{"id":8333,"date":"2004-12-09T17:57:59","date_gmt":"2004-12-09T22:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=8333"},"modified":"2011-07-06T08:28:37","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T13:28:37","slug":"4001","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2004\/12\/09\/4001\/","title":{"rendered":"Concert Tour to Build Support for Mission Outreach"},"content":{"rendered":"

WALNUT CREEK, CA (December 9, 2004)\u00a0 – Two free concerts featuring recording\u00a0 artist Brant Christopher have been scheduled at two California churches\u00a0 in January to help raise funds for world mission ministries of the\u00a0 Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).<\/p>\n

The concerts are the beginning of what is hoped to become a Healing\u00a0 Hands<\/em> tour extending throughout next year \u2013 a vision Christopher\u00a0 created in an effort to build financial support for outreach ministries\u00a0 of the Paul Carlson Partnership, particularly those in Congo.<\/p>\n
The first concert will be at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 15, at\u00a0 Hillside Covenant Church, 2060 Magnolia Way in Walnut Creek, with the\u00a0 second concert at 6:30 p.m. the following day (Sunday, January 16) at\u00a0 Cornerstone Covenant Church, 4105 Crowell Road in Turlock.<\/p>\n
The Healing Hands<\/em> tour will feature a full concert that includes\u00a0 the showing of an abbreviated version of the Monganga Paul<\/em> documentary released this year. The film tells the story of Dr. Paul\u00a0 Carlson, Covenant medical missionary to Congo who was killed by Congo\u00a0 rebels in November 1964. This year marks the 40th anniversary of\u00a0 Carlson’s death.<\/p>\n
\"BrantAdmission to the concerts is free. Those attending will be offered an\u00a0 opportunity to join the “Healing Hands Partners” program, pledging\u00a0 support of $20 a month for the outreach work taking place in\u00a0 northwestern Congo where the ECC, in partnership with the Congo Covenant\u00a0 Church (CEUM), has ministered for decades. Those joining the new\u00a0 partners program will receive Christopher’s latest CD release, “Circus\u00a0 Life,” featuring a special song \u2013 “With His Hands” \u2013 written in tribute\u00a0 to the memory of Dr. Paul Carlson.<\/p>\n
“Dale Kuehne, a Covenant pastor in New Hampshire, introduced me to Brant\u00a0 Christopher at the Covenant Annual Meeting last June,” notes Evelyn\u00a0 Johnson, superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference who is\u00a0 working closely with Christopher and Covenant World Mission in helping\u00a0 launch the new effort. “I affirmed again the goodness of God as I heard\u00a0 Brant’s story of how God called him out of a fast-paced, dollar-driven\u00a0 secular role into a mission-focused role as a Christian songwriter and\u00a0 concert artist with limited financial security. Brant’s passion to use\u00a0 his God-given gifts to help the hurting, especially in the Congo, was\u00a0 inspiring. And, I was moved to act. I committed ‘on the spot’ to help\u00a0 translate Brant’s vision to action through offering benefit concerts\u00a0 where the ministry of the Congo and the challenge of the Paul Carlson\u00a0 Partnership could be shared. I had a strong sense that God would use\u00a0 Brant to connect younger generations to this specific need.”<\/p>\n
Brant’s story is the rags-to-riches story in reverse. Born Brant\u00a0 Christopher Menswar, he rapidly rose through the ranks in the\u00a0 credit\/collection industry, enjoying all of the perks that come with\u00a0 financial success \u2013 money, houses, cars. All the while, however, he says\u00a0 he felt God tugging him in the direction of full-time music ministry \u2013 “a career with no guarantee of income, notoriety or success,” as he puts\u00a0 it. “What do you do?”<\/p>\n
In his case, Brant decided to do nothing, instead pushing even harder to\u00a0 succeed even more in the industry that had treated him so generously. He\u00a0 had no way of knowing that in just a few months, his world would come\u00a0 crashing down.<\/p>\n
“I lost my job,” he recalls. “My wife and I were living high on the hog\u00a0 at the time, spending as much as we were making. I was out of work for\u00a0 eight months. No one would hire me. I was making more than most CEOs –\u00a0 why would I take a job for one-quarter of what I was making? We went\u00a0 through every bit of savings we had. We eventually lost everything – the\u00a0 house, cars, furniture – you name it.<\/p>\n
“I used to have these conversations with God,” Brant continues. “I said\u00a0 I would answer His call once I could support my family enough to do it.”\u00a0 It was then that Brant realized that no matter what he did or how much\u00a0 money he made, he was not the provider for his family. “God could have\u00a0 been a little more gentle in letting me know,” he laughs. “I’d have been\u00a0 happy with a burning bush. I guess He knew this was the only way to get\u00a0 me to listen.”<\/p>\n
Brant vowed to be faithful to his call. He says he watched one miracle\u00a0 after the next until God had placed what he wanted in the palm of his\u00a0 hands – a chance to pursue music. Brant recorded his debut solo CD\u00a0 entitled “Circus Life.”\u00a0 Soon he found himself sharing the stage with\u00a0 Christian music giants like Jars of Clay and Newsboys. And in the midst\u00a0 of booking more than 70 concerts during a six-month period, Brant was\u00a0 invited to perform in Cheltenham, England, at the largest Christian\u00a0 music festival in the UK.<\/p>\n
His rise in the Christian music recording industry notwithstanding,\u00a0 Brant says he is keeping his focus where it belongs. “He who giveth can\u00a0 taketh away!” Brant notes with a wry smile. And, even as his former\u00a0 colleagues call to entice him with “an offer he can’t refuse,”\u00a0 Brant\u00a0 says he continues to pursue God’s plan. “I’ve already accepted the offer\u00a0 I can’t refuse.”<\/p>\n
(Editor’s note: to learn more about this artist and his music, visit Brant Christopher.<\/a>)<\/em><\/div>\n
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Copyright \u00a9 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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WALNUT CREEK, CA (December 9, 2004)\u00a0 – Two free concerts featuring recording\u00a0 artist Brant Christopher have been scheduled at two California churches\u00a0 in January to help raise funds for world mission ministries of the\u00a0 Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Report This Post<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nConcert Tour to Build Support for Mission Outreach - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2004\/12\/09\/4001\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Concert Tour to Build Support for Mission Outreach - Covenant Newswire Archives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WALNUT CREEK, CA (December 9, 2004)\u00a0 – Two free concerts featuring recording\u00a0 artist Brant Christopher have been scheduled at two California churches\u00a0 in January to help raise funds for world mission ministries of the\u00a0 Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). 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