Gettys to Host Historic 1-Day Global Music Event With Thousands of Churches Worldwide
Thousands of churches and mission agencies on every continent (except Antarctica) will unite in song later this month to sing the powerful hymn, "Facing a Task Unfinished."
The nearly 100-year-old song, recently remixed by world-renowned contemporary hymn writers The Gettys, will act as an anthem to raise awareness about Christian persecution worldwide.
"Facing a Task Unfinished" was written by China Inland Mission worker Frank Houghton as he reflected on the the Great Commission and the scripture Matthew 24:14 as dedicated his life to sharing the Gospel with people in China.
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"Facing a task unfinished, that drives us to our knees.
A need that, undiminished, rebukes our slothful ease.
We, who rejoice to know Thee, renew before Thy throne,
the solemn pledge we owe Thee to go and make Thee known," the song states.
By the 1930s, the song encouraged 200 missionaries to set sail for China and spread the Good News of the Gospel. Their efforts contributed to what mission experts believe to be the greatest growth of Christianity in the history of the world — an estimated growth of over 80 to 130 million people.
Hoping to do the same in this day and age, popular husband and wife duo, Keith and Kristyn Getty, have teamed up with OMF International to introduce the missions hymn to a new generation. Traditionally based on the Samuel Wesley hymn, AURELIA (The Church's One Foundation), the couple paired the hymn with a new chorus (seen below).
"We go to all the world
With kingdom hope unfurled
No other name has power to save
But Jesus Christ The Lord"
On their website the award winning Getty's said they pray that the song will continue to serve as an anthem for "rising up to face the unfinished task and going to all the world to proclaim salvation in Jesus' name."
In recent years Christian persecution has progressively gotten worse. Open Doors 2016 World Watch List documented an unprecedented escalation of violence against Christians, making 2015 the most violent and sustained attack on the Christian faith in modern history.
Those alarming statistics is what maintains Keith's devotion to sharing the Gospel and bringing awareness to global missions. In an interview with The Christian Post he reveled that seeing the darkness of persecution in the world and the ongoing work of missions groups, such as OMF, motivates him and his wife.
"The older I get, and the more aware I become to the reality of the culture we live in, the more I become increasingly determined to continue doing what we're doing," he said. "In the aftermath of Kristyn and I doing the new version of "Facing a Task Unfinished," we actually decided to postpone our spring tour and just do a two-week tour in June, simply because the need for songs is too great right now. There are more Christians in the world now than ever before and yet we need deep believers if we are going to survive, never mind flourish, never mind change cultures."
To be a part of this global movement on Feb 21, churches are encouraged to register their involvement at www.gettymusic.com/facingatask.
