Trevecca’s Testify records vocals for upcoming worship album
Trevecca’s Testify records vocals for upcoming worship album
Testify, Trevecca Nazarene University’s gospel choir, recently had the opportunity to participate in a new project titled The Church Will Sing.
Led by Johnathon Mason and Trevor Mathiesen of WORD Music Publishing, The Church Will Sing is a new worship album project with a novel approach. The songs are designed for use in churches around the world, with the hope that worship leaders will incorporate them into their services, adapting the songs to fit the style of the congregation.
Mason and Mathieson say the project is centered on community, which meant the album wouldn’t feature big name artists or groups. Instead, the producers envisioned an album that produced the feeling of congregational worship.
That’s where Testify comes in.
Originally, Mason and Mathieson planned for The Church Will Sing to include congregational vocals from churches across the United States. It soon became clear they’d have to seek an alternative option. They turned to Testify, known for their previous work with Community Music and Meredith Andrews earlier this year.
Testify recorded their vocals in the Cierpke Choral Hall, located in Trevecca’s Jackson Center for Music and Worship Arts. Scheduled to take place from 3-9 p.m. on Feb. 6-7, the recording process ran ahead of schedule.
“We were in the choir room, and we were going to do two nights of recording…like five hours a night …. We finished everything in three hours,” said Mark Hosny, Testify’s director. “That’s 10 songs in three hours.”
Hosny also serves as the director of Trevecca’s National Praise and Worship Institute.
According to Hosny, while it was an honor for the students to be included in the recording, earning accolades wasn’t the main goal. He wanted the recording to be a true representation of the choir members’ hearts for worship.
“I’m very proud of our students,” he said. “Their hearts were pure. They were worshiping.”
For Hanna Davis, a Testify choir member who participated in the recording, the opportunity was an unbelievable experience.
“What an amazing worship experience for the Lord!” she said. “After working so hard on these songs with our Testify choir, it was amazing to see them come to life in the recording in the presence of Jesus… The message of the gospel is so prominent in these songs, and I am so grateful that we got to pour our hearts out to God in song and as a family.”
And that, Hosny says, is the heart and purpose of Testify.
“We are not here to just to make albums,” he said. “It’s a great plus for Trevecca; it’s a great plus for our department, but it’s not our heart. Our heart is to sow seed into the Kingdom.”
Learn more about The Church Will Sing project at thechurchwillsing.com.
By Moira Kurtz
Media contact: Mandy Crow, mmcrow@trevecca.edu, 615-248-1695