Joey McNitt hasn't always been pursuing music, but he has always been pursuing God. He has now found a way to do both at the same time. 

McNitt attended Briercrest from 2009 to 2013 and was constantly involved in music ever since stepping foot on campus. He spent time with the college's choir, took music lessons, played on worship teams, and co-lead a travelling worship team, which also lead worship at Youth Quake in front of 2000 students.

However, music hasn't always been in McNitt's life.

"When I was 16 or 17, my youth leader asked me to learn bass guitar so I could accompany him during youth," said McNitt. "I had no experience — nothing — but we tried it out." 

That experience as a teenager spurred a musical desire in McNitt, and it also played a big part in him attending Briercrest as a music student.

"I was at a crisis point in my life. I had graduated high school, I had done my YWAM, I had worked dead end jobs for a year and a half and came to a point where I asked myself what I was going to do with my life," explained McNitt. A conversation with a youth leader and the influence from many great musicians in his church who had attended Briercrest were what convinced McNitt to apply to a Bible college in Saskatchewan.

Interaction with so many different kinds of musicians (professors and students alike) at Briercrest opened McNitt up to new experiences. Meeting people who were experts in music theory and composition grew a new passion in McNitt and gave him new perspectives on an old love.

A love has surpassed his college life, as McNitt has recently released a solo album. Each song on McNitt's new album "Morning Will Come" has a different style which displays what he learned from different professors at Briercrest, such as Keith Molberg. McNitt credits Molberg and guitar lessons with him for exposing him to new styles such as classical and jazz; McNitt uses the latter quite often on his new album. 

Recently McNitt and some friends played at a pub in Ottawa. His bandmate, whohas a master’s and studied the slave trade,  shared the story of the song Amazing Grace, which they then performed for an audience of largely non-Christian listeners.

"The chance that we had, to be in a pub and play this music and have people stay and listen? It's very cool" said McNitt.

On top of his music, McNitt currently interns at Calvary Fellowship in Ottawa and is taking part in an initiative called Move In. McNitt and seven other young men live in a low income part of Ottawa to intentionally make relationships with his neighbourhood. McNitt is always looking for a way to share the Gospel with his neighbours, and he finds his music helps him in that. 

McNitt says that sharing the Gospel through his music is "very important" to him, which is why many of his songs include Scripture in them. His recent invite to play at a pub had nothing to do with his music being "Christian," but McNitt relished the chance to play there and will continue writing music that is God focused.

"When I'm writing I pray 'Lord, what do You want to say?' because the only thing that will last is His truth."

McNitt's album is available for purchase at http://joeymcnitt.bandcamp.com.