AWIT KAY YAHWEH 2020

CONCEPT PAPER

I. AWIT KAY YAHWEH 2020

The “Awit Kay Yahweh” (Song for Yahweh) is a biennial songwriting competition
led by the National United Methodist Youth of the Philippines. It encourages the
youth to proclaim God’s faithfulness and witness people through songs and
music made by the young people. In the previous album of Awit Kay Yahweh, the
AKY 2018 Ikatlong Siglo ng Papuri, created praise and worship songs to be used
in the worship setting.

For the 6th album of AKY, entitled “EPAINOS”, a Greek word used in the bible
which means a story of praise to put God on top, the aim is to create music from
young people all over the Philippines that is all about giving praise to God who is
above everything else.

AKY 2020 envisions itself to be an avenue for young people to give worship and
praises to God through their own compositions of songs as one community and
to serve as witness to other people as we know Christ and make Him known.

II. AKY 2020 OBJECTIVES

Here are the objectives of the AKY 2020:

1. It aims to build a community of young musicians and composers that the

spirit of competition will no longer take its place and that the heart of
worship will come on top.
2. The AKY 2020 team aims to host a music camp where UMYF musicians and
song writers will come together and create music as one.
3. AKY aims to produce an album solely made by the National UMYFP
composing of young people all over the Philippines writing songs with one
another in the midst of difference in geographical location, dialect and
culture.
 4. It aims for the young people to grasp the roots of praise and worship in the
lives of early Christians through songs.
5. It aims for the people as they hear the songs in the album, they may see God’s
faithfulness to the lives of His children and look forward to what it will hold
for their future.
6. It aims to anchor our vision to His words as worshippers and to have a heart
like Jesus.

III. EXPLANATION OF THE THEME

“EPAINOS: God Beyond!”

Epainos is a combination of Greek words with one being Ainos which is a story
that expresses praise and commendation. Epi is a Greek word which means to
put on top. The word Epainos is a story to put God on top. AKY 6 presents itself
as a story where God is beyond all things far greater than humanity can achieve.

With God being on top of everything, even beyond our understandings, God has
been so wonderful and faithful in the lives of His children, both young and old.
His grace is what keeps us sustained behind all our mistakes and shortcomings.
He heals our broken heart, touches our aching physical body, and calms our
burdened spirit. He answers every cry for help and every question asked. He
does not step down or let go even if we try to run away. He knows every little
thing we think about, He listens to the silence of our hearts, and He always lends
a helping hand whenever we may need it. He does everything in His power to
give us the best life His perfect will contains.

These things are just a few of the reasons why we should give praises to God. He
is worthy of our praises in everything in our lives. For this year’s AKY, the young
people will focus on songs of praises only for our Lord God, Almighty.
IV. THE OVER-ARCHING BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

“One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty
acts.” PSALM 145:4 NKJV

In this verse, it talks about a generation that praises God’s works to others and
declares His powerful acts. This is the generation that aims to praise God for
everything and declares his faithfulness so that others will see the beauty of His
hands and the marvels of His presence. This is the generation who, no matter
what, turns to God in the heart of praise for He is the Lord of all.

As it was said in Psalm 86:12, “I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I
will glorify your name forever” which magnifies the acts of praises towards God
hand in Amos 6:5, “You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on
musical instruments” which shows how music, especially in the time of David,
was used to give worship and praise to God. Now, in our present generation AKY
2020 is an opportunity for the youth to express their praises using music that
comes from their hearts and reach more people through this music for them to
praise the Lord as well.

V. THE AKY 2020 PROGRAM

For the previous albums of Awit Kay Yahweh, original compositions of young
people from different annual conferences in the Philippines were submitted to
the National UMYFP. These songs were carefully studied and chosen to be part of
each album for every biennium. Those chosen for the album are considered as
finalists and a winner is determined.

For the sixth album of AKY, the National UMYFP will organize a song writing
camp that will be attended by musicians or song writers, or those aspiring to be
one, from each of the annual conferences. These young people gathered in the
song writing camp will experience a blend of structured learning experience,
lecture, and workshop. This combination of young people that make up the
representation of the National UMYFP will write songs (both with lyrics and
 melody) in this song writing camp and these songs will be the composition of
Awit Kay Yahweh 6 “EPAINOS: GOD BEYOND!”

AKY 6 will not be a competition, but an instrument of praise made by the

National United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines for the glory of
God who is above all.

SONG WRITING CAMP

I. INTRODUCTION

Awit Kay Yahweh 2020 team under the National UMYFP will conduct a gathering
of young people from all annual conferences that, together, will write songs that
tells of the story with expressions of praise in putting God on top in the midst of
whatever is happening around us.

As the United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines embarks on a

generation where the world is being divided because of different reasons, this
song writing camp will be an avenue for us to help unite every believer using
music and songs of praises for God.

II. SONG WRITING CAMP OBJECTIVES

This Music Camp aims to gather young people across the Philippines that
properly represents all annual conferences and build a community a musicians
and song writers.

It also aims to compose songs for the AKY album that is written by the National
UMYFP that gives pure praise to God and all about making Him above all.

III. MECHANICS
A. DELEGATES

 Delegates should be bonafide member of the UMYFP

 May or may not be a member of the worship team, may be a vocalist or
instrumentalist. Preferably one representative has an idea on song
writing or knows how to make one. As much as possible a member
 All annual conferences are allotted with only TWO (2) slots. Slots are
transferrable. Annual conferences that cannot send two delegates can
transfer their slot to other annual conference that may have more than
two delegates.
 The first submission of names for delegates is only until April 10, 2019.
After the said date, slots that are not filled up may be transferred to other
conferences.
 Complete and final submission of names for delegates, including the
transferred slots, is only until April 24, 2019.

B. SONG WRITING

 Delegates will be assigned to a topic or focus point for the song to be

written. This focus point will be the basis or foundation of the songs.
 All songs are to be written within the song writing camp. No materials
(previous lyrics, own compositions, and melodies) should be used that
are already existing before song writing camp.
 All songs written at the camp will go through editing in consideration of
the foundation of each song and mentors’ and peers’ comments.
 Songs that are products of song writing camp are the only songs to be
recorded for the album.