GHANA ROCK: the results

Well, its been over two weeks since Ghana Rock, and I'm just now getting around to writing about it. My simple words in this little blog are never going to do the night justice, but I'll try my best!

We started off the week of the concert having sold roughly 600 tickets... a great amount, however no where near what we had hoped for. Stressing about ticket sales was probably the biggest thing that I struggled with for the few weeks leading up to the concert. I was terrified that we weren't going to sell very many and that there were going to be rows and rows of empty seats. Letting that go and trusting that God was going to take care of it might have been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But once I did I was flooded with this peace that God was going to make this night into everything that HE wanted it to be. Isn't it great knowing that God is the only one in control?!

Early on the morning of the concert, I remember sitting in the back of the sanctuary at Northside Baptist, just praying. Praying for a great turnout. Praying for everything to go smoothly. But most importantly, praying that God would be in every single moment of the night. 

The actual day of the concert was probably one of the busiest days of my life, but also the most memorable. It wasn't until that afternoon during sound checks that it actually hit me that this thing we had been working on for the past nine months was finally going to happen. 

The sanctuary was not even 1/3 of the way full 30 minutes before the concert when we went backstage to pray with the bands. My minor freak out was quickly put to rest as soon as prayer began. Joining hands, each of us prayed for the concert that was about to take place. We all left prayer time teary-eyed, excited, and expectant. I'll never forget walking back up the stairs and seeing the full, crowded sanctuary for the first time. There were over 1,000 people in attendance that night! How easily I forget that God always comes through! 

Minutes later, the concert began with Unhindered. They were the perfect opening band and got the crowd all hyped up for the night! 

Next up was Josh Wilson! Josh is an excellent entertainer and an incredible guitar player. The audience was so impressed with the loops he did right up on stage! 

After Josh's set, it was time for intermission. During this time, those in attendance were able to go out into lobby area and see the art installations we created to show how much money it takes to run the Father's House each year (including water, education, food, etc.). The goal of the night was to raise a little over $10,000 - enough to fully fund the Father's House for one year. 

When everyone returned to their seats it was time for Kristian Stanfill to take the stage. Kristian was phenomenal, as always and I was belting out every word the whole time! 

After a few songs, Kristian introduced the love offering. (Which he did an amazing job at, might I just say :p) During the concert planning process, we kept coming to a dilemma every time the love offering was brought up. We wanted people to WANT to give, and we wanted the giving to feel more like an experience than just a normal Sunday morning offering. Finally, we came up with a solution. After small black buckets were passed through the isles, each one our awesome ushers went to the front of the stage and emptied their buckets into a BIG bucket located center stage. This represented giving individually, but also giving corporately together as a body. While each of us can do something on our own to make a difference, collectively we are a force for good that greatly surpasses what we can do alone.

After the love offering was taken, it was immediately brought backstage where a group of our awesome volunteers had the course of only a few songs to count the money. As Kristian was starting his last song, I walked backstage to see how all the counting was going. "WE NEED TWO MORE MINUTES!!" Mrs. McKinley screamed at me. As Kristian and his band were finishing up I snuck onto the corner of stage to ask Tim to keep it going a tad bit longer. Just as I was asking him to do a reprise of "Say, Say", Madi swooped in behind me and said "Nope! We got it!" and ran out onto the stage, grabbing a mic. I was so anxious! I couldn't wait to find out if we had met our goal of $10,000! Turning around, I saw Marie rushing on stage behind her. 

"Fourty-Thousand." she said in a near whisper, tears pouring out of her eyes. 

I lost it. Tears gushed out of my eyes as Madi explained to the audience that the amount of money raised was enough to fund the Father's House for FOUR YEARS. 

May 13, 2011 is a day that I will never forget for as long as I live. It still hasn't fully hit me everything that happened that night. It hits me in little waves. And then I cry. And then a few days later, a little bit more hits me. And then I cry again. 

God is incredible. He is so great and so good. I could go on forever about how amazing He is and how thankful I am for everyone who played a part into making that night everything it was. 

As amazing as the night was, it wasn't about the money. It was about a whole room of people coming together for a common cause - to break the chains of slavery in Ghana, and to worship the Almighty God who is doing just that.

Special thanks to Rachel Barker for photographing the night! You are amazing, and you're such a blessing to us! Guys, make sure you check out her blog so you can see all the rest of the incredible pictures she took at Ghana Rock!