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Wesley's Got Talent? · The Wesley Word

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the Wesley Word.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back to the Wesley Word.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_03: My name is Bailey Meehan, and today I'm joined by our worship leaders at Wesley, New and Old.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_03: Can you guys introduce yourselves?
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, I'm Sarah Mount.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a freshman psychology major from Florence, South Carolina, and I'm the new Even Tide Worship Leader.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_02: Hi, I'm Copeland Johnson.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a freshman chemistry major from Charleston, South Carolina, and I'm the new Wesley worship leader.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you probably know me at this point, but um my name is Lauren Hundley, and I am a senior genetics major from Fort Mill, South Carolina, and I'm the current Wesley worship leader, but not for long.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_03: And you definitely know me at this point.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: My name is Bailey Meehan.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_03: I am a grad student in material science and engineering.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I am not leading Wesley Worship at all, but I've been here forever and I've played in all the bands.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_03: So hopefully I can help out a little bit there.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_03: So how did all of you get into music in general and then get into Wesley worship?
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I can start.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I I don't know if there's like a defined time when I was just like into music.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Both of my parents are musical.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my dad plays guitar, my mom plays clarinet.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I kind of like always watched them and how much they love music.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um I was in elementary choir.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like that's like that's where we all start.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: The elementary choir.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I just kept going with it.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: I was in show choir in high school.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I started singing in the worship band at my church in middle school because my dad was a leader in that on electric guitar.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, now we're here.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: When I was in seventh grade, I was I don't remember why, but I really, really wanted to learn how to play guitar.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: So I like asked all my friends, I was like, hey, do you need y'all have a guitar I can borrow?
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: And my mom pulled her guitar from when she was in high school, which is like a 30-year-old guitar out of the attic.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: And I learned how to play on like it was like a Spanish guitar with nylon strings uh that was bowed inward.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: So I learned how to play on that in seventh grade.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then in ninth grade, my grandparents got me my guitar.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um over COVID, we had one worship service at my church, so I would do the like contemporary part of that.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I played in the the worship band there, and I wanted to continue doing that because I thought it was really fun, but I couldn't keep going to the contemporary service when they split.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: So I wanted to find a way to do that in college.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, so I just showed up to Wesley Worship and I was like, hey, I want to be in the band.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: And they're like, Cool, we need a cajon player.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_02: So I uh I uh play the cajon now.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: I did not know how to play the cajon, but uh I just wanted to be involved, so nice.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think my first musical involvement came when I started taking piano lessons in the first grade, I think it was.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then sort of at the same time, I joined this like children's choir that was in my church, and the children's choir ended up disbanding pretty quickly, but then there was this girls' group, like elementary school girls called God's girls.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, both words spelled with a Z.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: Oh no, and uh not the Z.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: We would we would sing like at our church, but we would also go around and sing at like local churches, and I think that's where my love of music really came from, and like choral singing specifically.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, not that we were like good for elementary school girls, but like, you know, uh it was a good beginner experience, I guess.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then we had like a youth band, but we weren't super like I would play piano for that, but it wasn't the most um like produced experience either.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: I was just kind of um figuring it out, and then coming to Wesley, um I had never like led worship in that kind of capacity before.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: So they they asked me to sing.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Rachel, the the girl who was leading uh even song my freshman year, found out that I could that I was uh singing in the choir.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then after that I was on stage like all the time, and then um I never like played guitar in a worship setting, but when I found out I was the leader, they were like, Can you play guitar too?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I mean, I guess.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: And here we are.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_03: So um growing up, my mom had a rule that I had to take music lessons of some kind, um, as long as I lived in her house.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_03: And so um I did piano from like kindergarten through third grade or something, and I was getting kind of bored of that, and my teacher like moved away.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I did guitar in fourth and fifth grade, and then in middle school I started- I joined band and played saxophone the rest of middle school and high school.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then I didn't really play music when I got to college.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um but I don't know if you've ever been around me for a very long time, but I uh like rhythmic.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: Like I'm very rhythmic, I guess.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_03: I uh snap and clap and stuff, kind of my idle animation when I'm I gotta do something with my hands, right?
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_03: And so I um and I think I was just like messing around at a fall retreat or something and was just like playing around with the cajon um that they had, and uh Allison Hannah, who was leading Eventide at the time, like bugged me into playing Cajon at Eventide.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_03: So here I am, and I've played in a couple different capacities and lots of different bands on different trips and stuff, so it's funny that you say that.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: That's like the percussionist stereotype that y'all can't stop hitting things.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's so annoying for the rest of us.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: I really missed my calling as a percussionist.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: Like, played all these, you know, melodic instruments my whole life and really missed out.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: So I think we should kind of start with explaining exactly what happens with Wesley worship.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like what what does the band do?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_03: How do we prepare for these kind of things?
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_03: Lauren, you want to start with um kind of what goes on on a Sunday night?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_03: So um Or how you prepare for a Sunday night?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: So when I inherited Sunday night worship, um I knew that the plan, again, I had never like been a worship leader in any capacity.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't not really know what I was doing.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so I I knew that the um that ahead of me the process had pretty much been the music was picked and sent out on like a Thursday night, Friday morning kind of deal.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: And then um or the leader would ask the the band members who was available to play, and then she would send out the music, and then um on Sunday night you would practice each song like a couple of times, and then that was pretty much it.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I knew I kind of wanted to keep that pretty casual, like not over overdone, overrehearsed vibe.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I remember saying a lot my sophomore year, especially when I was trying to come into my own and figure out like what my vibe as horse feeder is gonna be and like how I wanted it to go.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I would tell people like this is not Hill song, like we're just here to have a good time.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, don't worry about like hitting every note or like sounding perfect, like it's just it should be fun.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I try and currently um I've been slacking a little, and so you might get a text from me at Friday at like 3 p.m.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, can you play on Sunday?
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, which I recognize is not the most noticed in the world, but again, most of the songs that we do are pretty familiar or at the very least pretty easy to learn.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so um, you know, it doesn't really it does not really take much prep work at all.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um on my end, I pick the songs and I like think about what's gonna go best in um a certain order and work for the um like the flow of the service.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then I think about um who's available to play and like do I know that maybe I pick a song that we haven't done and I'm like, okay, are the people that are available this week able to do this song or should I hold off until later and then um but that's about as much thought, complex thought that goes into it.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um for the most part it's pretty chill.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_03: Sarah, you want to talk about what happens on Wednesdays?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, um, I can talk about even tide prep.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um so right now Andrew Wetzel's kind of heading that up.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So he's been kind of I guess teaching me what to do for next year.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um so right now we meet on Tuesday, sometime on Tuesday, whenever works best for the team, um, and play through our songs, which we pick and send out on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we play through them once then, and then we meet an hour before the service on Wednesday and run through them again.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I just we send the songs out in a little group meet that we have, which look the group me is not closed.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: If if anyone wants to play, please reach out.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um we're always we're always welcoming new people.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I guess what to expect is a very acoustic vibe.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: There's no sound system like we're just playing guitars or cajon and singing.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um so it's very fun.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's a very relaxed environment, um, and it's very homey because we meet at the WB.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_03: So one thing I think we would uh like to kind of express with this podcast was we'd love to have as many people as possible.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um oftentimes um they talk about finding out who's available and things.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, not all of us can make it every time.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um and it's also fun to just play with new people um and mix it up a little bit and see what everyone brings to the table.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_03: So um we would love to have you join uh either of worship services.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm sure you can reach out to Sarah or Copeland for next year.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: We would love to have you.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_03: And if it wasn't clear from our introductions, uh you don't necessarily have to have a ton of experience with music to play at a Wesley worship service.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, like I said, I had zero days of percussion training um before before I uh stepped into play the cajon.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_03: I think, I mean, obviously I'm a little biased, but I think that's a great place to start.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_03: If you uh have no experience with the Cajone, um you just have to hit the box.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: Don't uh don't hold back on that.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_03: All you have to know is when the song is loud and when the song is quiet, and I'm sure your Wesley worship leader would be happy to tell you that.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, you just slap a box and vibe, and it's great.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_03: I'm curious about what you guys think.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_03: Like, how do you pick the songs that you want to play?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: I so when I uh became the leader, I inherited this massive binder of music.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um when I started leading worship, I, to be honest, was kind of anti-contemporary worship.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I had never led it before.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't like to listen to contemporary worship music, it just wasn't really my thing.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I didn't know any of the songs that we did.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: And so um, first of all, I had to figure out which ones that I liked personally and which ones that I realized that people in Wesley liked personally.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because you know, it's not about me and it's not about my taste.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: But um, if the people on stage are like, I hate this song, I hate playing it, why are you asking me to sing it?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: Then it's not gonna be fun.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: So you gotta be careful that way.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um but also I I sort of try and go through like a rotation of like our like greatest hits, the ones that people know really well.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I try and play, I kind of had this like unspoken rule of doing songs like twice a semester.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that seems to be enough, especially because we have so many songs that people know really well.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um and in the past, Steve has um like shared the worship calendar, and um post-COVID hasn't really been a thing because just for various reasons, but I I used to be able to see like his theme for the sermon and like sort of be able to assemble songs that fit that theme.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then I try and pick songs with like high energy to go with the beginning and the end, and then sort of more reflective and slower and more I don't know, uh introspective, maybe to go in the middle.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: I always feel so weird coming in after the sermon with like a really high energy, like we just spend a lot of time like thinking.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: We can't just jump right right back into it.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's just me though.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um but again, it's not it's not a super complicated process, especially because um we have so many songs that are like are in a rotation um for both services, really.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: So um sort of depending having that to depend on is really really good.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think the biggest or most challenging thing for me would be um, you know, how do you balance playing the same songs all the time versus new songs?
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: Because I think there's definitely a benefit to playing songs everyone knows, right?
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: Uh no one wants to sit in worship and not know the words to the song.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I think, you know, I guess one of the best experiences I've ever had in worship was the pre-COVID Even Tide, um, where we had a group of very experienced musicians.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_03: We all knew the songs really well.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um we pretty much played the same songs all the time.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_03: From the it was the same songs we played on Sundays as well.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, kind of the same rotation of songs, and so you know, we could show up like 30 minutes before Even Tide, just run through them one time and go, let's go, and walk downstairs and play eventide.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: Slush a little prep.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um and it was great.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and everyone loved them because everyone knew all the words, and they could sing really loud.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_03: But obviously, people get tired of the same songs over and over again, so you have to balance bringing in new songs.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't know if our new worship leaders have any philosophy on that.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I I mean Lauren kind of did this last semester with a Google form of, you know, if you want songs that we don't usually sing, request them.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um I definitely the I can't attest that the Biners are are huge, but they don't have every contemporary worship song that's ever been made.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um so if there's something that you want to hear played that, you know, a mostly acoustic college worship band could play, um yeah, request it.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: We'll try and and do the best we can um to add it into the cycle, add it into the to the worship binder.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely gonna have to get another one though.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, they're like they're full of overflowing.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: They're very full.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um it can also be argued that most songs in that binder are no longer contemporary.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: So if you'll have songs that everyone knows.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: Like if you grew up going to Asbury Hills, plug for Asbury Hills, um, I knew all the all the worship songs from all the summers.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_02: So half of them like, oh, I know that one.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: I know exactly what that one sounds like, oh, I don't know that one.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_02: So just flipping through, um I definitely was not a contemporary like Christian music listener either, other than you know, one week during the summer.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so I don't know a whole lot about Christian contemporary music.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_02: So if y'all have a song that you like that I do not know about, please tell me about it so we can make it happen.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, don't don't ever be afraid to make suggestions.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean I'll echo them.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: I we want to hear your suggestions and what you want and what you think would be good and create a good worship environment.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um at Eventide, we try to add in a new song every week.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um but it's a new old song, you know, something that people would know that we haven't played before.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um and also Eventide is centered a lot around perspective talks and like who the speaker is.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we ask them if they have something that they want to go along with their message.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're speaking at Even Tide, please text me.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear what you think will go with your word.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_02: And also if you suggest the song, you gotta be singing the loudest because if not everybody knows it and wherever they're singing, you gotta you gotta be filling in too.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_02: It can't just be us.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: It can't just be Sarah and Wetzel and Haley or whoever is singing that week up at the front trying to do their best, and you're just like, yeah, you gotta be singing too.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: Sorry.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: That's just the unspoken rule, but spoken rule now.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: A challenge.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: So we've talked a lot about how um messy worship is pretty laid-back and acoustic and um low-key, but uh usually about once a semester at worship night, we uh try to uh pick it up a little bit, and especially this year.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we've always done worship nights every semester, but we've done some really fun ones uh the past year or so um where we really kind of I mean I guess it's supposed to be a time for us to show off, and it ends up being a bit more of a time for us to goof off, but um we try to bring in some new instruments and do a couple of little extra things.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um Lauren, what was your mentality going into the worship nights this year?
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, so I love that you said it's a time to goof off because honestly that's true.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: And especially this past semester, I wanted it to be an opportunity.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you've if you have an instrument that you play and you're like, I mean it'd be cool to incorporate it, but I have no idea how we're like, we're figuring it out this week.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like, um, or if you have never participated in any way and you want to, but you want to do it in a way that's like pretty low stress, worship night is the perfect time to do that because at any given time there's maybe 10 people in the chairs and everyone else is going and doing the activities.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: So there's there's no pressure really.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it ends up, yeah, it just ends up being a really fun time of us goofing off and um making music together that's not our typical vibe.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: I s this year I was sort of selfish and picked songs that were like to my personal taste, but they ended up being pretty fun.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so to both of the future worship leaders and also like anyone listening, if there's a song that you like that you feel like is totally off-brand or something that we've like never done before, um, and you think would be interesting to incorporate, um it's definitely still worth considering and worth suggestion worth suggesting.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um and to you, Sarah and Copeland, like don't be afraid to like be like, I really like this song, but it's totally different.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, finding a way to incorporate it.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's kind of why I wanted to do worship night is like I have so many songs that I like that are totally out of our normal um worship experience.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: And so I advocated for them very hard.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: So to our new worship leaders, um, do you have any questions for Lauren and I who have uh been around the block?
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I have a list.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: You're so prepared.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I don't know about that, but I have been wondering things.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um okay.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: What piece of advice would you give to someone considering joining the worship team?
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you could give them one, like, this is something that it would be really nice if you knew.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I've kind of already touched on this, but you don't have to be good.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um I mean I am an absolutely atrocious singer, but Wetzel asked me to sing one time at Eventide, and I was like, yeah, sure, what the heck?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it doesn't really matter.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: So um maybe I embarrass myself, or maybe everyone thinks less of me for it, but um yeah.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_03: If you want to do it, go for it, you know?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, an atrocious singer cannot hit the notes.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: And you can hit the notes, which is like 75% of the battle, so you're not atrocious at all.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was gonna say you were fantastic when you sang, but you're great.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: I will sort of echo that and like say that you don't have to have any sort of knowledge.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Just come with an open mind and be willing to like the fun for me is in the discussion and like, oh, what if we did this?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: And like, oh, I really love when this song does does this.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: What if we tried to copy that, emanate that?
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the fun part is like figuring it out together.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: So just come with um an open mind.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, um, I guess I'll say I agree.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think that is good advice.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I I think that I could have benefited from hearing that.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when I started serving at my local church and also like at the beginning of this year, um it's worship, you know.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Lauren was talking about this earlier.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: Worship isn't really about being perfect, and it's not always about knowing exactly what's coming next.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think there's a lot of room for growth there, which is really cool and it makes it so fun.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's just like another dimension of worship that is so cool.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I agree.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: And um when I first started leading, even in into my like well into my sophomore year, I was so nervous like every night, and um it's taken me getting comfortable to like really understand the impact that that worship experience can have.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so to anyone listening, if you're like nervous, I mean it's okay to be nervous.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: I was obviously for a very long time, but when you like really let loose and like let yourself have fun up there, that's when it becomes meaningful worship, not just for you, but for everyone involved.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_03: And if this is something that speaks to you, I think one thing that Wetzel says that I like a lot is that um you know, the the point of the worship service is not to make really good music, right?
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's to worship the Lord or whatever.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: So um, you know, it's if you're you know kind of singing with your whole heart or whatever, then it doesn't matter if it sounds good or not.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: So very true.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm always every night I'm like, authenticity, that is the word, like word of the day, authenticity.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Go out there and you know, be real.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um anyway, all right.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: What is the most valuable lesson you've learned from being a worship leader?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think okay, I was like, there are so many.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like you could you could talk about what you've learned in your faith, you could talk about like interpersonal things, what have you learned about leading and organizing things?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: What did you learn about yourself?
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that definitely is the hardest part of Wesley worship, right?
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: Is that you get there and you have like an hour before the thing to practice all these songs, and um especially when you have a a larger group of people that don't want to focus, um, how to convince them to kind of you know buckle down and and get it done without being lean.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's definitely uh a big thing.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: I always feel like I'm being so mean.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so apologetic after every every service that like or every rehearsal that ends up we hit a snag and a song takes longer and I have to be like, all right, we have to focus and get through this.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: We gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, reminder it's 5 30, we got we gotta get through this rehearsal.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I always feel so bad afterward.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: But you really have to be able to do that.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so that that was a very valuable skill for me, being able to take the reins and be like, look, I love to goof off and I love to have fun, but right now we have to focus, and then we can do whatever we want.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: And I think also in worship, there's a lot of things that there's not necessarily a right answer for, but like a decision has to be made.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_03: You have to choose songs.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't really matter what songs you play, but you gotta you gotta pick the song so you can get moving.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_03: Or, you know, you gotta decide what you know order you're gonna do, verses and choruses and what whatever.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_03: Like, and then it's gonna be fine either way, but someone has to make that decision, and that always bothers me a lot that it's just like, oh, I'm gonna have to make another decision.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: But um, well, I mean, I act like I do this a lot.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_03: I think I've actually led worship like once, but um The guys' worship night.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_02: That was fantastic.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: That was so awesome.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's the thing.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_02: But that was fun, and that was something different, and it was something that you you know you got to do, and it was like just the just the guys.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: It was great.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and so Bailey, I totally relate when people were like, that was amazing, and I'm like, that was literally terrible.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: What are you talking about?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um as a music person and as a perfectionist, I listen to it and I'm like, I I mess up and I feel really bad about it.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, not everyone in the audience has music experience.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: Some people literally don't know anything about music at all.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so another valuable lesson is learning to like forgive myself when I feel like I've messed up, because Lord knows how many times I've messed up on that stage, could not even tell you.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but being able to understand that, like, even if someone notices, that's not the point.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: And most of the time people aren't gonna notice or care.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: And also, I mean, I'm sure you've probably heard like these anecdotal kind of stories, but like I sometimes will come out of like the choir loft or go sit in the congregation, um, and I'm like, man, we were not on it today.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like that just something about it just didn't it didn't mesh.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: But like after the service, um people will come up to me and be like, man, that was really impactful, or like this, you know, it was it was good tonight, like we really enjoyed it.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I guess when we're not on our A game, God is, um, which is very good, makes you feel better.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_02: Something that's always comforting is is hearing um because we're musically minded, we're like, oh, that sounded wrong.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_02: But not everybody is musically minded, so the chances are if you mess up, there's gonna be like one or two people who are gonna tell, and everyone else is gonna be like, yeah, and still vibe to the you know, nobody nobody knows you messed up but you, and if you just play it off, nobody'll ever know.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, messing up deep dark secret, sorry.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's okay.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, messing up makes it more human and more relatable.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so honestly, there have been nights where I have felt like I totally screwed up, and then like I look out into the audience and like everyone is really feeling the worship.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so making it more approachable, even if you don't feel like you're at your best musically, makes for better worship, in my experience.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, I found I wrote down some questions.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I've kind of already talked to Lauren a little bit about this, but how I am not like classically trained, like I don't know how to read sheep music or like I mean I know how to count time, but that kind of thing.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_02: But how do you organize that many people for worship night?
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean, how much I guess how much prep work do you do during the week to make sure that you know the music is right for everyone?
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_02: And then what if there's just NAFU on the night of?
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: And what do you do?
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: How do you how do you correct that with very limited time?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: Good question.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, first of all, you said classically trained.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm certainly not classically trained.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you can read you can read sheet music.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: I can't.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: You can't read music.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um which you don't need to.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um unless you're gonna play some like melodic part on the piano.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: There's really very little application for sheet music in like a Wesley worship setting unless you're playing we when we have strings, that's pretty much the I was about to say when we bring in the string instruments, they read sheet music.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes they just read the chords and make it up.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: So they do that too.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um in terms of worship night, that takes a lot of um like I sent out a form this past semester and was like, Can you read sheet music?
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um if you're a singer, like tell me about your range a little bit, or like most of the singers I already knew, and so that wasn't really an issue this semester.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but just I had a form and I was like, tell me, give me as much information as you can about yourself musically.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I pick songs from there and assign people in different places as their answers indicated.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: But from week to week, um if if I've never sung with someone before and I don't know what their voice sounds like, I'll ask them ahead of time.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes they don't have an answer for me.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'll be like, Are you a Surpano and also?
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: And they're like, what do those words mean?
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm like, all right, we'll figure it out.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I pick songs that are easily movable.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um or like, you know, I don't expect them to sing on every song, um, especially if they're new.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll pick a couple songs that I know they'll be comfortable with and I know are easily transposable.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: Because for the guitarist, all we have to do is like change the capo, and that's pretty much it.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so just knowing how that's probably the really the only challenge week to week is finding where the singers will be comfortable.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: Because if the singers are uncomfortable, the audience is uncomfortable.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's very you can tell when a singer is not singing in a key that's comfortable for them, even if you don't know um much about music.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_01: And so I want to avoid discomfort in any way, especially if you're new to singing.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: So just um that's probably the biggest challenge.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't think that takes much um musical knowledge at all, just being able to work with the singer and make sure they are comfortable because they're the one everyone's following if we're being real.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_03: So and I think one specific part about that question was about worship night too.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and maybe because I encouraged her to do so, Lauren.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_03: We were very uh extra with Worship Night this year.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um and in the past, like before you guys, or before COVID, whatever, um, Worship Night was just ten normal songs we sang on Sunday nights.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: So um, and it was just as great.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, everyone liked it just as much.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_03: I mean maybe even more in some cases because they could sing along to all the songs, you know.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_03: So um don't worry about it too much.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't really have any advice, but um I will say that I loved worship night.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for organizing all of that.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: It made it so easy as a musician.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I think to someone that's interested in being a part of like the Wesley worship leading scene, um, I think worship night's a really good place to start.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um because there's so many songs and so many people.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you don't have to make a big commitment.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: You can be there for like one song or two songs.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um and especially if it's a really big group scene, you can just be up there like vibing, having your little worship moment.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um and you can see if that works for you.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if it doesn't, that's okay.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: And if it does, then you can find a place with one of us.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_02: Or if you have an obscure instrument, I heard there was I was not the last worship night, but I heard there was an accordion.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: There was indeed.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_02: So if you have, you know, an obscure instrument that you want to make a part of Wesley worship for s at some point, worship night is I would think the place to to make that happen.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: Or if it's really obscure, like just one night where we can work with you.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, honestly.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: Depending on the obscure, I just wanted to have I just wanted to see the accordion and hear it.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: I was anyway, we couldn't we could have incorporated that.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I ended up picking songs um inadvertently that had accordion parts in the song.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's perfect.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: So I didn't even plan that.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: So worked out really well.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I'll ask my next question.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what is your favorite part about worship?
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't have to be like just leading, but I guess you could also answer um like why did you either go ask someone if you could be a part of leading worship, or I mean, if you're like me, why did you say yes when people were like, hey, this is something that we think you you would like?
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: When you get scouted, you get recruited, you get found, oh my gosh.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: Discovered.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: I think for me, like I said earlier, I was like scared out of my mind for my first like year and a half leading worship.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: But what kept me um wanting to do it and what made it so engaging for me was seeing how how much of a connection you can create between everyone in Wesley when you pick or when you lead worship, not just um obviously when you pick songs that everyone really likes, people will connect very well, but just in general.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um on there have been plenty of times where I've had like a pretty terrible week or I'm not having a great day, and I get up there and I'm just kind of going through the motions, and then I look out, and like people are having such a great worship experience, and that that really makes it um impactful for me, and that's where um that's my one of my some of my favorite moments have been like that.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, yeah, it's it's it's great to get to lead that for the group.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I also just think it's fun, and for me personally, I I like it as a way to kind of challenge myself.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um because I I mean just because of the perfectionist that I am, I I like doing things well.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like that is a big driver for me.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_03: I um enjoy trying to be the best that I can at things, and so um, you know, if I I like um like a worship night where there's some uh like lead guitar part or something that I have to try to learn and practice and um get better at.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I like I think it's really fun.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_02: Like when you start a song, you like look over and you're like, okay, are we in time?
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_02: Like I make eye contact with Lauren and I'm like, okay, and go.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: And that's like that's from a person who is not like led worship by myself before.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like that's an important connection to make with the person who's leading.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_02: And like, I don't know, I've gotten to know Lauren, I would say, pretty well through our I would think so.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_02: Through our just like having to well, not like force proximity because it's not forced, I want to be there, but like just getting to know the people who you're in the band with and just making a connection, like when you when the song starts and everyone's in time and it's like, ah, yes, we you know, we made that happen perfectly, and like when everyone's in sync and it's going really well is a really definite that's always like the everything comes together and you're like, ah, like the sky could open up and angels start singing and we're perfect.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: And there have been plenty of times where that has happened on songs that aren't complicated at all, and it just happens where you all come together in this awesome musical moment and it becomes so incredible and so impactful and so fun.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: Not because it's a complicated song or we're like pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone and we're doing something uh to show off our musical prowess, but we're just having fun and making music together.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: The ways that I have grown as a musician without even realizing it or planning to over these past four years has been, I couldn't even tell you.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's crazy.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so you experience a lot of personal growth and like you develop your skill even if that's what not what you're trying to do.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_03: That's one thing that um you guys just made me think about that I guess not no one else who gets to see.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_03: But when we start practicing, um sometimes we'll pull out a song and obviously we haven't.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, people have played it before, but we haven't played it together yet, right?
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_03: And we'll just like, oh, we'll just run through this and see what happens.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: And then everyone will kind of just maybe because they know the song, or maybe just kind of instinctually like play it together and we'll build through certain sections and all these little stuff on the side.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_03: Like we didn't talk about it, and um, everyone just kind of knows how worship songs go, and you can tell kind of based off of the structure of like where the verses and choruses are and like what's supposed to happen, even though we didn't talk about it, which is always really kind of makes me smile when that happens.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_01: Something that people tell me a lot when I talk about worship and being a musical person, they're like, Oh my gosh, I can't sing at all.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not musical in any capacity, like I can never do that.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to be like, I guarantee you, you could probably you probably could.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: Music is inherent to humanity, everyone has a sense of musicality to them, and so it does not take any expertise to be in that situation and be able to um play without any real preparation and just feel how the music should sound.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: That does not take any sort of um intense musical knowledge.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: You can just do that because we're people and people like music.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: And if you do it wrong, we can always run through it again.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's what the the point of practice is, is that you, you know, you figure out which parts are the, you know, you play loud and which parts you play soft and which parts you slow down, and and if you don't know instinctually, you have worship leaders to tell you, you know, hey, this is supposed to be a little bit softer.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_02: So can you bring it down just a tad?
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: I love worship because it's a combination of just like the best things.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's music, we all love music, we love making music together.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and people, we get to connect with our band.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's you're never like by yourself playing the song.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like we're all together and um and outside of the music, like in the little jokes during practice or like the prayer after, you know, like we're all connecting as a team, and then the congregation joins us and we're all making music together.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I like to feel like I have a purpose, I guess, like to feel like I know what I'm doing, and this is what I'm here to do.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, then I'm like part of the band when I walk in and that's so fun, and I I get to talk to people, fellowship with them, and then on top of that, there's God, like it's worship.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's just so I don't everything about it, it's just everything I love.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: Such fun times.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: It is so fun.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_02: All right, I have another question.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, is it weird to be like in the audience after you're in the band forever?
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_02: Or if like if you get the opportunity to be in the audience, you're just like, I couldn't tell you.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_01: This is not uh I couldn't tell you the last time I'm in the audience, I'll be real.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_01: At least on Sunday nights.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: It is funny going to um whenever I go to worship, I rarely can get myself out of bed on Sunday mornings to go to the vine.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but like being a musical person and hearing the way that they approach songs, which is not always the same that we do, and I'm like, oh interesting.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: This is not a choice that I have ever made, but like it's not bad.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like I rep I approach it very differently because, you know, people think about songs in different ways.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm like, this is not a perspective I've considered.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_01: And there definitely have been times where I've been in the audience and heard someone make a choice that I have never made.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a very I'm very set in my ways.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: I I like my creature comforts, I know what is comfortable for me.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but when I see people do things that I've never considered, I'm like, oh, that's very interesting.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'll have to file that away.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I've definitely done that several times.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_03: I I kind of like going back and forth between being in the band and being in the audience.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um just a different experience of what the songs are and stuff, right?
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_03: I think maybe um when I'm on stage playing music, I'm focusing a lot more on like how to play the song and not maybe listening to the lyrics or getting to sing along.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um like sometimes I find it really hard to play cajon and sing in the same side.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah, I know it's it's very hard.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_03: And so I like being able to just kind of vibe and experience the song and sing along and stuff.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um so you know.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_03: I uh fortunately I have a luxury that you guys don't of not having to lead so I don't have to play every week.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: I agree with Bailey.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's um I think Wesley gives an interesting opportunity that I didn't have at home.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like at home, there's one service and I'm singing at it every week, you know?
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: But here, like, we have Sunday and also Wednesday.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, worship is always a breath of fresh air, a nice like centering time.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um but it's nice to be able to be in the band and sing and lead and enjoy all the fun things that that brings, but also breathe, you know, like you can be in the congregation just worshiping, no one's looking at you.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um I don't know.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's nice that you have the opportunity to do both things.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: But I do get what you're saying.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it can be weird to be in the congregation.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_00: You're like, oh man, this is what it's like out here.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_02: I just never know what to do with my hands.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'm serious.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like I stand there with my like hands folded in front of it and like kind of sway.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_02: But like if I'm on the stage and I'm playing guitar and like I have something to do with my hands, and I can like if I'm not singing too, then I can hear the lyrics and I can play the like it's it's all it all comes together when you're not having to sing or not having to play cajon.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_02: Cajon is very like, you gotta keep the beat and you're not really listening to anything else.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_02: But when I'm in the when when I'm in the audience, I'm just like, I feel like I should be doing something.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: The number of times at Eventide that I've caught myself singing too loud because I'm used to projecting for worship, and I'm like, I gotta keep it down.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not leading.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_02: No, it's okay.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, please go off.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_03: So, Sarah and Copeland, if anyone is interested in joining the worship band next year, how should they contact you?
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, um, I don't know the best way.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: I guess find me in person.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's always good.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um I guess it is kind of weird that we're having this, we're having this conversation now and not the beginning of next year, next semester.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_02: No, have a full graphics page on the on the you know, that scrolls through on the Wesley Ward.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_02: You know the slideshows that they do?
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just have like a hi, I'm Sarah Mount.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_02: I'm even tired.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_02: If you're interested in joining, here's my email, phone number, social media, group me, yada yada yada, that kind of thing.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, that is a good idea.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'll have to listen to it.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: I have to plug to the A V.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_01: And also, like you can always like talk to Steve or someone else in leadership and be like, hey, I want to get in contact with Sarah Copeland.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_01: How do I do that?
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_01: And they'll they'll hook you up.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_03: And also, Copeland just reminded me, one of the very most important parts of worship is the AV team who runs the sound and all the lyrics.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_03: And they're a bit short-staffed at the moment.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_03: So um they would love your help if you are still feeling a little uh too shy to come stand on stage with us and play.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we would love to have you help us out with sound.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_00: They are so important.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_00: It genuinely none of it would run without them.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: And even like for a service like Eventide, where we don't have like a sound board, like running the slides is so important for the congregation.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how else are they going to know the words?
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_00: How are they going to worship?
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna be stressed because they don't know the words.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, when you're sitting up there and you can just like feel everyone stop singing and always turn around and look and the slides off, and it's like, ah, yes.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's what it is.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: If you're worried about for Sunday nights, if you're I have no idea this is an actual concern, but I just I have to say this.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_01: If you are wanting to help with A V and you're like, but I kind of want to be involved in worship and I want to sit in the congregation.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_01: The number of times I've looked back in the booth and seen whoever's back there absolutely vibing, having the time of their life because they're back in the booth and no one can see them, uh, you can still have just as impactful of a worship experience when you're helping out in that capacity.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_01: So don't, if anyone is hearing this and wants to help out but wants to still participate in worship, you can absolutely still do that.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_01: And also helping out in that way, I think it's just as impactful.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_01: The people that I see, especially this year, help out and I see how much they enjoy it.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's still passion to be found there for sure.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_02: And you get to put the headphones on and listen, like just us.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to listen to all the people around you, too.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_02: So you just get the straight music and you're alone, so you can vibe and you know do your little worship thing.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_02: And you get to talk to us in our ears.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_02: Not me, because I don't listen to the oh I can't I can't do the head I can't do the headphones.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_02: But if someone like makes a joke in your ear and you're like, oh, you can talk to everyone else in the band but me.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um Yeah.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you get to have little inside jokes with the band.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you don't have to shout at us from across the across the CLC.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_01: Some little ISMR for you.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_01: That is kind of honestly really funny.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_02: I can tell when someone in the A V booth has said something to Lauren because she's just like like blank faced, like wide-eyed.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, oh snap.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_02: Hello, Lauren.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, yes.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_02: They definitely said something, or like um, someone forgot to turn off the microphone while we were practicing.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_02: You were like, hey, I can hear you talking.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_02: Because they can also hear us through the microphone, so we're just talking out loud.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's like when you hear a phone conversation that's just one-sided and someone's talking out loud, and you're like, what is the other person saying to them?
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you want to know, but like, do you really?
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_01: There's also been times where if you're on stage, there's a there's a screen directly behind in front of the stage that we can see like just the lyrics on.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: And there have been times where uh someone in the at the computer has typed a little joke up there to like wait for us to notice it.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_01: Or like a little note like good luck, smiley face, or like something like that.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they can type messages that don't show up on the screens that everyone else sees, which is always fun.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_02: It's fantastic and encouraging.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks, guys.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for joining me on the podcast today.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: It was fun, and I feel like I learned a lot.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_00: I feel I feel good, I feel prepared.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: Worship is easy and fun, doesn't have to be stressful.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_01: Again, we're not Hillsong.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_01: We're just vibing.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_03: The Wesley Word is a production of the Clemson Wesley Foundation.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_03: For more information about Clemson Wesley, check out our website or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_03: Until next time, get out there and love your neighbor.