Performers
At Candlelight Carols, you'll celebrate our Lord’s birth with performances by Moody’s Worship Collectives, Chorale, Gospel Choir, Campus Orchestra, Jazz Band, and Drama Ministry Team as well as an inspiring Christmas message from Moody President Dr. Mark Jobe.
Music Groups
Campus Orchestra
The Moody Campus Orchestra, directed by Dr. Daniel Mattix, consists of students and faculty members from Moody and some musicians from the local community. The orchestra plays arrangements of church music and a variety of other styles as well. The orchestra's ministry is to build strong community relationships and perform in a broad range of venues, including churches and schools locally.
Chorale
The Moody Chorale, conducted by Dr. Yongmin Kim, was founded in 1946 and has long been recognized as one of the leading collegiate choral organizations specializing in sacred music. The chorale’s purpose is to lead men and women in the worship of God by ministering biblical and theological truths through music and personal testimony. Their repertoire includes a broad range of choral music from several periods of music history.
Gospel Choir
The Moody Gospel Choir uses music to share the good news of Jesus Christ and convey God’s love through praise and worship. This choir-band combination plays both traditional and contemporary gospel music while placing an emphasis on Scripture. The ensemble performs concerts in the Chicagoland area at churches, schools, and organizations.
Worship Collectives
The Moody Worship Collectives, EverPraise and Ecclesia, directed by Daniel Lim and Hayden Bradley, seek to worship God and lead others in worshiping Him through contemporary praise music. All types of stage-based arts are incorporated to add richness and variety to corporate worship. Members are Moody students from all majors. Performance and worship leadership opportunities include many on-campus events and chapel as well as off-campus performances at churches.
Jazz Band
The One O’Clock Jazz Band, led by Kazumasa Terashima, is a small ensemble that focuses on a wide selection of classic, contemporary, and original jazz tunes. Open to students, faculty, and staff members at Moody, “Jazz with Kaz,” as it is affectionately known, performs at Candlelight Carols, in chapel, and at other events around Moody’s Chicago campus. Kaz himself writes most of the arrangements.
Speaker and Drama Team
Mark Jobe
Dr. Mark Jobe is president of Moody Bible Institute, host of Moody Radio’s Bold Steps, and author of two books. He is also founding pastor of New Life Community Church with 27 Chicagoland locations. A 1984 graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Jobe has a master’s degree from Moody Theological Seminary and a doctorate in transformational leadership from Bakke Graduate University.
AdVivum
Ad Vivum (To the Life) drama ministry team launched in 1999 with a mission to present the truth of God’s Word through the medium of theater. Their material has ranged from sketch comedy to original musicals to Scripture performance. They have served around the Chicago area and the Midwest at churches, schools, nursing homes, and other ministries. They are excited to once again present the gospel of Jesus Christ at Candlelight Carols.
Conductors and Directors
Bethany Paulsen
Director of Candlelight Carols Drama
Bethany Paulsen has a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing and Dramatic Writing from the University of Idaho. Bethany has a passion for collaborative storytelling and has worked professionally as an actress, appearing on TV and in independent film and theater productions. As a jack-of-all-trades, she freelances as a writer, artistic director, and public speaker. As a playwright, she has had several of her original plays produced across the United States. Bethany also works within the commercial industry as a line producer and casting director.
Dr. Daniel Mattix
Conductor of Moody Campus Orchestra
Dr. Mattix enjoys a diverse career as a church musician, conductor, composer, and professor. He teaches a variety of classes in songwriting, composition, music theory, and church music, in addition to private lessons at Moody Bible Institute. Dr. Mattix serves as conductor of the Moody Campus Orchestra, and his compositions have been performed in 35 states and nine countries. Dr. Mattix, a Moody alumnus, is also active as a worship leader in his local church. He and his wife, Katie (a Moody alumna herself), enjoy making music with their two children and also maintain a music studio in Chicago’s western suburbs.
Dr. Yongmin Kim
Conductor of Moody Chorale
Dr. Kim is the conductor of the Moody Chorale and associate professor at Moody Bible Institute. He is an experienced church musician, having been the worship and music director at the Korean Presbyterian Church of Metro Detroit for 17 years. Currently, Dr. Kim is serving at Chicago Covenant Presbyterian Church in Glenview, Illinois, as the creative director of Worship and Media Arts. He is a distinguished musician who holds degrees from Presbyterian College and Seminary (Seoul, South Korea), Eastman School of Music, and the University of Michigan, where he earned both a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and a doctorate in Voice Performance.
Walter Owens, Jr.
Conductor of Moody Gospel Choir
Walter Owens is a native Chicagoan and currently serves the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago as minister of Music and Arts. His professional full-time music ministry career spans more than 34 years, and he has served in churches across the Chicago metropolitan area. Walter’s passion for sharing the gospel has allowed him to travel extensively to Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland while participating in gospel festivals and concerts. He is married to Dr. Teresa Owens, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada. Walter was recently appointed as the director of the Black Sacred Music Academy at Salem.
Daniel Lim
Director of EverPraise Worship Collective
Daniel Lim is a dedicated music professional with extensive experience in worship leading, production, and global musical partnerships. Known for fostering creative environments, mentoring aspiring artists, and excelling in songwriting and audio engineering, he has a passion for resourcing artists to be light-bringers into a world of darkness. At heart, Daniel is a creative with a fervent desire to share the wonder of salvation through music—whether it’s through crafting cinematic scores for an Arabic rendition of Narnia or creating raw, heartfelt singer-songwriter style songs. You can find his original work under the moniker “Daniel and the Sparrows” on all platforms.
Hayden Bradley
Director of Ecclesia Worship Collective
Hayden Bradley was born and raised in a small farm town in Ohio and graduated from Cedarville University with a bachelor’s degree in Worship Arts. He has worked as a worship leader for the last decade and finds immense joy in using his musical gifts for God’s glory. Hayden is a songwriter and has had the privilege of recording and releasing multiple projects within the worship music genre. He enjoys overseeing Ecclesia at Moody Bible Institute and having the opportunity to pour into young worship leaders. Hayden lives in Rolling Meadows with his wife, Erin, and two children.
Kazumasa Terashima
Director of Moody One O’Clock Jazz Band
Kazumasa Terashima came to the United States in 2006 after he worked for 10 years as a professional jazz musician in Tokyo, Japan. Settling down in Chicago, he has performed with numerous jazz musicians including Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Bob Lark, Yoko Noge, Jimmy Ellis, and John Watson. He studied trumpet (both jazz and classical) and earned a Master of Music degree from DePaul University and a Master of Divinity degree from Moody Theological Seminary. Kazumasa joined Moody’s One O’Clock Jazz Band in 2015 and became the band’s director in 2019.