On a Mission in the City of Angels
AN INTERVIEW WITH
MARIAH McMANUS
by Mitch Bohannon
Mosaic church is the Los Angeles-based For our church, we’ve never owned a building, [Mariah] Every once in a while, I do. At the
church founded by Erwin McManus. Erwin’s at least we haven’t in 15 years. So we went beginning, I was pretty “green.” A lot of how I
daughter Mariah is now following in her father’s from nightclub to nightclub and that’s what I learned was just kind of having to do it on stage
footsteps as worship pastor. grew up doing. We’re now in Hollywood. It’s and having to scramble at the last minute. I
definitely been a journey, but that’s where I don’t lead with the guitar as much as I used
started…a teenager singing in a nightclub. to anymore.
[WM] Do you play an instrument? [WM] Do you use guitar or piano in your
[WM] The worship ministry there is called
Mosaic MSC. Is the MSC an abbreviation of the
Mosaic name?
songwriting – one over the other?
[Mariah McManus] Yeah and also for “Music”
[Mariah] Yeah, so my dad (Erwin McManus),
he bought my brother and I every instrument [Mariah] Um, probably the piano more in
[WM] You’ve been leading Mosaic Worship for one Christmas just to see if we could learn, songwriting.
a while. What was it like at the beginning? and he made it a little competition because my
[Mariah] I’ve been volunteering for eleven
brother and I are really competitive. So I grew [WM] You mentioned that you started
up playing the drums and the piano and guitar. volunteering in worship eleven years ago and
years and I’ve been on staff for five years.
went on staff five years ago (2013). How had
At the beginning, we met every Sunday at a [WM] What instrument would be the one that
nightclub called “The Mayan” in downtown stuck with you the most?
Los Angeles. It’s the #1 salsa nightclub in the
country. So, when I started singing at Mosaic, I
[Mariah] Well, when we were at The Mayan,
[Mariah] Probably guitar.
we didn’t focus as much on worship because
was 15-years-old in a nightclub! It’s really a fun
story, but kinda crazy at the same time!
16
the church changed by 2013?
our church, even still to this day… one thing
[WM] Do you lead worship with the guitar?
March 2018
that hasn’t changed is the majority of our
WorshipMusician.com
MOSAIC MSC