Battle of the Bands!
This week was our second Battle of the Bands. At Moncton Wesleyan we (and by we I mean Pastor Mark) chose 9 bands to battle of the title. We had 786 (up from 652 the previous year) in attendance which is more than TRIPLE our numbers during a regular youth night. We also made Provincial (6:00 news), National [CTV with Lloyd Robertson (name?)], as well as an international site (MSN Videos).www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061018/rocknroll_church/20061018
Of course sticking almost 800 kids in one church there's bound to be something that goes wrong..and we did. A girl was taken to the hospital as well as some other minor incidents. The media is paying more attention to the fact that 2 pews we're broken...which doesn't make sense to me..but that's okay.
The goal wasn't to get a bunch of kids in listening to Christian music, but to find a culturally relevant way to introduce them to the church. Showing them that they don't have to look a certain way, or act a certain way to be loved and accepted by the church. Before last years winner came to play the lead singer stated that a "really cool guy has some truth that he wants to share with you" (a guy that for all I know never attends church...) and we shared a bit with them. We never rammed the bible down their throat but we just told them..straight out..Jesus (and we) love them as is.
I've had some conversations with people and ALL of them have decided that battle of the band (BOB) wasn't the best idea. I can honestly say that I disagree with everything that is within me. I am NOT a fan of rock music and I still feel like Battle of the Bands was an awesome idea.
1. I have never seen nor heard of an outreach specifically for emo/goth/punks.
2. We gained so much publicity for it!
3. We'll never really know how much of an impact we've had on the teens.
4. And the fact that I can make a case for every reason you're against.
Reasons Why You're Against:
1. I think it's a good idea but I think you misled them by using non Christian bands.
Answer: If you saw a poster for a band that you and your friends had not heard of (I used Megadeath for example) would you attend the concert? Probably not. If you asked around and found out that they were a Satanic band you wouldn't go for sure. So often we forget that we're Christians. We quickly forget how uncomfortable we were around Christians before we became one or how uncomfortable church was. For a teenager that doesn't go to church, or doesn't believe in God it doesn't matter if we brought in Jeremy Camp or Third Day...they're both very popular Christian bands but it wouldn't be an outreach and the title of a Christian band would scare them away.
2. The house of God was misused. I feel disrespected because some pews were broken and I think that God feels the same way.
Okay, we do admit that two pews were broken. It sucks yes and I'm assuming that someone's going to pay for it. But I think we've forgotten about the ultimate price that was paid for our sins. A blameless man (Jesus) died the most painful death for YOU! It was two pews just so the kids could be introduced to something larger than what we can imagine. I'd also like to say that we're human and just because we feel disrespected doesn't necessiarly mean that God does as well. Also the church is the people. It's never been about a building! God's asked for building to be built (the ark) and the destoryed buildings (
3. I agree that the church needs to be changing it's outreach ways constantly but I think we need to be careful of becoming like the world and I think this may have stepped over the line.
There were 786 teenagers that chose to came to Battle of the Bands. We average about 200-250 teens on a regular Tuesday night. That's a difference of over 500 people. 500 people that don't regularly come to church. I think that to become "worldly" is to forget what the bible says and in trying to get people to come to church end up sinning. Lets review the 10 commandments:
Exodus 20:1-20 (The Message)
1-2 God spoke all these words: I am God, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a life of slavery.
3 No other gods, only me. (Our purpose was to always promote Jesus which isn't really the problem that people are having it's our method of delivery)
4-6 No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don't bow down to them and don't serve them because I am God, your God, and I'm a most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I'm unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.
7 No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won't put up with the irreverent use of his name. (All lyrics were checked out before hand)
8-11 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don't do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day. (Although Mark spent a ton of time on Battle of the Bands I'm sure that he's had a day to rest once a week..maybe not Sunday because he's a pastor..and if that's upsetting to you check out Romans 14)
12 Honor your father and mother so that you'll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you. (Last year we were debating on letting the Jr Highs come. After Mark talked to a few parents he decided that they were really too young to go.)
13 No murder. (I can assure you that this didn't happen there...maybe a murder to the ego or maybe God laid on someone's heart to die daily)
14 No adultery. (Didn't see nor hear of any of this ...cause I def. would have had a problem with that)
15 No stealing. (Maybe this happened...but the kids are also unchurched...they really don't care about the 10 commandments yet)
16 No lies about your neighbor. (See above)
17 No lusting after your neighbor's house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbor's. (See Above Above)
If anything I think that the church needs to become MORE of the world. We're loosing so many Christians because of tradition. It has nothing to do with a relationship but with traditions that some unimportant person in history made up. Just this week and article was published that Jessica Alba gave up on God because her chuch her she had too provacative attire. Could you imagine? The church took the hands of God and wrapped them in duck tape. They decided that they knew what God wanted and obviously Jessica Alba wasn't "in tune with God". Honestly, who cares. Why should you care? Our job as Christians is to share the good news and to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Yes, I do realize that Jessica Alba would be a huge lust for tons of guys and that would be an issue for them. But deal with the real issue...get the girl into a deeper relationship with God. God can do the work...but the church (In this instance) wouldnt let him. I believe that God calls us to do his work. I don't believe that this instance was of God. The devil is the one that brings condemnation. God brings life and healing. Anyway, I'm slightly off topic. Sorry for the digression.
I will agree in one area. People did get hurt. This needs to be changed for the next battle of the bands. Especially if we plan on having another one. I also know that Moncton Wesleyan is a well run church and that the safety issue will be examined before the next one. I also know that because Moncton Wesleyan is such a well run church that all volunteers did their best to insure the safety of all that attended.
Before I end this I'd like to share with you something I've heard before. Pastors tend to stray away from starting new churches in Atlantic Canada because we're so traditional and anything new is met with a lot of deterance. Just a thought.
posted by Krystle @ 11:54 p.m.
4 comments
