that we’ re part of something so great and so massive and so beyond just our little church and our little stream. And we’ re part of a great story that is continuing to be written, right? We’ re the next in line and it’ s continuing to be written.
[ WM ] Wow! Right on. Let’ s change directions for a few minutes. I want to take you back to a fond memory I have of you. I was a concert promoter here in the Northwest and I was producing three Delirious? shows. And the first time I met you, you arrived in Spokane and you came to sound check as you were actually opening up for Delirious? there on that leg of the tour. Do you remember way back when?
[ Chris ] That? Oh gosh, yes. Do I remember? It’ s one of the best memories of my life to this day. It’ s such a marking moment in my life. That Delirious? tour, yes, I remember it very well.
[ WM ] We did Spokane, WA, then we did Tacoma, WA, then Salem, OR. So we had three nights in a row. Delirious? was my favorite live worship band because they were a tight band. They would follow anywhere that Martin Smith led them as the frontman. It was really cool.
[ Chris ] It was incredible. Yes. I love Martin. He and I are still close friends.
I set it up the best I could and kind of gave the weight of the moment, and this is what we’ re doing. We’ re the first people to sing these words since then that we know of. And so that felt amazing. It turned into such an incredible moment.
[ WM ] What would you hope that worship team members( and Christians in general) that see First Hymn take away from the film?
[ Chris ] I hope that they realize that again, the heritage that we have of music, that worship is not a couple of decades old. And what we think of it is, and we go back, it goes back, no other music has this kind of heritage. No other music has this kind of, I don’ t know, life and death for it. And I think about when we sing these words, these people that were probably huddled up in some little home singing these words would have no idea that 1800 years later, a group of Christians would gather in churches and sing these same words that they were singing.
And that just tells me that the kingdom of God is huge and massive. And it’ s a reminder
[ WM ] Good. And then another fond memory. My partner in the Christian Musician Summit conferences( and designer of these magazines) Matt Kees booked you at his church, Our Savior Lutheran Church, in Tacoma. It seats a little more than 500 folks. Matt called up our only Christian radio station back then, KCMS Radio and said,“ Hey, can you at play some of Chris’ s songs on the radio because we’ re going to do a concert and we think your listeners will really like his music.” And they replied,“ We don’ t do worship music.” I was buying lots of radio ads for my concerts on their station and I persisted with the favor we were asking. The station offered to have you come into the radio studio as a guest on the morning drive time, and so Matt had to get you very early in the
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