When Peoples Church junior high leader Matthew Markarian overheard the worship team in one of the weekly chapels, he knew he wanted them to lead worship for his youth group. This starts the first of many concerts the worship team will play outside of school chapels.

At the beginning of the year, worship team director Aaron Bryan laid out his vision for the band to get more involved in the community. With help from Markarian, Bryan?s dream begins to materialize as the worship team will play for Peoples Church in Ground Zero at around 7 p.m., Nov. 19.

?I?m really excited to play for Peoples [Church],? Tyler Duerr, ?10, said. ?It?ll be exciting to play for a different audience with the same worship team.?

The 2008-09 school year witnessed many changes within the student leadership and worship team classes. Under the direction of Bryan, also the director of campus choral groups, and cheer coach Katie Mendenhall, the two classes were combined, further unifying the leadership element of the school.

?As a school, we are turning our focus toward service and worship,? Bryan said. “One way we have sought to accomplish this is by combining the chapel worship team with the student leadership class, which seemed like a natural juxtaposition, since all of these students are campus leaders in one way or another. This has allowed the worship team to take on a larger role in the leadership of this campus and the community.?

Like Duerr, Bryan appreciates the event as a chance to play for an audience outside of the high school student body.

?It is my hope that the worship team will have more opportunities like this concert,? Bryan said. ?The team has gelled very well after three years of playing together, and can serve as ambassadors for the school.”

Although Bryan organizes the events to glorify God, he hopes the increased publicity might bring attention to the school for potential families.

“Ultimately our goal is that Christ be praised in every service we lead,” Bryan said. “If we can encourage some families to look more intently at FCS as an option for their child’s education, then that is icing on the cake.?

For more information on worship band and chapel events, visit Strength in numbers, High-yah! or e-mail Bryan.