Ethan Christian is a Sophomore Music & Worship Ministry Major from Waco, Texas, returning to Best Friends for his second season. In Waco, he was very involved at Midway High School in choir, band, and musical theatre productions. He has also recorded with The A Cappella Company’s Praise & Harmony, and has completed training with A Cappella Ministry’s Worship Leader Institute. Ethan is passionate about all things pertaining to worship ministry, and brings much energy to each of our worship and concert events. This year, you’ll hear Ethan’s voice on tenor and baritone background vocals and lead harmonies. You will also hear his strong lead vocals featured on the songs Dopamine, Lead on Good Shepherd, and Your Way’s Better. We are thankful for Ethan’s return to BF this year, and look forward to more great concerts and worship events with him!

Duncan Culbert is a sophomore Youth and Family Ministry major from Canyon, Texas.  He comes with a wealth of choral experience, having sung in choirs in the Canyon ISD every year, and even made the Texas Large School All-State Choir as a Bass 2 in 2024.  Duncan is passionate about his call to ministry and even spent his entire summer on the mission field in Nicaragua.  He is also singing in Chamber Singers this year and is a member of Koinonia.  Be listening for those rich rhythmic bass tones from Duncan this year, as well as his mellow baritone lead on the song “Again.”  We are blessed to have Duncan in Best Friends and look forward to having him on the concert stage with us!

Though he is not the only newcomer to Best Friends this year, Chay Driskill is the only Freshman in the group. Chay is majoring in Accounting, and is from Lubbock. He graduated from Lubbock Christian High School where he was very active in both band and choir as well as Football and Track, and served as Student Senate President. At LCU, he is also singing in Praise Choir and in Chamber Singers.  Chay sings a strong tenor and will add greatly to our unique contemporary a cappella sound by filling in the needed tones on the background vocals for many of our songs. This year, you’ll also hear his ability to carry a strong lead on the song “Praise God for That.” We are thankful to have Chay at LCU and singing in Best Friends!  

Ben Haley is a Senior Business Major from Lubbock, and along with Raylee Moore, is also returning to Best Friends for a 4th season. This is Ben’s third year as sound technician for the group, as he sang bass and vocal percussion on stage during his freshman year in Best Friends. A year later, Ben was quick to volunteer for the sound tech position when that opening needed to be filled. He is a talented musician and has been participating in many vocal and instrumental ensembles each year. For Best Friends, he has saved many concerts on the road as technical problems sometimes become frequent. Each time a tech problem came up, Ben found a way to make the system work for us. If we are missing someone on bass or perc in rehearsal, we might still hear the part as Ben will often grab a mic and fill in that needed part on the fly from his bench at the sound board. Ben’s contribution to Best Friends has been significant, but he prefers to work behind the scenes. Ben is now on staff for LCU as multi-media coordinator, and we are grateful for Ben and so glad that he is back running sound for BF!

Jessie Holder is a Senior Integrated Marketing Communications major from Childress, Texas, returning to Best Friends for a third year. Singing alto background vocals and many lead harmonies, Jessie’s pure mellow tones contribute much to our unique sound. Jessie is always smiling, and always ready to for the next rehearsal or performance, even if it means cutting into a bit more of her personal time. Her dedication to the group has been enormous, and we are forward to hearing her on a few more lead vocals this year, including “Again,” “Safe Place,” and “Grateful For.” We are excited that Jessie is back, providing excellent leadership for another year!

Madison Jones is a sophomore Music Education major from Lubbock, and a graduate of Frenship High School. Formerly known as Madison Blackmon, she was recently married to Jaxon Jones. At FHS, Madison was very active in choir, and was placed to sing anything from Soprano 1 or 2, Alto 1 or 2, and even Tenor 1. She also qualified to perform in the Texas All-State Treble Choir in 2024. At LCU, Madison has been an active member of Praise Choir, Chamber Singers, and Forte, and we are thrilled that she is adding Best Friends to her line up of ensembles! This year, you’ll hear her outstanding voice on many of the lower lead harmonies and background vocals, and will especially hear her moving lead vocals at the beginning of the song “Grateful For.” We are also very 'grateful for' Madison!

Saruen is a sophomore Animal Science Pre/Vet major from Evergreen, Colorado, where she was very active in her high school choir and even performed in the Colorado All-State Choir. At LCU, she has been a member of Praise Choir and also was selected to perform as a hostess in 2025 Master Follies. Sauren is serving in Katie Rogers Hall as an RA, and sings the higher soprano back ground and lead harmony parts for Best Friends. This year, you’ll get to hear her powerful voice and wide range as she carries leads on the songs “Desperate” and “Praise God for That.” Sauren adds a great deal to both the sound and spirit of Best Friends as her powerful voice and kind nature bring refreshment to everyone she meets. We are so blessed to have Sauren in BF!

Ella is a Senior Integated Marketing Communications major from Waxahachie, Texas, returning to Best Friends for a third season.  Ella sings a solid alto, covering many of the background vocals and lead harmonies. She is a member of Christliche Damen, and was recently married over the summer to Cason McAdams.  Known formerly as Ella Simpson, she has the distinction of singing lead on a CARA nominated song from the Contemporary A Cappella Society for “Best Show Tunes Song” on the song “You Will Be Found,” from the On Our Way album.  This year, you’ll get to hear Ella’s very moving lead vocals on the songs “Again,” and “Thank You Isn’t Enough.”  We are certainly thankful to have Ella back in Best Friends again for one more season!

Raylee Moore is a Senior Mass Media Major returning to the Best Friends stage for a 4th year. Not the only 4 year member of Best Friends, but Raylee is the only one in the group who will be singing on stage with Best Friends for four seasons. You’ll remember her solid lead vocals on the past three CARA nominated albums as well on Faithful God (2023), On Our Way (2024), and Running Home (released last February).  During Raylee’s freshman year, the song for which she delivered the lead solo  “Heart of the Father” also received a CARA nomination for Best Religious Song. This year, Raylee is continuing to sing with Praise Choir and Chamber Singers, and serves as Choir Vice President.  She serves as an RA in Gullo Hall, and has performed as a Master Follies hostess in 2024 and 2025. This year, Raylee has been moved to soprano where she will fill out many background vocals and lead harmonies, and will be singing leads on the songs “All Joy,” and “Worth It.”  We are grateful for her dedication to excellence, her leadership, and her fun personality that always makes traveling with her an adventure.

Malaki Rodgers is a Junior Natural Resource Ecology and Conservation major, and is returning to Best Friends for a 2nd year as on vocal percussion. From Forsan, Texas, Malaki also plays guitar and banjo. He enjoys ministry opportunities and has served as a counselor for Camp Champion, Encounter, and has also been a summer camp counselor at White River Youth Camp. Malaki’s contribution to Best Friends has been very obvious—listen for all of the drumming sounds, and you’ll hear Malaki. He also has a great voice, and you’ll hear him sing a nice baritone on the background vocals of the song “Again.” While it's easy to take that for granted, we truly miss hearing him on the rare occasion that he’s not with us! We are blessed to have Malaki in BF again for another year!