Stepping into Broad Art Center’s auditorium on a Wednesday evening feels like walking into a rock concert. With the crowd totaling about 50 or 60, vocalists belting out lyrics and the electric guitar erupting into a passionate solo, it’s easy to forget that this is not your typical concert. In fact, it’s not a concert at all.
The Campus Crusade worship team plays each week at Real Life, a meeting and worship service held every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for members of Campus Crusade for Christ. Founded in 1951 at UCLA, Campus Crusade has spread around the world and is now present at more than 2,000 campuses.
The band, which is comprised of around 12 students, has three worship leaders, also UCLA students. These worship leaders have the musical abilities to sing and play an instrument, as well as leadership skills to guide the Campus Crusade members in worship and facilitate the flow of the night. Only one student leads each session, opening the meeting and leading the weekly practice.
Jonathan Gibo, a third-year biochemistry student, is one of these worship leaders. He also coordinates who will lead and who will play for the band each week, as typically only seven to nine students play in one night. According to Gibo, the worship leaders are more than just musicians.
“Part of being a worship leader is having an open and growing relationship with God. That’s one of the main things we would stress, that you are a worshipper before a musician,” Gibo said.
First-year undeclared social sciences student Johnny Langdon has been involved with Campus Crusade since fall quarter and plays bass guitar for the band.
“The band together is all about making one sound and leading people in worship,” Langdon said.
The band, which is entirely student-led, is more of a collaborative effort than the product of any one person’s leadership.
“We support (the leader) with our sound. We vibe off each other,” Langdon said.
A typical lineup for the band’s set each week includes the worship leader playing acoustic guitar and singing, a drummer, a bass guitarist, a keyboard player, two electric guitarists, two back-up vocalists and someone doing electronic sounds through an Apple synthesizing program.
“We’re all singing together, so it’s not like we’re on the stage as a performer. We’re in a leadership team leading people in worship. That’s what differentiates us from typical bands,” Langdon said.
With the goal of leading people in worship rather than performing for them, the band plays for the first 20 minutes of Real Life, followed by weekly announcements and a message delivered by an empowering speaker. At the end of the session, the band finishes with another set that usually lasts a little longer than the first.
According to Langdon, the worship team is there to facilitate a meaningful session of worship. “You want people to feel comfortable to worship how they want to worship through music.”
First-year aerospace engineering student Tommy Changaris has participated in Campus Crusade since coming to UCLA in the fall, and he attends the Real Life sessions frequently.
“I went to a Christian high school, and sometimes the band was a little off, which was really distracting,” Changaris said. “The quality of this worship band, I feel, helps me. … It makes it so I’m not distracted from worshipping God.”
The quality of the group is something both Langdon and Gibo proudly acknowledge.
“We’ve been blessed with a myriad of talents and musicians,” Gibo said.
All of the students bring their respective musical talents to the group, often instigating builds and swells on their own regardless of who is leading.
They do hold practices every Monday, but according to Langdon these meetings are usually unnecessary.
“There are really talented musicians in there,” Langdon said. “Even when we practice, … everyone usually knows the songs already. … We usually don’t have to work on much because it always sounds really good; it’s really exciting.”
Although the band certainly has the passion and skill to be likened to a true rock band, its members are not willing to take this title.
“We haven’t gone around to set up shows; I don’t really think of that as our goal,” Gibo said. “Our hope is that it never turns into a rock show or anything like that.”