Worship Ministry Class: Changing Lives

Story by Monica Biaggi

Students from Shenandoah Valley Academy’s (SVA) Worship Ministry class are learning more about how to worship God, resulting in a deeper relationship with Him.

When the class launched this year, the introverted group wasn’t overly eager to learn, as some of them enrolled only for the credit hours. Over time, as God led me to use sincere and genuine Christian music to teach them about His love, students began opening their hearts and letting Him reign down peace and power through the Holy Spirit. The students started asking if they could share the worship music with others outside of class. Yes! They want to share it! I praised God. They want to minister to SVA neighbors, praying with them and singing songs about our Savior!

In class, my students are singing praises, learning songs and chords, and studying how to honor God in the best way possible. As a result, students are drawing closer to God—and so am I! And naturally, we are sharing God’s wonders with others because we are experiencing Him firsthand.

We have started visiting the surrounding neighborhoods, assisted living centers, day care centers and local residents at home. Often walking, sometimes traveling by school bus, we are spreading the same worship experience to others that we are encountering in class. It is the power of God working in us because we have committed to be His instruments.

This class is not about performing without mistakes or our beautiful voices (albeit these are important); it is about sincere worship in response to the love and grace of our Savior and Redeemer. There is so much joy in extending a hand and saying, “Hello, Jesus loves you; we are here for you!” Seeing faces light up when students share a song or pray with our Shenandoah Valley neighbors brings us great pleasure! We are also blessed to make and share homemade cards with them to convey a message of hope. And we have even greater happiness, knowing angels are worshipping God with us!

SVA students greatly desire to serve, worship and follow Jesus. We have 60 students involved in praise teams and 130 students in music groups such as Shenandoans (a select choir), chorale, bells, classical players, strings, orchestra and band. I thank God for students who love and follow Him and for the opportunity to serve and praise His name. I want to encourage more students to use their talents to glorify God and to share the gospel through music.

The Worship Ministry class has been and continues to be life-changing—for everyone involved. I pray that every SVA student gets to experience this unspeakable joy because worship brings true joy to the Lord!