30 June 2009

Swerve comes to Target Dayton

Even though we are officially on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ's ministry, Keynote, our assignment is to raise our initial monthly financial support. We are just over 1/3 of the way to our support goal, and are continually growing in excitement for when we can be working directly with the ministry in Indianapolis!

This weekend, we had a special opportunity to work with Keynote - even though technically, that's not our assignment currently. :) We had the opportunity to work with one of the Summer Project bands.

[Summer project is a time at Keynote where college students come from all over the world to do what full-time staff at Keynote do on a smaller scale. They spend their first few weeks getting to know their band members, practicing, and learning how to share the Gospel using the platform of music. Then, they hit the road for a few more weeks to partner with ministries to share God's love!]

Swerve came to Dayton to do an outreach concert at Target Dayton Ministries, a local ministry that reaches out to the poor and homeless. We are rejoicing that through this partnership with Keynote & Target Dayton, we now have 30 new brothers & sisters in Christ! Praise Him!

We wanted to give you a picture of how Keynote musicians intertwine their life stories with Jesus and the Gospel. In the video below, Chelsie, shares some of her story. After a little bit of her story, the band plays a song ["Temporary" by Slaid Cleaves]. Chelsie then finishes her stories with how God rescued her and how He will do the same for anyone. [We apologize for the footage not being visually clear - the lighting wasn't the greatest and we weren't using a video camera.]



Here are some more glimpses into the evening.....


Setting up!

Jay, Fredric, & Arwen


About 250 people came to the show!


The concert is fun...but that's not what the night is about...


...it's about hearing people's stories and sharing Jesus!


Of course, a flat tire is the other ingredient in a quality tour, right?

19 June 2009

Summer Project Chain Reaction = Spiritual Multiplication

It isn’t often that we get to see what happens years down the road and how ministry to one person compounds on others. But recently we discovered this story:

For several years before coming to Keynote, one of our new staff discipled Ashleyne in NY State. Ashleyne came to Keynote’s summer project last summer with some hesitation and resistance where she was further discipled and challenged. But she accepted the coaching and training and was the student who shared the gospel message during her band’s (Young Isaac) concerts on tour.In Ohio, there was a 16 year old girl named Katia*. She and her brother Leonid* were adopted from Russia when they were 4 and 6 years old. By the time Katia was adopted and brought to the US she was a bit young to remember her life in Russia, but Leonid has many vivid memories and really struggles with abandonment and all that ntails having been adopted at an older age. Katia feels very close to her brother because he is her only blood relative, but because of his struggles, their relationship is very strained. Fortunately, they have a wonderful family with parents who are very loving. They go to church, but Katia has never been able to relate her church experience to her teenage life.

Katia's neighbor, Maryellen*, is very involved in Student Venture and has often invited her to activities, so when she heard about the Young Isaac concert (Keynote Summer Project band) last summer, she brought Katia along. Ashleyne shared her experience with a strained relationship during the gospel presentation. Her friend was struggling with depression and self-destruction. Eventually this friendship was broken off. Because of Katia’s relationship with her brother, she really connected with this story. When the gospel was shared that night, she didn't have to think very hard about asking Christ into her life.

Bethany (from Student Venture) has followed up with Katia and has continued to disciple her throughout the year. She also now attends a Bible study led by a college student. Katia has brought at least two of her friends to Student Venture meetings who have both accepted Christ! One is Katia's best friend, whose mother is fighting alcoholism. The other is a German exchange student! All three are truly growing in their faith.

(* names have been changed)


Keynote has several summer project bands again this year. In fact, they started their summer tours this week! Please pray for these summer project students: their safety as they tour during these next few weeks and opportunities to share the Gospel!

12 June 2009

Keynote Golf Challenge

Last month, Keynote had their annual Golf Challenge fundraising events on opposite sides of the states! In the events in California & in Indianapolis, God provides more than $130,000 in sponsorship through our 55 golfers!

These golfers accepted the challenge of playing at least 100 holes of golf in one day in one of the two Golf Challenges. That's right - ONE HUNDRED HOLES!

Fox 59 (an Indianapolis TV station) covered the event on the Morning Show. A surprise "frost delay" made for creative action shots to take the place of golfers actually beginning their rounds. We're thankful for the exposure for both Keynote's ministry and the Golf Challenge. Unfortunately, you cannot view Fox 59's coverage of the event, but we'd love to share with you the promo video for this fundraiser!



10 June 2009

Giants of Silence Rocks Europe!

In May, Keynote's aggressive rock band, Giants of Silence, partnered with various ministries in Germany, Switzerland and France for an outreach tour. During the course of the tour, God used them in the lives of college students, high school students and military personnel. The band performed 10 concerts (two of them were worship events) in eight cities. Response cards were not used at each event, but we know that more than 60 people indicated significant spiritual decisions!

Misconceptions about God and Christianity as well as pressures of the culture around them, set the stage for these students to question a lot of things and become disillusioned with life. Jill's story about how God changed her life and helped her overcome depression really made an impact. The band's evanglelistic CD was a popular item as well as a photo postcard containing the gospel.

In Ferney, France the band had the opportunity to work with some "third culture" kids whose parents are diplomats or business men. While some of the students already have a relationship with God, others are searching for a place to belong as they move every couple of years. Many seeds were planted as the band members spent time with the students after the shows.

Band member, Bryan [left], talking after a show.

Keynote partner, Pepe Tolenen provided sound equipment and transportation as well as "moral support" throughout the tour. A recent email from Pepe gives a glimpse into the spiritual climate of Germany; "...I could not believe my eyes when I saw our listeners giving applause after the gospel presentations. I thought, this is NOT Germany when something like this happens!"

We can all relate to the tension between pleasing God and being accepted. "Adam", the teenage son of a concert host in Bamburg, Germany, was dealing with this same issue. He wrote on his comment card, "I want to please God but I also want to be cool around my friends".

Giants of Silence director, Ethan Ehrstine stayed with "Adam's" family. As they were leaving the next morning, Ethan remembered the comments and took time to talk with "Adam" about his struggle to please God and his friends. "Adam" was delighted that the band's guitar player not only took notice of his comment, but took time to talk to him and encourage him to take steps of faith.

Thank you for praying for Giants of Silence during their time overseas. The band members have been home for a couple of weeks and are now busy with helping to run Keynote's Summer Project. The band will tour again beginning in August.

Some of the band members in between shows.