was just looking at the whole room and was
not something we would ever want to do. Our
video guy was cringing at the fact we were
going to release this thing, and we did it. So
that’s where it came from. I think it’s a long
story, but it encapsulates the heart of how this
happened, and the heart that we’re chasing the
Lord and not perfection.
Obviously through the years we’ve gotten
better at what we do, and we’ve spent more
time on things, we’ve gotten better really. But
there is something to laying down your life for
worship and for the Lord, and being in a place
of doing that week in and week out, when no
one is really watching you, and that is the key
in our culture because the musicians are very
cohesive, they can play spontaneously and
do a lot of crazy things that other people can’t
do. We have an amazing musician culture.
Our worship leaders aren’t stressed, they’re
not trying to sing spontaneously, it’s just an
outpouring of what happens in their life.
[WM] I find it fascinating that UPPERROOM
has its roots in Methodism. The teaching and
hymnody of John and Charles Wesley are a
tremendous foundation to be based upon.
What can you tell us about the large number of
musicians and singers that call UPPERROOM
their community and home for worship?
[Matt] I would say a large portion of the
blessing at UPPERROOM was that early on
there was a group of musicians that laid their
lives down for UPPERROOM long before they
had to worry about things like how much they
were going to get paid. It was their life’s calling.
With all of the logistical questions of life, they
just knew that the Lord was on this and so they
just chased it. They did whatever it took to be
a part of it, and having a prayer room, we have
over a hundred musicians now because we
have all of these sets. I think the easy answer is
that people want to be a part of things that have
life on them. At the UPPERROOM the Lord has
been doing a lot, there is life on it. I think the
prayer room has taught a lot of musicians that
they don’t have to be stuck in a box and just
replay songs from other people on Sundays.
There is nothing wrong with that, we do that
too, but there is a bigger calling, there is the
Levitical lifestyle that a lot of these musicians
are getting to partake in and doing these prayer
sets to express themselves and express their
gifts in a unique way without having to be put
into a box on Sundays.
There is a family of guys called the Gamboa’s.
That’s their last name, and they’re been in the
UPPERROOM the longest, Oscar is a producer
who plays a major role in everything we do.
His family are really the core musician team at
UPPERROOM, and they really stewarded and
chased after being excellent in the midst of
chaos. There is a lot of teaching here, but going
with that spontaneous thing, and the same
goes for musicians. If you’re stuck reading
a chord chart on stage, you’re probably not
going to be thinking about how you’re going to
July 2020
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