Praise the Lord! Inspirational worship and songwriting strongly influenced by time spent in Israel is being introduced to churches across the UK.
Singer/songwriting couple Tom and Melissa Pollard have a shared calling to teach and lead worship in the context of the Jewish setting of their faith.
After serving as worship pastors of a leading church in Reading for four years, they have left their jobs to work full-time as ‘worship missionaries’ – albeit with two young children in tow!
Their purpose is to establish worship in this country “as God’s foundation stone for prayer, discipleship and outreach, equipping and training worship teams while continuing to write songs that speak into the times in which we are living”.
The dynamic duo, aged 35 and 34 respectively, met and married within a year of meeting in 2019 and have already recorded two stunning albums. With songs rooted in the message of God’s eternal purpose for Israel and the church, they have been powerfully influenced by visits to Succat Hallel, a 24/7 house of prayer in Jerusalem, and the International House of Prayer in Kansas City.
They kicked off their career partnership, appropriately, with an EP of wedding songs given to each of the guests at their marriage and wrote and recorded most of their first full album, Songs of the Watchmen, during lockdown back in 2020/21. Their second album, Army Rising, was written in the fortnight waiting for the late arrival of their first child, Judah, now three.
The more recent birth of daughter Keziah meant a break in performing until this summer – with a concert at the CMJ (Church’s Ministry among Jewish people) Conference in Staffordshire.
“God told us to quit our jobs and go to Israel and Kansas for six months where we believe our experiences laid the foundation for our marriage, teaching and inspiring the church to engage in passionate worship and intercession,” said Tom.
The so-called houses of prayer they visited focus on 24/7 worship amid much prayer and intercession for Israel.
As a result, the Watchmen message that God first put on their hearts in Israel is central to everything they do – the message of Jesus’ soon return, and the call to prepare for his coming kingdom.
They had barely started dating when they were invited to attend a conference in America. “We initially said no, but God eventually nudged us to change our mind,” Melissa recalled. As for Israel, she explained: “We always liked Israel as a place to go on holiday, but it was never something we have prayed for or really understood. My Polish grandad was sent to a Siberian camp by the Russians, so in that sense I identified with the Jews over their Holocaust suffering – he eventually escaped and fought for Britain as a Spitfire pilot.
“But eventually I understood that the whole Bible is about this nation. After all, Jesus is coming back to Jerusalem. I came to realise I had read the whole Bible only as it applies to me – verses like ‘I know the plans I have for you…’ (Jeremiah 29:11) and ‘I will rejoice over you with singing’ (Zephaniah 3:17). Though true enough for me and you, it’s not the original context.”
Tom, meanwhile, had done much study and research, admitting: “I got the storyline, but there was a spiritual blindness. However, being in the land and being part of it, you begin to realise it’s like walking into the Old Testament. They’re a living, breathing people group. How can I not think these are the same people as those described in the Scriptures, as some Christians suggest?
“It’s been a real journey of increasing revelation, though we knew from the start we had been given something very precious, and there are still things I don’t understand.
“So it was that the round-the-clock worship we experienced in Jerusalem has become the key to what we have been called to share here in the UK. Revelation chapter 4 suggests such worship is going on in heaven all the time. Amos 9:11 talks about how the Lord will restore the ‘fallen tent’ or tabernacle of David. And Isaiah 62 talks about watchmen giving God no rest, day or night, until he establishes Jerusalem as the praise of all the earth. And it’s always in the context of music and prayer, looking ahead to the return of Jesus.”
Often supported by a wider band of talented musicians, their beautiful songs are a blend of rousing praise and intimate, adoring worship of the Saviour. You who call on the Lord reflects their calling to pray for Israel, balanced by songs expressing hope for revival in England. Isaiah’s Vision emphasises their belief in holiness amid God’s overpowering presence and there’s a stirring call to serious discipleship in Lukewarm. And there’s much more to stir the heart.
See their website at www.tomandmelissapollard.co.uk
Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon; Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com; To the Jew First, A Nation Reborn, and King of the Jews, all available from Christian Publications International.
