If it wasn't for a mother's stubborn faith in God's healing power and her around-the-clock prayers, Terry MacAlmon might not be leading worship and writing songs like "I Sing Praises" that are sung in church services around the world. MacAlmon's life is a tribute to God's faithfulness and providence.
Before Terry was born, his parents received the kind of news that new parents hope they'll never hear. A doctor revealed that Terry wouldn't likely live past his first month because of a premature closure of the soft spot in his head-a condition called cranial stenosis.
Leaning on her faith in God, Terry's mom paced the floor and prayed every day for Terry's full recovery and even promised "Lord, if You let him live, I will give him to you for your service." Terry was completely healed of his condition and believes that he "not only received the gift of life at the time, but also a special anointing and a gift of music."
This "gift" surfaced in Terry's life from a young age. When he was three, Terry's mom set him in front of a piano to occupy him while she busily looked after his brothers. He quickly began to pluck out the notes of songs he learned in Sunday school like "Jesus Loves Me." Later on, he became more adept at other Sunday school songs, and he eventually played his first solo in church before he even set foot in kindergarten.
A mere six years after that, 11-year-old Terry assumed the piano playing duties at his home church and enjoyed the success of winning state and national talent awards during his teen years.
But despite his God-given talent, it wasn't until the summer of 1973 that Terry felt a call on his life regarding worship. Describing the experience as "a very unusual visitation after an evening service at a youth retreat," Terry knew his life would never be the same. "It was as if God's presence was sitting on my life like a cloud," MacAlmon recalls. "His presence was so heavy that I physically could not even life my head. I just knelt and trembled while His Spirit dealt with me. I knew that He was placing His mantle of worship upon me. I have never been the same since that special August night."
Unlike those church camp experiences that change your life one night and don't really translate to your daily life afterward, the direction of Terry's life was forever turned toward worship. Spending the next 17 years of his life in music ministry positions for several churches and traveling to perform concerts across America, in 1990, Terry moved his wife and three sons to Colorado Springs, Colorado where they began a church. With a goal of "raising Jesus up through worship over the city," what should have been a successful ministry venture led to a season of trying times. "We threw a worship party, and nobody came," Terry recalls. "In fact, they stayed away by the busloads!"
After eight years of misery, Terry says he heard God speak to Him again in 1998. The message? "He said to gather the worshippers, for he wanted to bring an open heaven to Colorado Springs," Terry says. But after seeing nothing happen for so long, Terry was reluctant to proceed. But he was obedient to what he heard God speak to his heart and launched a Wednesday noon worship hour. Nicknamed "Lunch With the Lord," it presently includes several hundred participants each week. "A handful of people were present that first day," Terry asserts. "But the word spread quickly that God was doing something fresh and new. Now hundreds come each week to experience the refreshing. Many drive long distances from other parts of the region just to spend and hour with Jesus and soak in His presence. Testimonies of hearts mended, bodies healed and marriages restored are common occurrences from these times of worship."
In addition to his weekly ministry, Terry also leads and teaches praise & worship to Christians in a variety of locales. Trying to be sensitive to the "ebb and flow of the Spirit," he tries to make people feel comfortable with entering into the Lord's presence for a deeper time of intimacy with the Lord.
Adding to his repertoire of activity, Terry has also released several CDs and speaks at seminars where he shares what God has done in His life and how that can encourage others. "My heart is to see the body of Christ come to know the Father in a deeper way through an intimate worship relationship that united the corporate Bride and ultimately fulfills her destiny to make His praise glorious."
Buy Terry's latest album, Visit Us, from Songs4Worship.com!
