Bob Bennett will perform his contemporary Christian songs for guests at the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg this Sunday evening.

Details:
Bob Bennett will perform on Sunday, May 2, at 5 p.m. at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 2215 N. Llano St., Fredericksburg. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for groups of 10 or more, and are now available at the UPS store at 1406 East Main. Doors open at 4:15. Information at 210-379-7887 and www.resurrectionconcerts.com.

webmaster: phil@fullhouseproductions.net

Resurrection Concerts

by Phil Houseal
April 28, 2010

You could say the concerts at Resurrection Lutheran Church are the ultimate in house concerts - after all, they are held in the House of the Lord.

That brings a smile to the face of Greg Gremmer, “empresario” of the Resurrection Concert series, who is bringing artist Bob Bennett to Fredericksburg this Sunday, May 2.

“Bob Bennett considers himself a Christian musician who deals with themes about the struggles of real life,” Gremmer said. “I think in one entire album he used the word ‘Jesus’ twice.”

No, proselytizing is not the point of these churchly assemblies.

“The intention is not to sermonize. These concerts are offered as casual gathering for the Christian community  to experience the sound of great musicians. It adds something to Fredericksburg.”

Bob Bennett - whose 'Matters of the Heart' album won Album of the Year and is still considered among the top 20 Christian albums of all time - will present the third concert at the local church. The two previous artists were Randy Stonehill, one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music, and Michael Card, noted writer, singer, author, and radio host. Several hundred came to those earlier concerts. Card returns for another show on July 18.

Gremmer, who used to promote Christian concerts in the 1980s “just for fun,” is now a CPA and President of the Congregation. He is calling on some of that promotional experience and working with council elders to create a new model for the Christian music industry. It’s about more than filling a church on a Sunday evening.

“One of the hurdles we have discovered is that Christians in smaller communities are less familiar with the careers of many of these performers who rarely travel outside big cities,” he said. “So we have basically been test marketing different approaches to educate people and get the word out, all within a pretty tight budget. Resurrection Concerts is trying to bring these quality concerts consistently to a smaller community.”

Gremmer has watched the genre grow and change.

“Early on, there was no industry and no audience, so these new ‘Christian’ musicians just played wherever they could. This included street corners, college campus parties and outdoor concerts, but never in a church.”

Of course over the years the industry blossomed with Christian labels, Christian publishers, and even Christian music television channels. So in a way, the Resurrection Concerts harks back to those early days when the artists played for the love of the music and their walk with God.

And so the Resurrection shows are typically solo acts, with no bands, orchestras, or canned music. The experience is intimate like a house concert. All ages are welcome, “from middle school on up to grandpas and grandmas.” The format allows folks the chance to mix and mingle. The hosts provide refreshments, and performers routinely hang around after the concert to sign autographs and sell their CDs.

“There is no sermonizing, no passing the plate, no getting people to join. We sell tickets set at a price to break even.”

The shows also start early - beginning at 5 p.m. - so people can enjoy the performance and still get home before dark.

“We’re bringing in nationally acclaimed, highly talented Christian musicians for the benefit of the community,” Gremmer said. “Just as other churches do things for the community, we choose to do concerts.”