Together in the Harvest: The Story Behind the Music

By Bethany Winz

When A Rocha’s work in Nashville began to take shape several years ago, it became clear that music would play a role. Sandra McCracken, Nashville A Rocha Arts Director, says, “When we think about conservation in A Rocha, before we initiate any efforts we ask the question, ‘What are the unique resources and challenges in our particular place?’ In our Nashville community, we have a lot of artists and songwriters.”

In an effort to tap into that resource, Nashville A Rocha began hosting songwriting retreats in 2013. Artists would gather for dinner, hear from a speaker with theological or scientific expertise related to caring for people and place, and then break up into groups to write songs in response. From Smallest Seed, the first volume of A Rocha songs, was released in late 2014 as the outflow of those gatherings.

From there, the involvement of songwriting and the arts in Nashville A Rocha’s work continued to grow. In April of this year, they hosted their first arts retreat, this time inviting visual artists to join. The retreat provided time and space to gather, hear from speakers, and think and talk about creation care and its implications for their vocation as artists.

Rebekka Seale, one of the visual artists who participated in that retreat, painted the artwork for the second volume of A Rocha songs, Together in the Harvest. This album, released in September, is a continuation of the wonder and hope found on the first album. Sandra McCracken sings the title track, which she co-wrote with Kellie Haddock and Tiffany Thompson. “The text of the song is essentially a prayer,” Sandra says, “asking God to make our lives like teachable soil, ready for the planting, ready for the harvest.”

The album also includes songs by Andy Gullahorn, Sara Groves, and Lori Chaffer, among others. There’s even a kid’s song, “A Kingdom of Pumpkins,” sung by Flo Paris.

“While music isn’t the source of hope, it’s certainly a significant vehicle to circulate hope,” Sandra says. “Music is the soundtrack as the habits of our heart continue to open more and more toward the love and care of people and place.” Music is also a way to begin conversations, hopefully stirring the church to a deeper care for creation.

Jill Phillips, who’s been part of A Rocha’s work in Nashville from the very beginning and sings “Beauty in the Trying” on the new album, put it this way: “I love that the work and community of A Rocha uniquely fits each of its locations worldwide . . . We want to be paying attention to what [God] is doing in our midst, even our backyards, and then tell the story through music.”

In Together in the Harvest, that’s exactly what these artists have done: told the story of God’s work in their place and among their people. The album is now available on NoiseTrade and other digital music stores.

Bethany Winz is currently an intern for Nashville A Rocha.