Lara Martin

Last updated

Lara Martin is a musician and songwriter, most widely known as the former worship pastor of Abundant Life Church in Bradford, England. Lara moved away from the church, for personal reasons, in 2008 to Romania to help with disadvantaged street children. She is now based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire and works as a funeral director.

Contents

Her songs are featured on some of the church's albums, DVDs, music books and television programmes. The albums and DVDs are distributed in the UK by the Christian label Kingsway Music. The albums Higher, Divine Exchange, God Is Here , Sing , How Loved and Send Me all feature tracks written by her. She also led worship and sang on Let the World See Jesus.

Some of Martin's more popular songs have been included on Christian compilation albums such as Virgin's The Best Worship Songs... Ever! and are frequently covered live by other artists.

Martin is a mezzo-soprano singer and guitarist. She is also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Personal life

Born Lara Hughes in Belfast, she relocated to Bradford with her parents in the 1970s. [1] She was raised in a house church, of which her father was one of the leaders, but she left the church as teenager. She came to faith again aged 21, having spent time working in a jewellers' by day and a heavy metal bar in the evening. She was initially appointed as a receptionist at Abundant Life Church. The leaders became aware of her music skills as she would often sing around the office. When the previous worship leader left the church in 1999, Paul Scanlon, the senior pastor, offered her the job of Worship Pastor. [2]

She is married with two sons.

Albums

Songs

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlene Zschech</span> Australian singer and pastor

Darlene Joyce Zschech is an Australian Pentecostal Christian worship leader and singer-songwriter who primarily writes praise and worship songs. Described as a pioneer of the modern worship movement, she is the former worship pastor of Hillsong Church and currently a member of Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Bullock</span> Musical artist

Geoffrey William "Geoff" Bullock is an Australian singer-songwriter and pianist. He helped pioneer the Hills Christian Life Centre, which later became Hillsong Church. He was appointed as the church's worship pastor and was also the convenor of their annual conferences from 1987 to 1995, before leaving Hillsong in late 1995.

<i>By Your Side</i> (Hillsong album) 1999 live album by Hillsong Church

By Your Side is the eighth album in the live praise and worship series of contemporary worship music by Hillsong Church. It was recorded live at the Hills Christian Life Centre building by Darlene Zschech and the Hillsong team. The album reached No. 21 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Christian Albums Chart.

<i>You Are My World</i> 2001 live album by Hillsong Church

You Are My World is the tenth album in the live praise and worship series of contemporary worship music by Hillsong Church. The album reached the ARIA Albums Chart Top 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LIFE Church UK</span> Church in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

LIFE Church UK, formerly the Abundant Life Church, is a Christian megachurch established and based in Bradford, England. The church has additional facilities in Warsaw and describes itself as "one church, three locations". Sunday services are regularly streamed online. In 2003 it had an attendance of over 2,000 people; by 2006, the figure had climbed to 2,800.

Ron Kenoly is an American Christian worship leader, singer, and songwriter whose expressed mission is "to create an environment for the manifest presence of God". His musical style is one of jubilant praise and individual excellence on musical instruments. Although Kenoly himself only plays on one of his recordings, he leads comfortably with his voice and is always backed up by musicians and a large choir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuben Morgan</span> Australian musician

Reuben Timothy Morgan is an Australian worship pastor at Hillsong Church and one of several worship leaders and songwriters in Hillsong Worship group. Prior to this he was a worship pastor at Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. He has written songs such as "Eagles Wings", "Hear Our Praises", "I Give You My Heart", "My Redeemer Lives" and "Mighty to Save", which won the Worship Song of the Year at the 40th GMA Dove Awards. In 2005 his first solo worship album, World Through Your Eyes, debuted at No. 3 in the Australian Christian Charts.

Martin W "Marty" Sampson is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and former worship leader at the Hillsong Church in Sydney. From the late 1990s until 2019 he featured on the United Live albums and was one of the original Hillsong United band's worship leaders. Sampson's main instrument is the guitar although he also plays the piano, flute and drums. Aside from work for Youth Alive and Hillsong United, Sampson has issued solo albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Houston</span> Australian musician

Joel Timothy Houston is an Australian musician, songwriter, pastor, and leader in the Sydney-based band Hillsong United, a worship band of Hillsong Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Surrender All</span>

"I Surrender All" is a Christian hymn, with words written by American art teacher and musician Judson W. Van DeVenter (1855–1939), who subsequently became a music minister and evangelist. It was put to music by Winfield S. Weeden (1847–1908), and published in 1896.

The Divine Service is a title given to the Eucharistic liturgy as used in the various Lutheran churches. It has its roots in the Pre-Tridentine Mass as revised by Martin Luther in his Formula missae of 1523 and his Deutsche Messe of 1526. It was further developed through the Kirchenordnungen of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that followed in Luther's tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Doerksen</span> Canadian Christian singer-songwriter

Brian Robert Doerksen is a Canadian Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader from Abbotsford, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing</span> 18th-century Christian hymn

"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" is a Christian hymn written by the pastor and hymnodist Robert Robinson, who penned the words in the year 1758 at the age of 22.

Kathryn Sarah Scott is a contemporary worship music songwriter and worship leader from Northern Ireland. She has written songs such as "Hungry", "At the Foot of the Cross", and "Search Me" for the worshipping church. She released her first album, Satisfy, in 2004, and followed it up with I Belong in 2007 and We Still Believe in 2010. She returned in 2020 with Speak to Me, released in partnership with Watershed Music Group. The worship experience was recorded live at Causeway Coast Vineyard in Northern Ireland, which was produced by Martin Smith and features, both, Martin and his daughter Elle Limebear.

Cindy Lerae Cruse-Ratcliff is a singer-songwriter who serves as the senior worship leader at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Walker-Smith</span> Musical artist

Kim Walker-Smith is an American singer, songwriter, worship leader, and recording artist. She produced her first solo album, Here Is My Song, which was released in February 2008 through the Jesus Culture record label. Walker-Smith is best known as the worship leader for the Jesus Culture Band and Jesus Culture events, and as a worship pastor for Bethel Church in Redding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Bare</span> American singer

Jason Michael Bare is an American Christian singer. He self-released a 2011 album entitled Beautiful Design. Bare's song "For the First Time" was co-written by Nathan Walters of Plus One fame and reached the No. 1 spot on the Christian Music Weekly Worship chart and made it into the Top 30 of Billboard's Soft AC/Inspirational chart during December 2010. The album's lead single, "You Found Me" was released on March 11, 2010. The album produced two additional singles, "Beautiful Design" and "Blame". Bare completed and released a Christmas EP in November 2011. The album's lead single "Have You Heard" was co-written with American Idol alumni singer Felicia Barton.

Jann Aldredge-Clanton is an ordained Christian minister, author, teacher, and chaplain, who leads workshops and conferences throughout the United States. She has authored eleven books, six songbooks, a children's musical, and a children's songbook. She has also published many articles in publications such as Christian Feminism Today, The Journal of Pastoral Care, The Christian Ministry, and Patheos. She specializes in feminist theology and inclusive worship resources.

Mark Stevens is an Australian singer, songwriter, actor and worship leader. Stevens began his career after a winning a talent contest in his birth place, Hobart. His win attracted the attention the producer of Network 10's musical variety show Young Talent Time. Stevens was invited to join the cast and his family relocated to Melbourne to facilitate his career. As a member of Young Talent Time, Stevens recorded music for an official album release and took part in the Australian city tour. He decided to leave the series after more than three years. He then successfully auditioned for the role of teenage tearaway Nick Page, in the soap opera Neighbours.

References

  1. Martin, Lara. "My Space – Lara Martin", "MySpace", 2 October 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008
  2. McCabe, Helen (May 2002). "Abundant Worship – Abundant Life". Cross Rhythms (68). Archived from the original on 4 July 2008.