By Maria Foss | On Mission
OSHKOSH – After another successful weekend at Lifest, Catholic music artist and songwriter Matt Maher shared his thoughts on the impact and significance of this annual music festival.
Held at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh July 11 to July 14, Lifest ushered in thousands of people and a wide variety of well-known Christian musicians, including the Newsboys, for KING & COUNTRY and We the Kingdom.
Maher held several performances throughout the weekend and provided music for Sunday morning Mass celebrated by Bishop David Ricken.
A nine-time Grammy nominee and three-time GMA Dove Award winner, Maher’s music includes six written or co-written number one Christian radio singles. He has been touring and performing at major Catholic events since 2004, including multiple World Youth Day Festivals.
Maher said that he sees Lifest as a unifying event which inspires Christians to live out their call to holiness in everyday life.
“I think (Lifest) wants to bring together the body of Christ in Wisconsin to celebrate the Good News of Jesus, share his love and invite people to do that in their daily lives,” he said.
In addition to the invitation to take action and live out the faith, Maher said Lifest also encourages working together.
“There is so much collaboration between different churches and denominations (at Lifest),” Maher said. “That doesn’t happen everywhere.”
Lifest also serves as a reminder of the magnitude of the church and the truth that we are not alone in our faith, he added. Lifest started as a walk/run in 1990. It became a music festival in 1999. The four-day event is regularly attended by more than 20,000 people.
“At an event like this, you kind of remember, ‘Oh, wow, I’m part of this larger movement called the church that Jesus started,’” said Maher. “I think, especially now, it can feel pretty isolating or small, so you get to kind of see the big picture.”
Lifest is not simply an opportunity to experience the church’s unity, however; Maher explained that the festival encourages attendees to evangelize and spread the Catholic faith.
“Hopefully, people are kind of once again encouraged to share their faith in their daily lives,” he said.
Reflecting on his performances at Lifest, Maher said that it is rewarding to write a song which people then sing at church.
“Last night, we got rained out, but when I was walking off stage, the crowd was still singing a song I wrote called ‘Your Grace is Enough,’” he said. “So I think that’s the most rewarding aspect of what I do.”
To check out Matt Maher’s latest music, visit Home – MATT MAHER (mattmahermusic.com).