JFH: You're going to be releasing a new album titled Fill This House April 4th. Tell us more about it.

Pastor John Dreher: "Fill This House" is our latest worship album-- our first with our label Dream Records-- filled with songs that emphasize God's greatness and the prioritization of His presence in our lives. We recorded the bulk of the album live in September, 2024, and we've supplemented those live recordings with a few alternate studio versions of some of the songs. As a bonus, we've included a few previously released singles that were never included in any of our albums, and hope that all these offerings combined give the listener a full, worshipful experience. We're excited about these songs; our worship with our local congregation has included all of these songs, and we can't wait to share them with the rest of the Body of Christ!

JFH: What would you say is the mission and purpose of Faith Worship Arts?

Pastor John: The mission and purpose of Faith Worship Arts is to simply help people encounter Jesus through worship. We are an extension of our local church, Faith Assembly in Orlando, where the organization's mission and focus is "to help people encounter Jesus." We make that our main mission as well, through the vehicle of worship music!

JFH: Where do you draw your musical inspiration from? Are there other worship groups that you like to listen to?

Pastor John: There are so many! The Church has so many varied forms of creativity and expression in worship. Our team has gleaned from Israel and New Breed, to Hillsong Worship, to Elevation Worship and so many more! I personally grew up with a lot of gospel and was influenced by the likes of Byron Cage, Fred Hammond, and groups like Commissioned and The Winans.

JFH: There are a lot of members in Faith Worship Arts. As a group, how do you write songs together?

Pastor John: We generally are intentional about gathering together in writing groups and seeing how we are inspired spiritually and creatively. When we gather, after a time of prayer and direction, we fit each group with a lead writer, a producer, and two or three additional writers and see what comes of it. Sometimes, the lead writer or producer comes with an idea to build upon, and sometimes an idea originates from within the session. Either way, that group works together to write a song within the allotted time frame. If we decide to use the song, we'll revisit it for revisions or use it as-is if it feels complete.

JFH: I was listening to your other songs on Spotify and I really liked the song "The Lifter." Can you tell me about this song?

Pastor John: One of our teammates, Sydney James, led the group that wrote this song, and it was produced by Nicholas Angelakos. "The Lifter" was written out of one of Sydney's favorite scriptures, Matthew 11:28-30. The goal of the song was to put into words the feeling of being weighed down by life, but also the understanding that we aren't meant to carry those burdens alone. We can always come to Jesus, the one who lifts the heavy burden and gives relief to those in need. It's been a joy to see how people are responding to it. Obviously, we live in a time where people can use the reminder!

JFH: What will you define as success after the album has been released for some time?

Pastor John: The ultimate success would be reports and testimonies coming in of how our music brought people closer to Jesus and reports and testimonies of local congregations feeling like they have an expanded expression of worship thanks to adding these songs to their corporate gatherings. The more we hear these things over time, the more we'll feel like we've accomplished what we set out to do with these songs!

JFH: What's one takeaway you hope listeners have from the album?

Pastor John: I hope these songs remind people that Jesus is worthy of our worship and that there is nothing that compares to a real encounter with Him!

Faith Worship Arts' new album, Fill This House, is available now on DREAM Label Group