Music Inspired by Scripture

Singing the Songs of Ascent

What Is The Mountains Surround?

The Mountains Surround is a worship project based out of Centerpoint Community Church in Monaca, Pennsylvania. The name comes from Psalm 125:2: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people both now and forevermore.”

Through singing, prayer, and the teaching of God’s Word, we seek to journey more closely with the LORD and invite others to walk with us on that same path.

Meet The Creators

Inspired by their church’s study on the Psalms of Ascent, brother and sister Stephen Vesolich and Stephanie Wilsey, founding members of The Mountains Surround, applied for and received a Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. This launched a year-long journey into the Psalms of Ascent, which began in 2024 and continues today.

Centerpoint Community Church has been an active participant in the project, and the songs are often incorporated into worship there.

What Are the Songs of Ascent?

If you were to open your Bible right in the middle, you would land on a special collection of psalms known as the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120–134).

These fifteen psalms carry the whole range of human experience: fear, frustration, anger, loneliness, longing, hope, joy, and praise. They are a roadmap for the weary, a soundtrack for the journey, and a faithful companion for anyone who longs to draw near to God.

The Story of The Mountains Surround

1. Scripture

Stephen and Stephanie's local congregation engaged in a six-week Bible study that combined singing original songs written by Stephen, praying prayers written by Stephanie, and diving deep into each psalm to explore its emotions and flow. The youth group also participated by praying, reading, and even signing to Psalm 125, led by Amy Langelli.

2. Community

Musicians from every part of the church family joined in, including Stephen’s wife and daughter, Stephanie’s daughter and son, Centerpoint’s youth choir, the worship team, and friends from Quiver and Xara. Together they recorded music from all fifteen psalms. They also partnered with Word FM to create a teaching series with congregation members reading Scripture and leading prayers.

3. Pilgrimage

Four of the Songs of Ascent were written before 2020, but when COVID struck, the LORD inspired him to complete the remaining eleven. These psalms begin in loneliness and isolation, with a sense of distance from God. Yet as those feelings were expressed honestly to Him, Stephen found himself drawn closer to the LORD.

4. Celebration

On August 24, all the musicians gathered to celebrate a year immersed in the Songs of Ascent by singing through all fifteen together. Just as the psalms themselves begin with one voice and end in a chorus of community, so this project concluded in a celebration where we could truly say, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

The Latest from The Mountains Surround

Stephen and Lisa singing for The Mountains Surround

Song Deep Dive: Psalm 121 (I Lift My Eyes)

August 26, 2025

About Psalm 121 – The Traveler’s Song Psalm 121, arguably the most well-known of the Songs of Ascent, is often referred to as the Traveler’s Song. If Psalm 120 is the cattle prod that gets you started on the journey, then Psalm 121 asks, “Who’s going with me?”The answer is