Heads bowed down. Hands lifted high. Voices rejoiced in praise.
The Pepperdine community gathered in Firestone Fieldhouse on Sept. 16 for the University’s annual worship summit. Renowned artists United Voice Worship and Phil Wickham led students, family, faculty and alumni in worship. Jonathan Evans, former NFL player turned pastor, gave the main message.
Members of the Pepperdine community said they love that the University offers opportunities for fellowship and worship.
“In this age we’re living in today, any chance that we get to pull young people together and inspire them the way they’re going to be inspired tonight is worthwhile,” said Tim Spivey, associate vice president for spiritual life.
The three guests, United Voice Worship, Wickham and Evans, amazed Spivey withthe automatic unity in Christ they displayed backstage, he said. Spivey said he was excited for such inspiring followers of Christ to lead the Pepperdine community in worship because worship is such an essential part of one’s relationship with God.
“[Worship] is an opportunity to be stirred by the Holy Spirit to encounter God in powerful ways that have transformed me,” Spivey said.
Wickham is a prominent musician in the world of worship and a pioneer in contemporary Christian music. With 10 albums under his belt, Wickham has won four Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and has been nominated for two Grammys.
President Jim Gash introduced Wickham to the stage with some words of affirmation.
“He [Wickham] is so popular because of what he has done with his music, both when he writes and how he performs,” Gash said. “[He] gives voice to what’s inside of us and our deep desire to praise God and he puts it into words in a way that we can all sing together.”
Before going on stage to perform, Wickham said he likes to remind himself of who he is doing this for — God. Wickham said worship is essential for his relationship with God and his way of glorifying Him.
“I believe that worship and praise flow from a place of saying, ‘I need you and you fulfill every need that you have,” Wickham said.
When he walked on stage, Wickham told the crowd that this was his fifth time performingat Pepperdine.
“[There’s] something about every time I come here it just doesn’t feel like I’m a visitor or a guest, it just feels like family, feels like home,” Wickham said. “I want to thank you so much.”
With worship leaders as parents, worship has surrounded Wickham all his life. However, he said his spiritual gift is less about himself and more about how he can use his talents for God’s glory. Wickham said his goal when he gets on stage is to connect people with God.
“It took me a long time to learn that it wasn’t up to me to drum up emotion or create an experience for people,” Wickham said. “The only thing that’s going to change those hearts is the Holy Spirit.”
For sophomore Allisen Winn, this year was the first time she attended the Worship Summit. As a lover of worship music, Winn said it was beautiful to see the community celebrate and worship God.
Winn’s favorite part of the night was the performance from United Voice Worship, she said. Winn said she has never experienced worship in an a cappella format before, and she was surprised by how much she enjoyed it.
“The a cappella covers allowed for the showcasing of our God-made instruments,” Winn said. “The blending together of everyone’s unique voice was so incredible and sent chills down my spine.”
After Wickham performed his set, Evans continued the night with a powerful message of being a light in every space one takes up.
“The blessings of God is the favor of God to you so he can flow through you,” Evans said.
Junior Myers Mentzer said Evans and his family are a part of her church back home in Dallas — Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Mentzer credits Evans’ father, Tony Evans, for her enrollment at Pepperdine.
“Many people at that church really encouraged me to come to Pepperdine and spoke over my life and said ‘Pepperdine was a place where students were on fire for the Lord, and that administration and faculty were leading their students in life,” Mentzer said.
Mentzer said she is grateful to go to a University that holds space for its community to freely worship. She said worship helps remind her who God is and strengthens her personal relationship with God.
“There’s something so much greater than just all being students here or community members of Pepperdine,” Mentzer said. “There is an eternal aspect in everything we do.”
Students said it was such a wonderful experience to see everyone united in worship.
“On this campus, there are young people full of so much potential and fire and light and life saying yes to Jesus,” Wickham said. “It melts my heart, I’m exploding with joy over this place and to be a part of [this].”
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Contact Yamillah Hurtado via email: yamillah.hurtado@pepperdine.edu
