NEW MUSIC
JAMES RIVER WORSHIP Holy Moment
Here” which is one of the strongest immediate congregational possibilities. It’ s energetic, celebratory and centered on the presence of the risen Christ, making it a good candidate for an opening song.
“ Jesus The Only” is a strong declaration of the identity and supremacy of Christ, while“ Room,” featuring John Wilds, draws from the throne-room imagery of Revelation and focuses on the awe and reverence of being completely centered on Jesus.
One of the album’ s strongest theological moments is“ The Wonderful Blood.” Its emphasis on Christ’ s blood, redemption and the cross gives the album an important Gospel anchor and makes the song especially useful for communion, Good Friday or Easter.
Overall, When You’ re In The Room is a strong contemporary worship project with a refreshingly clear center: Jesus Himself. This album stayed pretty typical to today’ s worship genre and some of the live arrangements may be longer than necessary for Sunday morning, but there are several songs underneath them with genuine congregational potential.
1. I’ ve Got Joy 2. Take Me to Zion 3. Unto The Lamb 4. We Give 5. Jehovah 6. Holy Moment 7. Rain Down 8. Healer of Heaven 9. Giant Killer 10. Highest Praise 11. The Declaration 12. Hallelujah I’ m Free 13. Build Your Church
James River Worship is the worship collective of James River Church that has multiple campuses in southwest Missouri. Their second full-length album, Holy Moment is a 13-song live project and brings a wonderful blend of modern contemporary and southern Gospel to the church.
The major themes running through the album are the presence and holiness of God, freedom in Christ, joy, surrender, the worthiness of Jesus, praise and spiritual renewal. There is also a strong emphasis on experiencing God’ s presence and expecting Him to actively work in the lives of His people.
One of the strongest congregational possibilities is“ I’ ve Got Joy,” featuring Don Hamilton. As
its title suggests, it is an energetic declaration of Christian joy and works well as an opening praise song.
“ Unto the Lamb,” featuring Annie Casler, moves in a different direction. It centers attention on the worthiness of Christ and worship of Jesus as the Lamb of God. The song fits naturally with themes of the cross, Revelation’ s picture of heavenly worship, communion and Christ’ s victory.
The title track,“ Holy Moment,” featuring Eli Brown, probably captures the album’ s overall purpose better than anything else on the record. It is built around recognizing God’ s presence and responding to Him with reverence and worship.
The closing track,“ Build Your Church”, first released by Elevation back in 2021, closes out the album with a bang. Naomi Rain’ s vocal chops mixed with the Gospel choir just absolutely knock the ball out of the park and this just might be my favorite track of 2026. This is what heaven might sound like.
Overall, Holy Moment is a BIG album and some of the arrangements here would need to be condensed for the local worship band for them to be effective songs in your playlist. There are a lot of great moments however and I think there are big things in store for James River Worship.
Gerod Bass Worship leader in Tacoma, WA. Mentor with Worship Catalyst. Singer, songwriter, guitarist with a passion for impacting lives for the sake of the Gospel. www. oslc. com
32 September 2026 Subscribe for Free...