Based out of Somerset KY and Nashville TN, Worship Artists People of the Earth is comprised of band members Dustin Fenison (Vocals / Guitar), Jorge Lopez Jr. (Drums), Steve Hampton (Guitar), and Josh Lopez (Keys, Vocals). People Of The Earth's passion for worship stems playing, writing and expressing themselves in the church through music. The band totes musical influences from artists including Toto, Duran Duran and "80's pop." but admit it's hard to get too far away from Kentucky influences. As an independent band without label support, the band has seen considerable success to date.
With their new Victory EP hitting digital outlets earlier this year, People Of The Earth is excited to see who will be reached by their new songs. It is their hope that this unique collection of songs will serve to uplift and inspire all who listen.
We spent some time with the group getting to know them, their new music and how worship has been impacting their community.
Introduce us to the band! Your names and what you play, a fun fact about yourself, and tell us how People of the Earth came to be.
Jorge Lopez: I'm the music director for the band. I play drums and produce most of our songs. A fun fact about me is that I absolutely hate mayonnaise.
Josh Lopez: I play keys and sing. A fun fact about me is that I love basketball.
Rhyan Shirley: I sing and write songs. I love the outdoors and have not eaten meat in 6 years.
Steve Hampton: I play guitars and I like to restore old cars.
Dustin Fenison: I play guitars, write songs and sing. I'm a huge Kentucky sports fan. Go Cats! :)
We are a family of worship leaders who love Jesus and his Church. For most of our adult lives, we have served in our respective churches, leading worship ministries and writing songs. Now, most of us are based out of our church in southern Kentucky but some of our People of the Earth (POTE) family who travel and create music with us are part of the Nashville CCM/Worship community. This has all grown from a desire to tell the world that the gospel is the best news for humanity and because of Jesus our best days are ahead of us. Our name comes from Psalm 117 but is intended as inclusive a name as we could think of.
I've read that your church has been experiencing a revival in worship over the last few years and has been seeing God work in powerful ways in people's lives. Tell us what's been happening in your local community and how that connects to the Victory EP?
Dustin: Over the past five years we have been firsthand witnesses of God revitalizing our local church. It's been an incredible time of growth by all measures but what has been most amazing are all the stories of lives changing because of the gospel. The songs you hear on the Victory EP have served as the soundtrack for this period of revival at our church. We sing these songs together weekly and through these moments of corporate worship that has been so powerful for us to experience are all over the EP. The songs, the sounds, and the expressions are all there even in the studio setting.
Is there a certain testimony from what God has been doing in your church that inspired a particular song on Victory? Share one of those stories with us.
Dustin: The song that serves as the title song "Victory is on the Way" was written as a statement that no matter the battle that you face, God is stronger. We are blessed from time to time to lead worship for our church's recovery ministry. We watched God free people from the chains of addiction. As we witnessed story after story of God's grace at work in the lives of so many, the song "Victory is on the Way" became a rallying cry and a declaration that there is more grace waiting. This is the best news. Because of the finished work of Jesus, our sin and our failures no longer define us, and the empty tomb means that this all ends in victory.
What is your writing process like, especially considering that your songs are born from involvement in a local congregation and leading worship together at church?
Jorge: We are blessed to have a core team of incredibly talented writers at our church who are gifted to word the prayers and heart of our church. In addition, we are so thankful to have a lot of friends who have jumped in to help. We are routinely writing and recording with some of the most talented names in Christian music. The process is typically a few of us in a room talking about what God has been doing in our Replica Rolex community or planning where we are heading in a teaching series. Then with prayer, and hard work these songs are born.
It's evident you have a true passion and calling for worship, community, the Church. Could you share with us something God been teaching you about those areas lately?
Dustin: He has been teaching us patience. Sometimes it's easy for our plans to get ahead of what God wants to do in our ministry and our church. I think it's really important to know your church community and make real efforts to include everyone in the room. As much as it is possible you don't want to leave anyone behind in corporate worship. We have so many examples in scripture of incredible acts of love in service to others. This is an act of worship itself and serving one another leads to supernatural unity that is one of the greatest witnesses to the gospel.
What do you hope God will do in people's lives as they hear the songs on the Victory EP?
Josh: We hope that listeners are reminded and awakened to the radical life-changing power of the gospel. His grace isn't simply a nice thing to sing about once a week to make us better people. Instead, it has the power to transform who we are from the inside out. It can change everything about us and the world around us. We want people to be stirred by the grace of God and see His beauty more fully.
What's next for People of the Earth and how can we be praying for you?
Dustin: This summer we are splitting our time on the road and in the studio. We are planning a second EP release later this year along with a Christmas project. We would love your prayers for balance, creativity, and patience.
NRT contributor Jasmin Patterson is a lifelong fan of Christian music who is passionate about helping others connect with Christ. She lives in Kansas City where she serves in college ministry and runs a blog to help seekers and believers discover and live biblical Christianity.
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