Day 191: Reaching THAT CROWD

This weekend is rapidly approaching and I am anxiously anticipating a great time of music and ministry. This morning I found myself being interviewed on a radio show (SECULAR EVEN!) in our city for this concert coming up at our church on Saturday. It was kind of fun because there were many "traditional Christmas" events being promoted in the Waupaca area (none of which are bad...in fact many are cool). It was now my turn to be interviewed on this morning show that plays hits from the 80's, 90's and today. I handed the morning show guy a poster of our event and he said, "that's not normal." When we got on the radio, he said, "I know when you are here there is a concert...so tell us what we have coming to town." I replied..."well we have enough traditional Christmas things going on so now it is time for the nightmare before Christmas." He laughed and so did I.

You see we were promoting a concert with Leper which is a Christian goth/industrial rock band and Grave Robber which is Christian punk. These are both bands that I met at Cornerstone this past summer and have a real heart for ministry. This is really going to be a great time as people from all over Wisconsin will be in attendance. This all has to do with our Christmas series, "An Outcast Christmas". You can view the promo piece for this series by clicking here.

These kind of events get me so jazzed because I know we are reaching a totally different crowd than the norm. It is our desire to reach those some are not reaching. It is not my desire to bring in another contemporary Christian artist because truth be known...I cannot stand most of the contemporary Christian music today. The leadership team at Radiant Fellowship and I are praying that many find the one real God that truly loves them by attending this concert and series. You hear it often, "to get people you never had, you have to do things you have never done." So why are people offended when they see something like this to reach a whole different crowd? Is it because everyone goes after the blue/white collar while neglecting the rocker/goth/emo/punk crowd? Who knows...all I know is that I feel so at home with this kind of music and ministry that it really is who I am.

I told my staff the other day at staff meeting..."remember growing up in church and thinking it was boring? The church would have in a corny quartet, college choir, or revival speaker? Can you imagine being a teen at Radiant Fellowship and the pastor (not the youth pastor) but the pastor announces he is bringing in these artists or Darin Hufford or Pastor Bob Beeman!? That would be awesome!" I love Radiant Fellowship and all that God is doing through this body to reach people on the fringe.