This week was a powerful and strong Sunday as we had the opportunity to highlight the power and legacy of lifelong marital commitment. It turned out to be exceptionally strong. We were addressing the topic of “Fighting for your Marriage.” In our creative team gatherings we had circled around several ideas – whether to do a funny video of a couple not getting along or trying to foster a marriage in the midst of the chaotic environment. However, one of our volunteer leaders, April Holladay, kept emphasizing the power telling the story of someone who had been marriage 60 years and the learnings that can come from hearing from a couple with such longevity.
We landed on featuring one of our own pastors, Tim Coop, and his wife Sandy. They have been married for almost 56 years. Not only had they been through so much in their time and have the wisdom to speak with so many, Tim has been an incredible advocate for marriages here at The Crossing and in his various ministries throughout the years. They became the perfect choice to feature.
We decided to add the last 10% by intermixing their story with the song, Forever Like That by Ben Rector (who has become a favorite of our creative team). Matt Biel and our team did a fantastic job of performing the song and intermixing the video with the tune.
Every time we mix song and video it comes with it’s own set of challenges. This time we had to accommodate a the intro of the song, which was very long. Through the rehearsal we were able to figure out when to start the band so they would start singing when the first video ended. Each time there was timing needed to make the moment seamless.
April Holladay, one of our core creative volunteers, worked hours coordinating the filming with the Coop’s. This was important as Tim is currently battling cancer and has been through a difficult period. Dave Cowan did a great job putting the piece together including great black and white photos from their lives.
The entire piece was rehearsed on Thursday evening and April put together this plan so that our Sunday volunteer team could execute team the cues as they needed to happen. I would recommend to come up with a plan similar to this if you choose to do a video/song mash up. When executed well…it rocks.
At the end of the day, the moment was extremely powerful and moved the audience. The telling of stories It turned out to be one of our strongest elements we have done all year.
Here is the video:
Worship Set List:
Special: Forever Like That
Weekend Service Order:
The Crossing Creative 