Students who find themselves within a hundred yards of Perkins Chapel on a Wednesday evening have the chance to experience something that is quite unusual for the SMU campus.
Echoing from inside the walls of the 60-year-old chapel are the sounds of rock music and praise. The cause of the commotion is the SMU Wesley Foundation band.
The SMU Wesley Foundation is one of the religiously based student groups on campus. It is a Methodist organization that meets every Wednesday at Perkins chapel at 8 p.m. and is open to anyone who wants to join. The mission of Wesley is to call this generation of college students to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
The Wesley Foundation has a live band playing every week. The band consists of eight members, each playing different instruments or singing, and together they lead the group of students throughout chapel.
“We play some awesome music and people should really come and check it out,” said Vicki Nooe, sophomore music major and keyboardist for the band.
Members of the band include: Jake Breedlove, guitar and vocals; Katie Gage and Sarah Jobe, vocals; Garrett Mucha, guitar; Kyle Henson, drums; Vicki Nooe and Ana Hae, keyboard; and Matt Johnson, bass guitar.
Wesley started in 1999 on SMU’s campus, and the band followed shortly after. According to Breedlove, “The purpose of the Wesley band is to provide a fun atmosphere of worship through good music. The band is also used to bring people into Wesley and get their minds and hearts set on God before hearing the message during the sermon.”
On a typical night, the band will play three Christian-based rock songs before the sermon and then three immediately following to close the chapel service.
Behind the band is a giant projector screen that displays the lyrics of each song for the audience to read. This allows the crowd to sing along with the music and creates a concert-type atmosphere during the chapel service.
The songs the Wesley band plays are usually chosen by Breedlove or any other member of the band. They try to make the choice according to the lesson being talked about in the sermon for that particular week.
Sometimes specific songs are given to the band by the Rev. Creighton Alexander, the head pastor, because he wants a certain theme for the entire service.
“We play contemporary and upbeat renditions of both old and new hymns as well as other religious music,” Breedlove said. “Every now and then we also play mainstream popular covers that accompany the sermon topic.”
After the first three songs are played, Alexander usually gives his sermon. The sermon is typically geared towards college-aged students and is told in such a way that it gives everyone in the audience a chance to relate to it. Following the sermon, the band gets back on stage and plays three more songs.
The band practices every Wednesday before chapel and again every Friday afternoon at the Wesley house. A lot of hard work and musical talent are needed to be a part of the group, but to the members, it is all worth it.
“It’s fun to play music. It’s even more fun to play it with a purpose,” Nooe said.
Each member of the band simply loves music.
They all have their inspirations and favorite artists that they try to mold their musical talents around.
Garrett Mucha, the lead guitarist, listens to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton, while Breedlove listens to bands such as Third Day and Stillwater. While each member is unique, they all bring their own personalities to the music they play and to Wesley.
When asked why they play music and why they choose to do it for the SMU Wesley Foundation, Mucha answered, “We do it to serve God.”
