Sunday Mornings: When Worship Is Birthed for the Room
By T’Mil Curtis
Music created specifically for the Sunday morning worship experience carries a different weight. It has to breathe with the room. It has to serve the sermon. It has to move a congregation that ranges from seasoned saints to first-time visitors. It must be accessible without being shallow, powerful without being performative. That balance is not easy to achieve.
Which is why Sunday Mornings by Dr. Rhonda Pettigrew and The Sound of Destiny stands out. This project serves the moment. But I also hear it as family because I’m absolutely team Destiny-ish. Across Sunday Mornings, the songs move with intentional service flow rather than random sequencing. The Intro, “Welcome You In,” establishes atmosphere with spacious instrumentation and controlled dynamics, creating a seamless entry point for worship. From there, “Bless Him” and “I’m Walking (Something New)” carry the energy forward with confident grooves and tight vocal stacks that feel tailor-made for praise team execution while remaining expandable for full choir impact. Both selections balance accessibility with musical discipline, allowing congregations to engage quickly without sacrificing structure.
“That’s My Father” and “More of You” shift the posture of the room inward. These are sermonic in tone, lyrically centered, and emotionally measured. They feel designed to sit under a preached word or transition into altar ministry. The phrasing is intentional, and the vocal layering supports the message rather than overpowering it.
“Jireh” and its reprise bring the project to a familiar yet elevated place. The interpretation is reverent, with thoughtful harmonic builds and dynamic control that translate well for choir ministry. The reprise expands the emotional ceiling without crossing into excess, making it ideal for extended worship moments. And who doesn’t love a good churchy praise break?
Collectively, the selections function as a cohesive Sunday morning set rather than standalone singles. Praise team strength, choir depth, and sermonic sensitivity are all represented, creating a balanced worship offering that understands both the platform and the pew. And let me just pause and acknowledge that at the helm of this amazing project is Jason Nelson as Executive Producer along with Dr. Rhonda Pettigrew.
What is most impressive tho is that this is Destiny’s first official musical offering, yet it does not sound like a first effort. The production captures the essence of the room. Arrangements breathe. Instruments support rather than compete. Transitions feel natural, not stitched together. There is clear attention to dynamic shaping across the record. Best believe Morgan Turner is one of the dopest MDs this generation of gospel music.
From a mixing and mastering perspective, there is evident discipline. Vocal intelligibility is prioritized without pushing harsh upper mid frequencies. The low end is supportive and controlled, avoiding muddiness. Reverb tails are present but do not wash out the lead. Stereo imaging provides width without losing center focus. The master retains dynamic range while still translating competitively across streaming platforms. Nothing feels overly compressed or artificially inflated. But, what do you expect with a Jon Blass/Kevin Kelley mash up.
And then there are the singers.
Every background stack sounds like seasoned professional BGVs. Tight entrances. Clean vowel alignment. Controlled vibrato. Balanced blend. That does not happen by accident. That speaks to culture. It speaks to rehearsal. It speaks to musical DNA of the ministry. Shout out to Pastor Anita Reed Parker and the in-house staff.
You can tell music lives in this house.
Sunday Mornings does what Sunday morning music is supposed to do. It guides. It supports. It elevates. It does not distract from worship. It becomes part of it. Darrell Walls only had to add the icing with the vocals because the cake was baked to perfection.
For a first release, this is not introductory energy. This is foundation-laying energy.
As someone who has spent upteen years in the music industry, developing artists, overseeing production, and evaluating worship projects from both a creative and executive lens, I listen differently. I listen for structure. I listen for intention. I listen for whether the music serves the moment and or competes with it. Sunday Mornings does both and does it well.
