016 - JANUARY 2017 | 13