April 2003
Rowdy
rock,
passionate praise
challenge
concert-goers
to join God's mission
Story by Shawn Hendricks
4/9/2003
Virginia Beach, Va. (BP) -- Justin Taylor
thought he was going to a typical Christian rock concert,
where he'd hear some favorite songs and then call it
a night. Instead, he made a life-changing decision.
For those who walked through the front
doors of London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach,
Va., April 1, this was no typical night in the pews.
With a barrage of ear-splitting tunes, top-ranking
Christian rock groups Audio Adrenaline and MercyMe
led a charge for missions.Their 48-city "Go Show" tour
challenges concert-goers to join God in His mission
of bringing a lost world back to Himself.
Following the final song of the concert,
Taylor, a 22-year-old college student at Tidewater
Community College in Norfolk, accepted a call to missions
with more than 30 other concert attendees. They all
committed to go on a mission project within the next
18 months.
"I'd actually been thinking about
it for a while," Taylor said after filling out
an information card. "I knew it was time for me
to make that commitment."
Since The Go Show tour began in February,
more than 3,000 people of all ages have made a commitment
to missions. The tour will wrap up May 3.
WHAT IS THE GO SHOW?
The idea is simple enough. Blend two well-known, mission-minded Christian acts
-- MercyMe and Audio Adrenaline -- with two up and coming groups -- Kutless
and The Swift. Stir in a simple, yet urgent plea for reaching the world for
Christ, and you have a recipe for missions mobilization.
"We're trying to empower the body
of Christ to change the world," says Bart Millard,
front man for MercyMe.
With the tour recently reaching its halfway
point, it is expected to surpass its goal of 5,000
people committing to missions.
"It's a serious commitment," says
Joel Bench, the tour chaplain. " We tell them
that once they make that commitment, 'We're gonna bug
you until you go.'"
THE GO FOUNDATION
All decisions for missions go straight to The Go Foundation, a joint effort
of Audio Adrenaline and MercyMe. Its purpose is to help connect people with
organizations like the International Mission Board that will help them participate
in a mission project.
In addition to the IMB, the eight other
agencies are Iwitness
Ministries, International Commission, Awestar Ministries, Spoken For Ministries,
Student Evangelism with the North American Mission Board, East West Ministries
International, International Sports Federation and G.O. Ministries Inc.
WHY IT WORKS
Part of that success, Millard says, is credited to the diverse dynamic of the
show, which varies from the passionate praise tunes of Mercy Me, to Audio Adrenaline's
circus-like, rock-and-roll antics.
"We're throwing a bigger net," Millard
says. "We have entire
families passing ear plugs."
At the end of the show, Audio Adrenaline
lead singer Mark Stuart gives a simple, passionate
plea for volunteers to go share the gospel with the
world.
Stuart, a missionary kid who lived in
a little hut in Haiti with his family years ago, shared
how God stayed faithful to his family during times
of sickness and discouragement.
"When you accept the call to missions,
God's got your back,"
Stuart told the crowd. "He promises He will be with you until the end."
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For more information, visit thegofoundation.org.
