Music groups take part in Easter events with Franklin Graham, Mac Powell
Members of the Liberty Worship Collective used their talents locally, nationally, and internationally at three different venues over Easter weekend.
The Worship Collective performs at a Franklin Graham Conference in Cucuta, Colombia on April 19, 2019. (Photo by Jessie Rogers)
Band members were invited by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to lead worship at the Festival of Hope in Cúcuta, Colombia, a two-night event that drew more than 94,000 people to the city’s soccer stadium. BGEA President Franklin Graham shared the message of God’s love and forgiveness with the crowd, which included many Venezuelan migrants facing a major economic crisis. The Venezuelans are part of the largest migration in Latin American history. Another 21,000 people across 34 countries watched the festival online. The 14-member band sang their entire set in Spanish.
Rising senior Sergio Quieroz said that his time in Colombia showed him how God “transcends all cultures and languages.”
Liberty Worship Collective performs at Natural Bridge National Park on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Snyder)
“I could see how the Lord has been working all around the world, taking care of the very specific needs of each people group and showing compassion in each individual situation that people encounter,” he said. “It was also very impactful to see in practice the truth that ‘every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Phil 2:11), that the Gospel is a message for all nations, tribes, and tongues.”
The Liberty students also joined Samaritan’s Purse workers in Colombia to hand out shoeboxes to local schoolchildren.
On Good Friday, 12 band members led worship alongside Third Day’s Mac Powell and the worship team from Church at the Beach at the Rosemary Beach Owners Pavilion in Seaside, Fla. The event also served as a benefit concert for those recovering from Hurricane Michael last year.
Locally, 12 members of the collective performed an acoustic set at the annual Easter sunrise service at one of Virginia’s top scenic destinations, Natural Bridge State Park in Lexington, Va. The 215-foot tall Natural Bridge, a limestone gorge carved out by Cedar Creek, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The collective also led a special Good Friday worship service on campus during Convocation as students walked through the 14 stations of the cross in observance of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Members also led worship during Liberty Christian Academy’s Holy Week chapel service and served in local churches across the Lynchburg area.
The Collective performs in Convocation on Good Friday.
“We’re not only going to the nations but into our neighborhoods,” said Kevin Huguley, executive director of the Worship Collective. “Our team effectively came together in one weekend to serve with one common purpose: to lift high the name of Jesus. What better week to do that than Holy Week.”
The collective is made up of more than 60 Liberty students and production staff. Members lead worship each week during Convocation and Campus Community. They travel around the country and the globe for special events throughout the year.
