Mark Swayze first picked up a guitar and began singing at age 15 after he was inspired by a worship experience during summer camp.

“I instantly started playing at school and at church and different opportunities,” Swayze said. “I really fell in love with music as a whole. The church gave me the greatest place to use my gifts.”

Now, Swayze and his band—which formed in 2005—have released three albums. Swayze has also been the director of contemporary worship at The Woodlands United Methodist Church since 2014, he said.

“When it comes to worship music, my goal is not so much to entertain,” Swayze said. “My goal, as someone who is a worship leader, is for people to sing out worship to God.”

Swayze primarily oversees the four worship bands that play at TWUMC, he said. In addition, Swayze and his band mates lead a 10-week summer residency music program for college students.

“Me and my team and the musicians here at this church pour into these college students for the 10 weeks in the summer,” he said. “We do musical training for them, we do basic theological training for them and then we give them a lot of experience.”

Swayze released his first album, “Satisfy,” in 2007. His sophomore album, “This Album Feeds Children,” was released in 2011, and all proceeds went toward providing meals to children in need. To date, the funds have provided 100,000 meals to hungry children worldwide, he said.

The band’s third album, “Live at Harvest,” was released in 2016, and a fourth album is in the works, Swayze said. The second and third albums have been made in partnership with TWUMC for other churches to use in worship sets, he said.

“I think that the way that we’ve written together has really grown,” Swayze said. “I wouldn’t say it’s become more complex because when we’re writing a song, we need to write a song for a church of 4,000 [members] and for a church of 40 [members].”

In the coming weeks, Swayze and his band will be wrapping up the summer music program and recording tracks for its fourth album, he said.

“If we can write new songs and raise up young leaders and musicians and artists in The Woodlands, I don’t think there’s a better place that can happen than here,” Swayze said.

Mark Swayze music

Mark Swayze and his band have released three albums together, and all can be found on iTunes.

• “Satisfy”
  2007


• “This Album Feeds Children”
  2011


• “Live at Harvest”
  2016