Contact: Ben Peterson, PR Specialist, OCP, 503-460-5363

PORTLAND, Ore., June 14 /Christian Newswire/ -- OCP's contemporary music division, spiritandsong.com, recently announced the release of a new Christian music resource designed specifically for kids in grades 4-8.

Offering more than 280 songs for use in prayer, worship and the classroom, Never Too Young: Spirit & Song for Young People is just right for upper elementary and middle school students. All songs were carefully selected to fit their particular voices and musical skills.

Never Too Young features songs challenging enough musically to both engross students and promote learning. They support a wide range of topics, from conversion and Scripture to justice and morality. This collection is outstanding for faith formation, Sunday School, music classes, worship with children, middle school youth ministry, retreats and more.

"We work with great fervor and love on all of our projects, but there are those that particularly capture our imagination," says Robert Feduccia, general manager of spiritandsong.com. "Never Too Young has done exactly that for us. The leaders of this project saw the heritage of children's music married to the new, contemporary sound that is filling our churches. The result is an unprecedented resource for today's young people."

The songs of Never Too Young were composed by some of the best-known contemporary and children's music artists in the church today. These are experts in the field - people with years of experience ministering to children and youth through music.

Drawing from familiar resources like Rise Up and Sing and Spirit & Song 1 and 2, Never Too Young also offers 28 new, never-before-published songs. These include recent hits by Matt Maher, Joshua Blakesley, Bob Halligan Jr and others - artists that kids love and teachers trust.

"We were fortunate to work with such talented and experienced consultants," says Amanda Weller, managing music editor for the project. "Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt have a wealth of experience working with music for young people. Tom Booth has been very involved with contemporary Christian music. Their first-hand knowledge of this particular age group and church and school needs was crucial in developing this book. They were the perfect advocates for everyone searching for just the right music to instruct and inspire these kids."

Educators and parents no longer have to settle for songs that are "too big" or "too small" for middle-schoolers. The faith-building songs of Never Too Young are just right! This resource is available by calling 1-800-548-8749 or visiting spiritandsong.com/20348.

About spiritandsong.com
spiritandsong.com, a division of OCP, offers the latest releases by both big-name artists and emerging new talents. OCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon, has been in operation for more than 80 years. Worship programs produced by OCP are used in hundreds of churches in the United States and are distributed worldwide.