Jeff Deyo, Worship Arts Specialist in the North Central University College of Fine Arts, will be leading worship for the Assemblies of God (A/G) National Youth Convention in Houston (Houston 18), July 30–August 3. More than 10,000 students are expected for the conference, which also includes the annual National Fine Arts Festival.
Deyo, along with a band comprised of many North Central University alumni, is thrilled to be able to bring A/G youth into the presence of God through worship. “As always, I am incredibly grateful to be leading worship for the National Youth Convention,” Deyo exclaimed. “…there is still no higher honor for a worship leader in conjunction with the youth of the Assemblies of God. To have the opportunity to stir students and youth pastors from all over the nation for the Kingdom of Heaven is a beautiful thing” (jeffdeyo.com). This is the fourth time in 15 years Deyo has been asked to lead at this conference.
North Central President Scott Hagan is enthusiastic about the opportunity for students from around the world to have access to the same powerful worship experienced by North Central students when Deyo leads chapel. “I don’t take for granted the excellence Jeff brings to our daily worship at North Central through his leadership and work with our Worship Live teams,” Hagan said. “The students at Houston 18 are going to experience some powerful worship next week!”
Deyo is passionate about Jesus and wants this next generation to share that. While leading worship is a privilege and important, Deyo cautions about not just getting caught up in the worship “experience.”
“One of the things the Lord showed me [a few] years ago,” Deyo explained, “was that there is a generation of people who come to church and engage with songs, artists, experiences, and believe they have encountered God, when all they’ve done is encounter an event. But there is a one-on-one plus us-and-God thing that needs to happen.” He looks forward to facilitating that in Houston.
Deyo’s heart for pure worship has gone beyond just sharing his music—he’s articulated this heart and his philosophy in his new book, “Awakening Pure Worship.” The book will be available online and in stores in September but he is able to make some books available for the Houston conference. “This is an exclusive opportunity for people to get their hands on it before anyone else,” Deyo said.
His biography page on the university’s website notes that Deyo is founder of WorshipCityMinistries and Pure Worship Institute, and is a founding member of the internationally known worship band Sonicflood. He is the voice behind classic worship songs like “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever,” “In the Secret,” and “My Refuge”. As Sonicflood’s lead singer, primary songwriter and co-producer, Deyo saw the band’s gold certified, self-titled debut (1999) and its Grammy-nominated follow-up, Sonicpraise (2001), reach combined sales of over one million.
