Carrie Underwood surprises churchgoers by joining praise team for worship

Members and visitors at a Nashville-area church were treated to a surprise Sunday when a Grammy-winning artist stepped onto the stage and joined the praise team in worship, including a powerful rendition of a beloved hymn.

Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, welcomed local resident and country star Carrie Underwood to the stage, where she performed a duet of Great Is Thy Faithfulness, the classic 1923 hymn by Thomas O. Chisholm, and joined the choir for What a Beautiful Name, the 2017 Hillsong Worship hit penned by Brooke Ligertwood and Ben Fielding.

“I was in the front row at the 11 a.m. service and had goosebumps,” one person wrote in the comments alongside a video clip of the performance.

Underwood also sang at the same church during an Easter service.

The 16-time Grammy nominee and eight-time winner is one of the most famous names in country music, having landed numerous No. 1 hits since winning American Idol in 2005. Known for songs such as Jesus, Take the Wheel and Before He Cheats, Underwood has also been open about her Christian faith and released the gospel album My Savior in 2021.

In 2020, Underwood and her husband, Mike Fisher, opened up about their faith, careers and life together in a video series for I Am Second, a Christian nonprofit that shares personal stories of transformation.

“We wanted to do this to share some of our personal journey in hopes that viewers will be inspired by it, and maybe even take one more step in pursuing a relationship with God,” Underwood said.

Underwood previously told Guideposts that she and her husband have made faith a central part of how they raise their children.

“Mike and I do all we can to raise our two boys with values like the ones I grew up with in Checotah,” Underwood said. “Down-to-earth, church on Sundays, plenty of grass and trees and space outside for them to roam. At night, when we put the boys to bed, we pray out loud with them. Just talking to God, letting them know He hears their every word.”