A joyful noise: Anderson uses his music to reach others

Will Anderson, from Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, has been playing guitar since fourth grade. He began using his talent for God as a freshman in high school, when he joined the youth group praise team at his church in Mississippi. Now a recent graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School, Anderson is using his love for God and music to serve others as the leader of the youth group praise team at Lynwood, as well as the singer and guitarist at Sunday services there. The son of Mark and Karen Anderson, he enjoys music, hunting, fishing and playing golf. Here he talks about leading worship and how God has been working in his life.

Where are you from? I was born in Tulsa, Okla. I moved to Cape when I was 2 and then to Jackson, Miss., when I was 8. I moved back to Cape when I was 16.

How long have you been involved in a church? My whole life.

How long have you been involved in Lynwood Baptist Church? Three and a half years, or nine and a half if you count the time when I was younger.

What do you love about your church? I love the staff I get to work with. Jeff Moran is my youth pastor, Brian Crisman is my music pastor and my dad, Mark Anderson, is the senior pastor at the church.

How did you become the leader of the youth group praise team? When I first moved here, there was no praise team for the youth group so I started doing the music, and eventually started adding band members until we had a full band. When Brian Crisman, our music pastor, came to Lynwood last year, he asked me to play guitar and sing for the band on Sundays.

How long have you been the leader of the praise team? I've been leading the youth praise band since my sophomore year, and I have been in the band for Sundays since July of 2010.

What is your favorite part your leadership role? God has given me a passion for music, and in these leadership roles I have the opportunity to use that passion on a weekly basis.

Have you had any other leadership roles in the church? I have led worship for Boys Camp in the summer. I have led worship the past two years for Judgement House at my church. I will also be leading worship at a church in Brazil this summer on a mission trip. Most of my leadership roles involve music in one way or another. In the other areas I serve, I am not really in a position of leadership.

What's your favorite worship song? "Forever Reign" by Hillsong, but my favorite worship song changes daily.

What has God been teaching you lately? God has been showing me that the areas in my life that I am struggling with are his ways of showing me how powerful he is and how everything that he lets happen to me has a purpose. I am bad about trying to deal with things on my own and God has been reminding me that when I give my problems to him, even if they don't work out the way I have planned, he gives me peace no matter the outcome.

How are you a witness for Christ outside of church? I try my best to be Christ-like no matter where I am. It's one thing to say you're a Christian, but it's another thing to live like one. As a teenager, a big thing for me is just keeping myself out of situations and environments that could hurt my witness just by being there even if I'm not necessarily doing anything wrong.

What is one of your favorite things about God? My favorite thing about God is that he loves me and wants to have a relationship with me despite my sin. It's impossible for me to understand why the perfect creator of the universe would send his son to die for me when he knew every sin I would ever commit against him.

What is your favorite Bible verse? Galatians 3:10-13. It talks about how we are cursed because we can't possibly do everything written in the Book of the Law, but goes on to say that Christ redeemed us from the curse of death by becoming the curse for us and dying on the cross.

What are your plans for the future? I plan on attending Liberty University to pursue a degree in worship and music studies. After that, I'll just see what God has planned for me!