Women's Aglow Fellowship

Music in Aglow's monthly fellowship meetings, biannual retreats, and annual conventions is as diverse as the cultural differences in the 104 nations of the world where Aglow is located. Voices join to worship God in each national language accompanied by ethnic instruments ranging from guitars to organs, steel drums to violins, accordions to pianos.

If you were to travel to cosmopolitan cities such as Buenos Aires or Singapore, you would find Aglow worshipers singing more contemporary choruses or hymns. Aglow in the outback of Australia or villages in Norway or Germany would probably feature simple choruses being sung either without accompaniment or with a single instrument. Women in the Caribbean often praise the Lord to a calypso beat, while African women may chant their praises accompanied by drums or only the clapping of hands. Koreans worship God in a delightful "sing-song" style of singing, while the American Aglow women's style of worship may range from gospel to jazz, country to classical, Jewish to contemporary. Our biennial International Conferences reflect the great diversity of praise-and-worship songs as well as the types of instruments better than any other place in Aglow. Here we try to meet the musical styles and tastes of our attendees and feel there is room for them all! Because of the diverse musical education and background of the worship team and orchestra, we are able to enjoy most styles of music in this gathering of 5,000–10,000 attendees. Our opening ceremonies can range from a call to worship on the Jewish shofar (ram's horn) to the pageantry of everyone's favorite—the "Parade of Flags"—which features women dressed in their national costumes each proudly carrying their nation's flag into the arena while the attendees watch and listen to rousing choruses or majestic hymns played by the conference orchestra. Applause to our God often spontaneously breaks out as we visibly see the results of his mighty works demonstrated. In 1989 we saw two women, East and West German, carrying their two respective nations' flags while walking side by side with hands joined (this was before the reunification of Germany). In 1991 four Soviet women proudly carried their nation's flag in the parade for the very first time. Nowhere else in Aglow is the passage from Revelation 7 so visibly demonstrated as in this setting: "behold, a great multitude from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues were standing before the throne and before the Lamb … worshipping God … " Many have described our conference worship as a "foretaste of heaven." What began ten years ago with one or two musicians leading in simple choruses has greatly matured as we have sought to become the type of skilled worshipers portrayed in the Scriptures. Our worship team now consists of a whole band of men and women who have traveled with professional groups and are now involved with worship teams in their own various churches. Musicians from the audience who want to participate in the conference orchestra are also included on the last night. The instruments used include piano, synthesizer, drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, violin, saxophone, and trumpets. Our international president, the praise-and-worship leader, and the worship team (singers and musicians) flow together in one accord in leading the people into worship. We have frequently experienced impromptu "prophetic music," that is, worship inspired by the Spirit of God by one or more musicians spontaneously playing unlearned melodies. This will often result in the power of God being dramatically released and people in the audience being "slain in the Spirit" (i.e., falling under the power of God) or healing and deliverance released to individuals. Some of the documented healings include a pastor from England whose heel was healed from an old war injury, another pastor from Washington whose deaf ear was healed, a woman from New Mexico who was healed from blindness, a military wife from the Philippines who was healed from an intestinal parasite that was literally eating her alive because there was no medical cure, and the most dramatic healing of all, at our 1987 International Conference in New Orleans. As our president was speaking, a woman from Canada collapsed in the audience. The paramedics were summoned to revive her and they said "she was gone and had started to turn blue and cold." Our president had the audience pray and sing the praise song "With Healing in His Wings" over and over and the paramedics were astounded when life began to flow back into the woman's body. Later, at the hospital, doctors determined that not only had life returned to her body but she had also been totally healed of a congenital heart disease which had left her with chronic heart pain for over 50 years. The heart condition, scars on the heart, and the pain were totally gone! What rejoicing at the power and compassion of our awesome God! Also during our worship sessions, the musicians will sometimes play and/or sing prophetically and a "spirit of prophecy" will be released upon the gathering, as intercession takes place for our nation, for other nations, and for women in particular. Sometimes new "songs of the Lord" are spontaneously created that often become praise-and-worship choruses that are used for years afterwards throughout the body of Christ. Dramatic readings and scenic videos have also been used to enhance our worship as well as single or teams of interpretive dancers. Because of the many denominations and cultures represented in Aglow, we have sought to search the Scriptures regarding praise and worship. We've become more aware of the different Hebrew root words for praise and what God intends to do through the praises of his people. It has caused us to open our hearts to his way instead of our traditions. A workbook called Introduction to Praise was written to spur others on to a more spontaneous, loving, and intimate relationship with God, showing them that praise is about God and his characteristics but worship is expressing our love to him.