Exclusive Parachute Band Interview

December 2004

In December 2004, Libby Huirua - lead vocalist with the Parachute Band from New Zealand - took time out to do an email interview with word-on-the-web. Their most recent album, Glorious, received a rating of "great stuff" on word-on-the-web's Music Reviews page, and we think you'll find that her answers to our questions are great stuff as well!

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Your last album, Glorious, appears to have been received really well, and the CD was mixed with a radio-friendly American audience in mind. With all this increased exposure, do you find yourself leaving New Zealand more and more, and if so, how does that make you feel? Do you still manage to keep true to your roots?

We love our country! What's not to love? And even though we are touring and leading worship overseas for 4-5 months of the year, we still very much consider New Zealand home and feel we have the mandate to be part of a group of musicians who are representing the heart of New Zealand worship to the rest of the world. Along with leading worship, the vision of the band has always been to collect New Zealand-written praise and worship songs, record them on albums and get them out to the church as a resource for their music teams to use. I believe this very vision keeps us true to our roots because of who we are representing.

You are based in New Zealand, but you have played over the world. What would you say are the differences between New Zealand audiences, and American, European or UK audiences?

Golly, it's a hard comparison to make because we play at such a huge variety of churches in the States especially, and even within our own country there is huge diversity in church culture - and I LOVE that! I actually think it's very healthy to be so diverse! In any extended family, each family unit will have its own cultural values and traditions that make that family unique. But there's still a sense of belonging to the whole family because of the blood that runs through it. The church is exactly the same and I believe we need to celebrate that more.

Possibly the biggest difference I've noticed between America and other countries is the ready acceptance of Christianity in the US, which has forged a very strong foundation for that nation. Obviously, there are pros and cons with this, as there can sometimes be a fine line between Christianity ONLY being cultural and not always founded on personal relationship. We love touring in the States, though - we have played in some incredible churches and have learned so much from them and their expression of worship! On the other hand, there is a depth of reality that comes from a nation like ours where Christianity is anything but cultural - we have to fight for what we believe and prove it deeply in our lives. That forms a strong foundation also.

In terms of audiences, they are as varied as the people and cultures that make them up - the thing we do notice mostly, however, is that we can sing the same songs around the world, in different cultural settings, and when Jesus is lifted up and there is a desire to worship Him in truth, there are no longer any barriers. And that's the beauty and the power of worship with Jesus at the centre of it. He connects the entire family!

What next for the Parachute Band? Do you have any exciting plans for 2005?

We are looking at recording a live worship album at Parachute Festival in January, which we are really excited about. Our last three albums have been fully studio based, so to get the chance to capture the live worship atmosphere is going to be great. We will still have a fairly heavy touring schedule and are looking forward to branching out into some newly forged territory again this coming year.

word-on-the-web emails daily Bible reading notes to over 6,000 people, and also promotes Bible reading through regular features like theological movie reviews. Can you tell us what part the Bible plays in your ministry? How important is the Bible to you?

You ask me how important the Bible is to us and I have to say, how important is food? Apart from needing food to survive, it's delicious too - I love a good feast every now and then! I passionately love the Word of God and couldn't live without its wisdom and guidelines being implemented in my life.

As a band we have daily devotions on the road and a weekly cell group when we're home, and we take turns sharing from the Bible and talking about what God has been revealing to us individually. In terms of the ministry - we make very sure that the way we lead and what we teach is scripturally and theologically sound. The Bible says that those who teach have a huge responsibility, and I think it's no less a responsibility for those who sing, write and lead worship - to be constantly grounded in the truth of the Word. Peoples' lives and futures are far too precious to be casual with.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming worship artists, or people thinking of starting their own worship bands?

Firstly, really know that you are meant to be involved in worship - I believe that it's a high calling with a great deal of responsibility attached. Being involved in leading others in worship is a very different ball game from entertaining or even singing about life lessons.

Secondly, don't let anything take the place of an intimate love relationship with Jesus in your heart - even worship! Develop that relationship before anything else and don't stray from that secret place. You can't lead people to a place you haven't been yourself! So get into Him and enjoy Him more than anything else and whatever you do, in terms of a public worship ministry, will flow from there. It has to!

word-on-the-web is based in the UK, but its subscribers come from all over the world. Is there anywhere our subscribers can see you performing/leading worship over the next few months?

We're pretty much home in New Zealand until March 2005, working on our live worship recording, and then we will be touring again in the States. For more up to date information on our touring schedule, take a look at our website: www.parachutemusic.com and check out the Parachute Band link there!

Is there anything else you would like to say?

I guess I would love to encourage everyone reading this to really go hard out in your love relationship with Jesus and then let Him be seen to people around you. We can almost be too private about that part of our lives sometimes, like we want to hold on to Him just for ourselves, but in the end the rest of the world are looking to us to see if we've got anything they want! Why not just let them have it? And not by preaching necessarily, but just by living a real relationship with Him. It has to spill over if it's genuine. That's the final component of worship, I believe - love Him with all your heart, and then just naturally let that show and affect those around you!

Libby, thank you very much for your challenging words!