Unraveling the urban tale of UrbanWood
Jazmyne Boozer, Assistant Editor
Photo Courtesy of Mykel Scott
A student ministry that promotes unity, diversity and every gift a student has to offer is hard to come by. We often see student ministries that promote unity but maybe not diversity or one that allows students to share their gifting but perhaps there is no unity amongst the students.
In most student ministries, one is blessed if they get one of these; let alone all three. However, there seems to be a heroic ministry emerging among the others: Urbanwood.
Started by Mykel Scott and Thomas Grindell, UrbanWood is a campus band that hosts worship nights and fellowshipping opportunities to encourage unity, gifts and diversity on campus. The Vision interviewed with Mykel Scott to gain more understanding of this dynamic group of musicians.
For those who may not have heard of this band, the name UrbanWood stands out among others. But, according to Scott, the name actually comes from a very meaningful place.
“The idea of UrbanWood in general is that despite our differences…there can be unity. An Urban area is completely contrasted by a wooded area so we bring those together in the name to create a physical image of unity within the body.”
And it shows. At the last UrbanWood conference, there was diverse praise and worship; from singing and dancing, to preaching and prayer. They allowed others to share their gifts as well, whether it was speaking about a scripture that touched them personally or having a section for a spoken word. Anything is allowed as long as it is inspired by God. This is the heart of UrbanWood. When asked about where he saw the band going in five years he stated:
“[We] are definitely more than just good music. My hope is that we present the gospel in more ways than we typically see”. When asked to elaborate he stated, “We want to be an open outlet ministry so that people can come in and not only hear the gospel message but express themselves freely with their talents as well”.
Unity and diversity are the heart-cry of this ministry. Not only are they working on developing their outreach, but they are also teaming up with The Harbor in January to have one big worship night. “One Body” as the worship night will be called, will have multiple ministries present from prayer ministries and spoken words, to other bands. This night will be all about celebrating different ministry outlets as well as coming together as a joint body of believers in Christ.
UrbanWood is an open ministry for anyone of any creed, background or denomination to come. The next gathering is Dec. 1 at Edgewood Baptist church.
