WHY CYPRÈS?

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce…”

“The White Ribbons!”
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“The White Ribbon Band!”
Almost…

“Zach and the White Flags!”
“The White Almond Band!”

Seriously…the white almonds?

But it’s true. We have been introduced internationally by each one of these names — and many more.

Which brings us to our point — after years of performing and sharing the message of Jesus around the world… our name is changing.

But first, it’s very important that we explain WHY.

For ten years, our mission has been to use music and the spoken word to share the love and message of Jesus with as many people as possible around the world. Under the covering of On the Go Ministries and in partnership with the Palau Global Network of Evangelists, we’ve had the incredible privilege of performing in front of hundreds of thousands of people in nearly 40 countries, and seen tens of thousands of people say “YES” to Jesus.

And today… we’re more committed than ever to this vision.

After setting aside some serious time to pray and ask God for wisdom and direction, we still believe that God’s mandate for us is to impact as many people as possible around the world with the message of Jesus during the next season of our lives.

We also feel that God has been refining us. We feel challenged…

…To be even more outspoken about the message of Jesus and our relationship with God, and to fight for love and authenticity in our communication.

…To use every resource and talent we’ve been given to create world-class music and content to reach people internationally with this message.

…To surrender every aspect of our lives and ministry to Jesus — we want to do things in a way that is based on His Word and direction, not on our own understanding.

We might post less, but our goal will be that every word — every picture — every video — will count.

We might invest more time, effort, and resources into crafting our music and live performances but our prayer is that every note, word, and image will be deeply impactful.

…which brings us to the name change.

In the process of prayerfully reviewing our goals and mission — we came to the conclusion that it was time to change our name.

That’s right: it’s time to say goodbye to the White Almond Band.

In the Bible, names actually play quite an important role, and we often see God giving individuals a NEW NAME at significant times — these names impart identity and express God’s purpose:

Jacob “the deceiver” became Israel “one who contends” after refusing to give up in his pursuit of God.

Simon “one who hears” become Peter “the rock” after identifying Jesus as KING and boldly sharing this truth.

In the process of pursuing God’s purpose for our lives, we have become more convinced than ever that we are called to invite the world to experience ETERNAL LIFE through relationship with Jesus. (“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” John 17:3)

We believe that God has invited us to be “planted” in Him (“…blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water…” Jer 17:7), but also to be sent out like a boat — like the ark of Noah — a boat built God’s way and a vehicle of rescue for those who choose to put their trust in God.

As we prayed, and thought, and talked, one word kept coming to our minds and hearts…

The word was “CYPRESS” — a strong and beautiful tree that loves the water — the wood many historians believe was the “gopher wood” which Noah used to build the ark — a word which means “eternal life.”

…and because we’re a multi-national, half-French-speaking band, of course we had to get a little creative…

After all, we didn’t want to make it TOO easy for announcers around the world…

So as of January, we will be re-introducing ourselves as…

CYPRÈS.

(Spelled like the French, pronounced like the English “Cypress.”)

And of course, we’ll need a little bit of help from you…

When our “White Ribbon Day” music starts being pulled from your streaming platforms over the next few days — don’t be alarmed.

We’re not going anywhere.

The music will be coming back in force this January (along with a brand new song!).

And when the switch comes — maybe take a few minutes to re-enjoy any of the music or spoken word pieces that you have come to love — re-“like” the music on Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon, and help us get the word out to others who you think might like it.

Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us, friends — for all of your love, prayer, and support for this mission. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us. Have an amazing holiday season, enjoy our CHRISTMAS ALBUM (which will stay online!) and WE’LL SEE YOU IN JANUARY!

With all of our love and thanks,
Zach and CYPRÈS

PS: We just returned from an amazing time in Changmai, Thailand, where we watched God impact hundreds of lives (more on that later!) and we're currently praying about potential opportunities in Pakistan, Zambia, Nairobi and more in 2023 - thank you SO much for standing with us in prayer.

Visit us HERE If you'd like to find out more about how to partner with us reach the world with the message of Jesus!