Liberty Worship Collective releases new album ‘To the One’

On Friday, the Liberty Worship Collective from Liberty University released its second full-length album, “To the One,” a record showcasing its commitment and dedication to creating music that lifts up God’s name. LWC performed the song, “Holy Comforter” during the morning’s Convocation.

LWC is a diverse group of student worship leaders, songwriters, and musicians at Liberty. “To the One” features six previously released singles and five new, never-before-heard songs. The album was published and distributed by Liberty Music Group, the official record label of Liberty University, and can be found on all streaming platforms.

The album is LWC’s second release. “Fire of a Thousand Years” was released in 2023.

Judd Harris (’19, ’21), artist-in-residence for LWC and a member of Vertical Worship, said the album title wasn’t based on a song title as usual but from the lyrics in the original song, “Holy Comforter”: ‘To the one lifted up, all enthroned high above.”

“This album is to the Lord, to the One; that’s what all of our music is for,” he said.

LWC student members of the team, both past and present, played a critical role in the creation of the record, some of whom wrote the album alongside Harris and LWC Executive Director Kevin Huguley. The album was produced by Tim Riordan, a member of LWC’s staff. Ten of the songs were recorded live during Liberty’s Campus Community, while one song, “Feast with the Father,” is a studio recording.

Huguley said LWC chose the songs for three reasons: they encourage faithfulness to the Word of God, are Christ-centered in nature, and are a “fit for our room,” meaning they are appropriate for their target audience of Liberty students during Convocation and Campus Community.

“God is using this album first and foremost on Liberty Mountain, and that is our call and what we feel like we are writing these songs for,” Huguley said, noting that revenue, streams, and metrics all come second to serving the student body.

Harris added they hope students will look back and remember “the soundtrack of their collegiate experience.”

“It’s a win for us and a hope for us that these songs will be songs that students can look back on in 10 years after they’ve graduated,” he said. “They’ll have had a record that they can look back on and say, ‘Oh, I used to listen to that song as a junior, and it used to carry me through the day.’ One of our main goals is just that it would bless our student body while they are here.”

Huguley said LWC aims to prioritize “theologically rich” lyrics over the latest trends. As many worship bands evolve and become more contemporary or pop in nature, LWC strives to ensure all their songs are theologically sound. Many of their songs are deeply poetic in nature, like “Feast with the Father” and “Holy Comforter” on the “To the One” record.

“Young people don’t just want whatever’s flashy and trendy and cool,” he said. “They want richness, they want depth, and our releases have shown that.”

Harris was a student with LWC before becoming artist-in-residence. He said many of the students in the group today are on their way to becoming professional musicians like himself, and LWC helps develop them into “godly Christian men and women.”

“All of the Worship Collective’s songs we’ve released and all the ones we will release will be with student musicians because that’s the heartbeat of our team,” he said. “The Worship Collective prepared me for working as a team member and also working in a professional organization and keeping the focus of loving Jesus inside the process.”

Huguley added that no matter where a student lands after their time on LWC, his hope is that they are equipped to find their place in ministry.

“(We want) a student to come through our process and be developed spiritually, be developed with work ethic, and be developed as a person who learns how to love people well, is equipped to get a job, then becomes a better musician and worship leader on the back end of that.”

Huguley said LWC gives students real-life experience with the opportunity to lead worship in front of thousands of their peers multiple times a week while also traveling to perform at various churches, schools, and events. Since Huguley became executive director in 2018, he’s seen over 100 former members impact music in various capacities all over the world.

Olivia Scroggs, a graduate student pursuing clinical mental health counseling, recorded vocals alongside senior business administration student Moses Uzele for LWC’s unique version of the popular song “It Is Well,” one of the releases on “To the One.”

“It’s a very unique experience to record a song that is recognized by so many people on Liberty’s campus and to know it’s my voice in that recording,” she said. “‘It Is Well’ is a very special song to me because of the way it impacted my family through a difficult and uncertain season. It truly was a gift to me and my family to be a part of that song, and being on a professional album is just a cool experience altogether.”

Though Scroggs does not plan on pursuing a career in music, she said the experience has grown her.

“Being on LWC has challenged me to go deeper in my faith and know the ‘why’ for my worship. It has forced me to face my own convictions and examine my heart on and off the stage, and I believe God has used this experience to sanctify me, often in really difficult but rewarding ways.”

Uzele said recording the album was a “truly special experience.”

“My favorite part was collaborating in the studio with our staff, especially Tim Riordan,” he said. “Although my career goal is to become a financial planner, I’d love to work with clients in the music industry. This recording experience has given me valuable insight into the creative process behind producing an album and a deeper appreciation for the effort it requires.”

Since LWC was established in 2016, they have released two full-length records, four EPs, and 19 singles.

Listen to “To the One” on all music streaming platforms. For more information on the Liberty Worship Collective, visit Liberty.edu/WorshipCollective.