What does it take to get more college students involved in Sunday worship? At the University of Southern California, a group of students (sponsored by the Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian campus ministries) have come together to form MiX:USC (MiX stands for “Music in Christ”), which provides a unique fusion of top 40 hits and the gospel. MiX is an effort to create a weekly service tailored to the needs of senior high school and college students who may feel disconnected from traditional forms of worship or are not available on Sunday mornings. In fact, MiX:USC which has been at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday is moving to 5:30 p.m. because students seem to want to worship later in the day. This year, the MiX band, lead by USC singer/songwriter Ryan McDermott, performed selections from contemporary rock, hip-hop, and gospel music. They creatively combined high-energy songs and engaging video clips to form a student-driven interpretation of the gospel message. In addition to the weekly services, MiX:USC is also a community service program which focuses on spiritual development. Students are invited to grow through active involvement in living out the message of Jesus: feeding the hungry, serving the poor, and helping others in need.
One of the major qualities of MiX is that it is almost entirely student-run. There is a great deal of diversity within the staff, which includes people from all different spiritual and cultural backgrounds—including several who would not consider themselves religious. This blend of perspectives reflects the overarching theme behind the program, the philosophy of 'One Church,' or open, all-inclusive spirituality that focuses less on the specific dogma and divisive politics of particular denominations and more on the spiritual experiences and growth of its members. MiX:USC is organized into five divisions within which several students work together (under the helpful direction and guidance of Fr. Glenn M. Libby, the Episcopal Chaplain). Tyler Randall, a rising junior at USC, is the director of personnel and operations. He is also responsible for organizing video production for the services and often acts as the 'go to' person for details on current projects and staff assignments. Laura Wingert was in charge of hospitality and preparing the weekly meals. Sam Brawner ‘08, and John Perea, a sophomore, are the marketing and technical directors for the project. Ryan McDermott is the music director and was largely responsible for proposing which songs the band would perform and contracting the musicians. Rachel Bearer, the spiritual director, worked on creating the overall tone and message of the worship experience and regularly served as minister of the day. Also serving as a minister of the day was our hip-hop director, Matthew Trotter. The interaction among the directors was deep and intense as they coordinated their efforts to give birth to one idea of offering an engaging and authentic worship experience for emerging generations of Christians.
This summer, the team will participate in the Young Adult Festival at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Anaheim, CA, where on July 13th the program leaders will offer a workshop on the MiX:USC style of worship, and MiX:USC will offer the evening Eucharist.
Learn more about MiX and hear some of their music. |
