Outside of Passion, there are very few worship collectives who tailor their music specifically toward college-aged students. Enter SEU Worship. The burgeoning group is the musical expression of Central Florida’s Southeastern University. Comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni, SEU Worship serves an often overlooked demographic in worship music with original songs that are as relatable as they are relevant on “Move of God (Live).”
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Inspired by the spontaneous revival breaking out across college campuses nationwide, the new 11-track collection is a plea for God to show up. This sentiment is most obviously mirrored in the title-cut, which also opens the album. Led by David Ryan Cook, the bright single asks the Lord to “make us an offering, make us an upper room” until we encounter His presence.
“The album, ‘Move of God,’ articulates the ongoing movement witnessed not only within our campus and community, but across the globe. A powerful, divine movement is underway,” says SEU Worship’s Chelsea Plank of the full-length project. “Reflecting on Matthew 5:8, which states that the pure in heart shall see God, this album serves as our prayer, urging us to dedicate ourselves to holiness, enabling us to truly perceive God. Through these songs, we ask the Lord to transform us into offerings, sanctify us like an upper room, purify us, and grant us the vision to perceive His movement and actively participate in it.”
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Despite its youthful energy, “Move of God” is a surprisingly mature effort. Delving into themes that particularly resonate with its core audience, the record wrestles with topics that are foundational to the college experience as students navigate newfound freedom, additional responsibility and a faith they’re awkwardly attempting to make their own. College is a messy dance played out in that uncertain chasm between childhood and adulthood and filled with a unique tension that SEU Worship not only acknowledges but celebrates as a necessary part of growing up.
Helmed by Sydney James, the poignant “Oil and Offering” is a fragrant selection that finds the student body wanting their respective lives to look like a sacrifice — a difficult concept for even more established adults to fully grasp, much less walk out.
On the intimate “Slower I Go,” which features Plank on lead vocals, the group swims against the current by challenging hustle culture. They insist the faith journey isn’t a sprint, but instead, a marathon that’s won one slow and steady step at a time. The ballad contends that faster isn’t always better and suggests a different pace — one that’s more in step with the natural speed of our Heavenly Father.
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The group’s Kenzie Walker examines the intentions behind our worship on the pure, convicting “Motives.” Meanwhile, Dahlia and Natalia Reyes express a desperate desire for an ideology that extends beyond a Sunday church service on “Monday Morning Faith.” Aching for the kind of relationship with Jesus that sustains you seven days a week, the standout selection was one of the first advance tracks to preview “Move of God” and immediately struck a chord with listeners hungry for a faith that actually proves effective in the real world.
Concluding the live set on a dynamic note, Cook returns for hyped fan favorite “FREE!” The frenzied anthem feels like a nostalgic throwback to the best of ’90s youth group mayhem. In contrast, the triumphant “What a God” provides one of the album’s most reverent moments in both a seven-minute “short” edit and a bonus 12-minute extended cut that closes the LP. The notable offering showcases prominent vocals from Walker and Plank, as well as a pair of special guests: Florida native Roosevelt Stewart and Los Angeles-based ONE HOUSE, an eclectic mix of creatives bridging the gap between Christian and Gospel music.
Since “Move of God” was captured live, the entire project has the benefit of an in-house choir courtesy of the student body, who sings with passionate sincerity. These songs form the soundtrack for their regular chapel services, and listeners now get a taste of the “sound” emanating from the campus each week.
Although SEU Worship is still a relatively new addition to most Christian music playlists, “Move of God” marks the burgeoning outfit’s 11th recording. With a history of using the music creation process as a teaching tool, the school has just recently begun broadening its reach, as evidenced by its presence on 2024’s Winter Jam lineup, which saw SEU Worship performing on one of Christian music’s biggest annual tours alongside some of their musical heroes, including Crowder, Lecrae, CAIN and more. The high-profile outing generated even more buzz surrounding the collegiate collective and has enticed numerous rising seniors to consider applying to Southeastern University, whose alumni include Elevation Worship’s Tiffany Hudson and Maverick City Music’s Sam Simon.
While college-aged students will inevitably be drawn to the more than 60 minutes of music SEU Worship serves up on “Move of God,” a larger audience will also connect with these songs, which impart a universal desire to engage in a bigger story. A taste of revival, “Move of God” is the sound of a new generation of worshipers running hard and fast after Jesus.
