On a chilly yet sunny Sunday morning, cars pour into a parking lot off an industrial road in Warrensville Heights. Men, women and children of various generations and backgrounds enter a large warehouse-sized building, adorned with the words, “Come as you are. You won’t leave as you are.” 

Inside, they are welcomed by three teenage girls, waiting eagerly to embrace them. Most socialize and congregate in the lobby. Meanwhile, through a large set of doors sits a worship hall with a stage. And on that stage stands a man on a laptop, rushing to adjust sound settings and mix audio before the people begin to flood in.

That man is George Granville ‘11, the Fine Arts and music director of The Word Church, one of the largest and fastest-growing nondenominational African-American churches in Northeast Ohio. Granville is also a John Carroll alum, having graduated with a degree in Finance from the Boler School of Business. Despite evidently taking a different path than one would assume with his educational background, Granville did not stray far from the community that molded him.

Granville was born in inner-city Cleveland before eventually moving to Bedford. Church became an important part of his life, and through it, he picked up his love for music, taking up the piano at age 12. That said, he actually began as a drummer but took it upon himself to learn piano when the church pianist left.

“I instantly fell in love with it,” Granville reminisces.

The timing was perfect for Granville. At this point in his life, Granville’s home life had entered a rough patch, primarily due to his parent’s divorce. “My gift saved my life…It kept drawing me to church.”

“God gave me this love and this passion for piano and music where I just believed that it honestly kept me focused.” 

After graduating from Bedford High School in 2007, Granville decided he wanted to attend college in the area in order to stay close to his family, eventually being accepted into John Carroll University. While he studied Finance, his love for music remained, even going so far as to become his church’s music director during his time at JCU. He would attempt to start a Gospel choir on campus, and even took part-time music theory classes at Cuyahoga Community College, as John Carroll’s Music Department did not yet exist.

Granville’s pivot from Boler to music director, he maintains, was inspired partly by one of his favorite books, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.

“The book…it blessed my life because I saw myself in it, y’know, this young man was on this journey thinking he was gonna find a treasure, but all the stops…he made in between that destination to give him the tools he needed for his destiny, and I believe there was a reason God sent me to John Carroll…John Carroll equipped me with so much more than just finance…my work ethic, balance, and just how to work hard.”

That being said, Granville still uses his finance skills in his job every day. He argues that finance and music go hand-in-hand, as they both are ultimately a game of numbers.

“Music is a different language, but it involves math,” he says. 

This adage ties into a larger theme of Granville’s philosophy, in that music is a language and a means by which a story can be told.

“Music is a universal language…it breaks down barriers…you put on a song, and everybody’s gonna bob their heads. It connects everyone,” according to Granville. “When you’re playing, you’re telling a story. You’re painting a picture.”

Another part of Granville’s belief is that music is ultimately not just melodic sounds that are pleasant on the ears, but rather a conversation between musicians where the audience stands as spectators to a resonating intellectual debate.

“The pianist is talking to the drummer. Every note that gets played, that’s a language, they’re conversing.”

Like any good conversationalist, Granville needs inspiration to engage with his art. Aside from some of his favorite bands and artists, such as Mint Condition, Prince and Stevie Wonder, he draws from his African-inspired Gospel roots, which he feels help to set The Word Church apart from the rest, musically speaking.

“Our style of music here is gonna be high energetic…it’s gonna make you want to be apart…We try not to look at it as a performance…we’re doing this to an audience of One, and that One is God.”

Cynthia Caporella, chair of the John Carroll Music Department, remarked on the use of music in worship, including in the ways that Granville and The Word utilize it.

“Its inherent properties innately lead us to both contemplative and active prayer. No matter the style of worship or the genre of music involved, be it chant, traditional hymnody, gospel or contemporary praise songs, music touches our hearts and connects us to the Spirit of God within our prayer, worship and liturgy.”

Something that Granville also has to navigate is generational divides within the church, between older members and younger members. “A lot of churches are still very traditional, we are very contemporary, and our music is contemporary.”

In order to get around this, Granville accompanies each service with a unique playlist, combining more contemporary worship music with more traditional hymns in an attempt to please all parties involved.

“My job…is to make sure everybody is getting what they need, what era they grew up in. I have this very unique challenge to serve everybody musically.”

And according to other members of The Word Church, Granville succeeds in doing so. Natalie Hynes, a singer on the church’s Worship Team and a colleague of Granville’s, commented on how his work as Fine Arts director helps maintain the theological functions of the church.

“People come [to The Word Church} for the Word and the worship…and George plays a key part in making sure it all flows together and makes sense musically. From choosing which songs we sing to choosing the order…there is a skill and an art to it that is not developed overnight.”

In addition to running the church’s music team, Granville also teaches and produces on the side, predominantly through the church. “Teaching is just one of my gifts,” he says. “I love sharing knowledge and wisdom and insight…I love seeing other people grow.”

Despite making a name for himself in local Gospel music, Granville has not forgotten or neglected his alma mater. In early February, he gave a presentation on campus for Black History Month and even performed with his full ensemble. 

“That was an amazing opportunity. [I] received a call from the Office of Diversity and they asked to do a 30-minute presentation…This is natural for us, expressing a Gospel sound…It was easy for us, any opportunity like that, where we have a chance to use our gifts because we do believe that our gifts, are not for us, they’re for people.”

Afterward, Granville noted that he walked around campus to reflect on his time here, commenting on the construction of the new fieldhouse, as well as updates to Murphy Hall.

Granville, after some reflection, contemplated what advice he would give to current John Carroll students, and the ups and downs of his life journey thus far were apparent in his answer.

“Follow your heart. And whatever is on your heart, pursue it with all your might. Go hard with passion and don’t let that fire die down.”