For some, Sunday nights are a chance to savor the final precious hours of the weekend. For others, it is a time to start and finish the homework due Monday. Either way, for many Cornerstone students, Sunday at 9 p.m. means one thing: Evensong.

However, Evensong has not always been the colossal praise service for which students and faculty alike all trek to the Hanson Center to attend. Worship leaders Jared Doty and Matt Elmore explained that Evensong only began about six or seven years ago, and consisted of two guys playing guitar in the hallway of Bolthouse.

As their audience grew, they upgraded to Bolthouse 100. Next, they relocated to the Corum, then the Matthews auditorium and finally the gym, where it has been for the past four years.

Of course the audience and building size were not the only part of Evensong that increased. The worship team has also come a long way from two guys with guitars.

Though there is no set procedure for becoming a part of Evensong. Elmore and Doty explain it generally consists of an audition process and interview process. Potential members are asked to share their testimony, their story and why they want to be a part of Evensong.

Doty said he became interested in Evensong at the end of his sophomore year. One of the former leaders, Kyle Bos, asked him if he was interested in leading, and he has been doing so since his junior year.

He shared that serving God through ministry has always been on his heart. He also said he felt one of the ways he could serve was through music.

Elmore said, “I expressed interest first.” He went on to say that Bos had asked him if he was thinking about doing anything in worship. He told Bos about his desire to serve in Evensong and was then put in touch with Doty.

As important as musical gifts are to the worship team, both Doty and Elmore agree that one of the main requirements is a heart for the Lord. They look for people of good report, and people who are recognized as leaders.

Elmore shared that before he was made an official member of Evensong, he noticed Doty was more interested in him as a person and a friend, rather than just a musician.

When asked to share their favorite part about being a member of Evensong, Elmore said, “It’s not the music; I know it’s not.”

He said being a part of a small group like Evensong is great, but there is such a cool dynamic that comes with being a small group in a large group context.

Doty said the best part about Evensong for him is the people he’s with.

“One of the coolest things is building relationships with people on the team,” he said, adding, “It’s fun to learn how God is in control and I’m not.”

As much fun as Evensong can be, they also shared that it can be quite a learning experience. During Terra Firma this fall, Elmore said there were a couple of days when nothing was going as planned. It was a stressful time, but he said, “God gives them to you as team building exercises.”

During the year, the team has one practice a week and one small group time a week. They also have one time for the leaders to meet, pray and plan out what they will present on Sunday nights.

This year, they have decided to go through the gospel of Mark. Elmore said the goal for this year is to elevate Christ and to encourage students. He also said he is, “just anticipating what God’s going to accomplish.”

“It’s not so much what Evensong is going to do,” Doty said. He adds the purpose of Evensong is to feed people the gospel. Although, both said Evensong is not a replacement for the preaching of God’s word on Sunday mornings.

“Evensong is not church. It is a supplement to the church, not a substitute,” Elmore said. He agreed it would be a good middle ground for unsaved friends, but he adds, “If you had to pick between Evensong and church, go to church.”