By Donna Abramczyk
Staff Writer
News Herald March 2000

A devout Christian, Paul McKenzie believes the Bible is God's word, so he wants to know as much as he can about it.

About 20 years ago, McKenzie, now a 43-year-old resident of Gibraltar, figured if he could memorize the Bible verses, he would find the understandings he sought.

The only problem is that he doesn't have a good memory, McKenzie said. "I said I can remember anything set to music - jingles, songs," he said. "Why not make a whole book of the Bible in song?"

So began McKenzie's ongoing ministry to bring the Bible to life through music. A self taught musician, McKenzie began with the first book of John, eventually writting 35 songs. He chose a King James Version of the Bible as his source, because, first of all, he said, it's in the public domain, and secondly, he finds the spoken verses of that version melodic to the ear.

"The spoken word has a certain rhythm," McKenzie said. "Usually if I can catch a phrase, that's it." The books are broken up by the phrases, he said, with the songs changing with the mood and topic.

To date, McKenzie has set an astonishing 17 books of the Bible to music, in addition to composing hundreds of other songs based on biblical verses.

His talents will be showcased in a 7PM concert Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church of Trenton, where he is the worship leader for the 9:30am contemporary service and teaches Sunday school for single adults.

The acoustic concert will feature several of the Bible chapters he has set to music, as well as some original songs, McKenzie said. His musical styles range from classical to blues, jazz and rock.

McKenzie also plans on adding a dramatization based on one of the many biblical characters in his repertoire.

Raised Catholic, McKenzie was the middle child in a musical family of seven children. Their mother, a vocalist with the Seaway Chorale, encouraged them to sing together, he said.

"I was a good kid, an altar boy, then in high school, I went the other way," he said. By the time he was 16, he was in a rock band, and began to experiment with drugs. A friend of his, Dan Davis, now an evangelist in California, asked for guitar lessons.

"I knew he was a Christian," McKenzie said, "and I began to ask him questions." As Davis told him the stories of the Bible, McKenzie said a feeling came over him, the likes of which he had never experienced before.

"The room got brighter, and I felt really clean," he said. "I felt like a child. The Bible says you must be a child to enter the kingdom of Heaven. My life changed. I became a "Jesus Freak".

Today, McKenzie, an electrician at Solutia Inc. in Trenton for 27 years, spends most of his spare time on his music ministry. Even when he's at his work, if a music phrase or verse comes to him, he has to stop and write it down, he says.

The musician writes, performs, and with the help of his wife of two years, Julie, produces CDs of both his Biblical and original songs.

Julie sings backup vocals and plays percussion on the CDs, recorded on a Roland VS-880 recorder in their bedroom.

Members of First Presbyterian's praise band, Providence and his old band, Skekinah, in addition to his daughter, Melanie, provide other backup vocals and instruments. Melanie, an art and music student, and Julie, also an artist, provide the artistic inspiration for the CD labels and covers, printed with a special computer program.

"We do so many albums, we can't do commercial duplication," Julie said. "By doing it ourselves, we can produce 100 or so at a time for a concert."

McKenzie has written music for nearly all the letters in the New Testament: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, James, Philemon, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, Revelation and 1,2 and 3 John.

Several of the Psalms, which he describes as "simple to do," and some Proverbs from the Old Testament also have been put to music by McKenzie.

Four CDs have been completed. "Trust in the Lord;" "In the Sun;" "Hallel," a collection of Passover Psalms; and "I John in Song". A fifth album, "Inconveniently Alive," deals with abortion issues and is one song short of completion.

He's also working on a cantata called "Glimpse of Heaven" which includes 11 songs and a narrative.

Ever since he performed the role of Jesus in the Huron Civic Theatre production of "Godspell" a few years ago, McKenzie has included dramatizations of many of the letters of the Bible, as well as portions of the Gospels.

He performs in churches of all denominations, at events throughout the area and coffee houses. He's a regular at Somethin's Brewin' in Southgate, appearing at 7:30pm the first Tuesday of each month.

Cassette tapes and CDs are available at the Brighter Day Book and Gift Store in Flat Rock and Family Christian Stores in Taylor.