Well people, last night was another one of mine and
JT's little adventures to
The Net in Butler. We went to see
Kronicles and to set up my very first, self-initiated
Compassion event (that wasn't a simple one-on-one).
I have to start by saying that things didn't go quite as planned. For one, neither of the two opening acts was able to make it. The first band had a scheduling conflict, which they apologized for. And the second band didn't know that they were supposed to be promoting the show themselves to their fan-base. Which would seem like something you would just want to do anyways. Esepcially if you had a band and were just starting out, that is. I know I would, and I have in the past (and expect to do so in the future as Chocolate Sundae Jesus begins to actually do more than exist in name only...).
As a result, the audience was somewhat limited in size. But I'll come back to that.
So, anyways, JT and I showed up a little before 5:30 so I could get my Compassion materials in and set up. We managed to do that in just a few minutes. And here I am...
I didn't bring a whole lot with me. 5 child packets, the stand-up display and the table cover. And I made sure to bring my own child's pictures, info and the letters she's sent me. I wanted to be able to share those with anyone who might be interested in knowing more about that aspect of being a Compassion sponsor.
Crystal, who is one of the people who runs this little venue/outreach, came over to talk to us and explained the whole audience thing. We felt really bad about it, but we're always glad to see one another. And JT and I just love what they're doing with this place as an outeach. So we made sure to tell her how much we like coming to their shows and how much of a high-point it is for us when we do. Even if the audience is small.
Crystal also apologized to me that there wasn't a larger audience for us to appeal to on behalf of Compassion. But I told her I was just happy to have a presence at their shows. I also told her that I'm looking forward to doing more of them, and thanked her for allowing me to set up the table. And because her family is already involved with Compassion as sponsors, she was still excited to have me there.
After this JT and I got to talk to the guys from Kronicles while they were wrapping up their sound check. They understood the whole audience situation and were glad that we showed up to check them out. I told their lead singer, Danny, that I was glad to come to see them because I missed them at other shows/festivals. So this was my first time since adding them as friends on
my Myspace page.
Now, about the audience. Typically, when JT and I go to one of these shows, there's a crowd of 50, at least, and sometimes a lot more. Last night's crowd was 12, and that included JT and I. But it didn't stop us from having a good time.
Kronicle is another one of those little known bands who are just beginning to grow in their popularity. And with last night's show, I can see why.
They have a lot of energy and the message is clear in their music.
There was a mosh pit! Yes, I did jump into it, even though there were only 6 of us. I hesitated at first because the kids who had started it all knew one another and I didn't want to impose myself on their fun. But they kinda pulled me into the fray as I was standing so close to them. After the show I introduced myself to them and they were glad I jumped in. That's when two of them told me that they were already Compassion sponsors. So that was great to know.
We all got to meet and hang out with the guys from Kronicles too. The beauty of having a small audience is that everyone gets to hang out with the band afterwards. And They were practically giving away their CDs for $5. So I grabbed a CD and threw a dollar into their "Gas donations" jar, as well.
They were a great bunch of guys, and I know I say that about all of the bands that we see at The Net, but this was a little bit different. It's easy to say a band is a great bunch of guys when they've just played a decent sized show and their feeling good from the mutual energetic exchange that happens at such events. But these guys came here knowing the crowd would be small and they did their best to give the audience a great show. And they encouraged everyone to support the ministry and outreach of The Net, because they know that a lot of places like this are failing in our current economy. That is so unselfish - and one more reason why I'm so impressed by these guys and so many other Cristian artists these days. Tey have a heart for the ministry that is partnered with them.
Speaking of which. JT and I also spoke more to Crystal about the things that they have going on at this place when they aren't doing shows. It's amazing what God has dropped into their hands. I don't remember it all, but I do remember that they have several Butler County initiatives taking place that revolve around teen-education on drugs and alcohol. It's so cool.
But Crystal also told us about some of the opposition that they face. It's hard to believe that almost all of it comes from churches. As if they're trying to "steal" the young people from other churches. But, then again, JT and I are already familiar with such opposition because of what our
church has done and faced as a result of trying to be an outreach to unchurched people. Why do so many churches feel such a greeat need to protect their little fiefdoms? This only reinforces my convictions of late regarding the destructive nature of the institutional church and organized religion in general. But that's a topic for another day.
So we wrapped things up and said our goodbyes to everyone and headed for home. Another adventure lived well!
Labels: Compassion, Entertained, faith, Friends, I'm just saying, Just 4 Fun, Music, My life, My ministry, Revolution Church
