Brain Doerksen and Medicine Hat born Marika Siewert will be bringing their "Come Now is the Time of Worship' tour to Hillcrest Church October 4. The duo is seen performing in this handout photo.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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Next Friday the halls of Hillcrest Church will be filled with inspirational music, songs and stories written and composed by Brain Doerksen and Medicine Hat born Marika Siewert during the “Come, Now is the Time to Worship Tour.”
Doerksen’s album ‘Holy God’ won a Juno award for contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year in 2008, and his songs ‘Come, Now Is The Time To Worship,’ ‘Refiner’s Fire’ and ‘Faithful One” are sung in faith communities around the world and have been translated in several languages.
In 2014 at the Covenant Awards, Doerksen received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gospel Music Association of Canada.
Doerksen will be joined on stage by Medicine Hat native Siewert who has garnered numerous top-10 singles on radio charts on Pop, Hot AC, AC and Christian Contemporary music stations, and is also an actor who has appeared on TV shows for Netflix, Hallmark, Bravo, The CW and Apple TV.
A song Siewert co-wrote titled ‘In Search Of’ has been on the top-30 chart on Christian radio stations in Canada for more than seven weeks. Together Siewert and Doerksen have had their song ‘Every Dream (God Who Sees)’ receive play on Canadian radio stations.
The two artists connected more than 15 years ago when Siewert sang on a full music soundtrack for a play Doerksen was producing at the time and have been working together artistically since.
Next Friday’s performance will be Siewert’s first show as a guest artist on this tour and she says it will be a special moment to sing for her family and friends.
“This is the first big tour that we’ve done together and it’s pretty special to bring him to my hometown and celebrate some of his anniversary songs and do it together,” says Siewert. “I grew up singing these songs in Medicine Hat as a teenager and so it’s been pretty special to sing them on tour with Brian.”
Siewert emphasized their music is meant to uplift everyone through music and lyrics that aim to spread love.
“We really love to sing, ‘love over people,’ and love is just a universal language whether you are a part of a church or not. I think that’s the coolest thing about what we do is we can really reach and touch everybody.”
Tickets for the two-hour performance, which starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 4, can be purchased online at briandoerksen.com. The “Come, Now is the Time to Worship Tour” will also be performing in Calgary, Lethbridge, Swift Current and Regina.
