(This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 ECHO Magazine.)
Music is more than catchy phrases and a tune good enough to stick in your head. Music is relatable as it brings stories together. A community can be served in many ways, but the language of music seeps deep into the lives of those who hear its words and melody. For years, Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School has come alongside musicians in their journey, as they serve both their community and God with their talents.
Holly (’24) has taken advantage of summer courses to help complete her degree at LBC faster. “As an adult back in college, taking summer classes helps me get to graduation sooner,” Holly says. “Also, taking summer classes helps me stay ahead of schedule in case life emergencies come up. I love the flexibility summer classes give me!”
Current LBC | Capital online student and recording artist Holly Starr has used her music to serve throughout her 11-year career, national tours, five albums, two Top 25 Christian radio singles—“Don’t Have Love” and “Through My Father’s Eyes”—and a movement she began to support widowed women.
“I love the capability of music because it is a gentle way to introduce Christ to those who don’t know Him, as well as a powerful tool to encourage those who have been walking with Jesus,” says Starr. “Getting the opportunity to lead people to remember or know who God is, is one of the greatest gifts of my life. Music has been a great tool to use with this goal in mind.”
Starr has witnessed God work through her music in many ways, including in an ambulance. A few years ago, as a man faced a life-threatening situation, the paramedic treating him witnessed to him. In fact, the paramedic not only led her patient to Christ through her words but also through a Holly Starr song she played for him. The man accepted Christ, and Starr was later astounded when the paramedic contacted her and told the story of her patient’s near-death experience and the role Starr’s song played.
“I’m completely honored and humbled by the times God has chosen to use my life as a vehicle for His presence in other people’s lives,” Starr shares.
Starr has a specific passion for widows, and she has used her platform to those in need of comfort. “I make necklaces to help mobilize people to reach out to widows and those who may be going through difficulties in their community of influence,” says Starr about her project, TheYesNecklace.com.
Starr discovered and enrolled in LBC | Capital’s online Biblical Studies program in 2021. Although she has pursued a career in music, Starr has a desire to deepen her knowledge of the Bible and its teachings.
“I am hoping that I can come to the table with more substance to offer in conversation with people,” says Starr. “There has always been beauty in the simplicity of the gospel alone, but I also see how that simplicity is even more astonishing when painted against the backdrop of biblical history. I find God’s grace to be even more beautiful when I understand the history that led us to it.”