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Conner communicates love for worship music BY ELIZABETH STEELY Staff Writer
Cameron Conner has become a well-known person on campus, due to his incredible involvement in Ouachita Singers, Ouachita Sounds, Tiger Tunes, OBU Worship, among other activities. Conner has a huge heart for worship ministry, and having the opportunity to shepherd younger generations has helped him fulfill his calling in life. “I want to guide younger people and just be someone that they can talk to and come to for advice,” Conner said. “School is stressful and you really need those people who can pull you up when you feel like you’re drowning and really be with you.” Conner decided to become a Life Group leader his sophomore year and has continued leading as a junior because he wants to find a group of younger men to invest in. One of the ways that Conner has been able to fulfill his calling to worship ministry is through being one of the leaders in OBU Worship. He has enjoyed the opportunity of being one of the students that leads worship in weekly chapel services. This has been one of the greatest growth opportunities Conner has had during his time at Ouachita, and it has pushed him to become a better worship leader. “Some days have been hard, especially at the beginning,” Conner said. “Not every worship leader will be exposed to a congregation where some people are not really into the worship or don’t want to be there.” With required student attendance for weekly chapel services, it has been more difficult to encourage students to be involved in the worship portion of chapel. “I have to ask myself, how do we engage people here and how
Junior Cameron Conner from North Little Rock poses as a 2018 Tiger Tunes host. This honor has been just one of Conner’s accomplishments and chances to flourish in the many opportunities Ouachita offers. (photo by Josie Pringle)
can we draw people into this atmosphere of worship?” Conner said. “I have learned that they’re going to give you what you give them, so you have to just freely worship like you normally would. It’s all about engaging them and being in that moment and they will become more receptive and mirror you.” One of the people who has impacted Conner’s worship ministry the most is Stephen Ray, a Ouachita alumnus and youth pastor at Colorado Community Church. While working together during Cameron’s summer internship at Fellowship North Church in Little Rock, Ray became a mentor and role model for him. “There’s a kinship that exists between musicians that’s really not like anything else,” Ray said. “I was able to really pour into him not only musically but also to teach
him about all of the experiences I’ve had as a worship leader so he could learn from them as well.” According to Ray, Conner has an extremely bright future as a worship leader because he is in his prime and is so energetic. Conner is known for having many important qualities that are essential components of being a good worship leader, and his musical abilities have played a huge part in his success. “He is a phenomenal singer and has perfect pitch in hearing harmonies,” Ray said. “This will help him lead a future team really well. He also is very versatile in the music that he can sing, so he will be able to speak to more than just one demographic.” Besides just growing in his skills as a worship leader, being at Ouachita has also grown Conner
as a person, both spiritually and emotionally. Before Conner was able to pour into younger students, he sought guidance from an older, wiser student. Noah Day, who graduated in 2019, not only served as Conner’s mentor but learned from him as well. “He has taught me a lot about friendship, specifically when it comes to loyalty,” Day said. “He is a fierce lover of people and when I think of honesty and accountability, he’s one of the first people I think of.” With Day’s counsel, Conner was able to grow in his relationship with the Lord, which helped him become the worship leader that he is today. “He’s truly learned what it looks like to walk in light, vulnerability, accountability and the freedom that can only come through intimately
knowing Jesus,” Day said. “I’ve seen him make really hard choices for the sake of better imitating Christ.” Conner credits Ouachita’s constant Christian community surrounded by faith as the driving force for his spiritual transformation over the past three years of college. The opportunities that Ouachita provides have helped him really distinguish his call to worship ministry. Ray and Day both agreed on the fact that Conner’s personality is a driving force that will help him continue to be successful. “He has a very outgoing, gregarious, attractive personality that makes him so likable to people,” Ray said. “It reminds me a lot of Jesus’ ministry because people are attracted to who the Spirit is using. He has a strong sensitivity to the spirit leading.” Conner’s plans after college are focused on him becoming the best worship leader possible. He plans to work in a church for a couple of years and possibly attend seminary to learn more about what God is teaching him, but his future goals do not stop there. “I want to eventually start recording and releasing my own music and traveling around the world and ministering through that,” Conner said. Being an active participant in so many of the different musical outlets at Ouachita has helped Conner gain crucial experience needed to help him while he pursues his path toward success. He believes the mentorship he has had from older and more experienced musicians coupled with his love for younger generations and leading them to God will aid in helping him achieve his future plans. “I truly anticipate his future will consist of leading a powerful movement of worship amongst young Christians,” Day said.
