Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
With two successful concerts under its belt this summer, Community Chapel is looking at putting on more musical performances for the public.
On Aug. 3, Community Chapel presented Todd Agnew, who performed the number-one most inspirational song of 2005. The concert drew more than 1,300.
The church then hosted a free performance by Rescue, an a cappella group from the Portland area, on Sept. 10.
Agnew performed in the church’s amphitheater, which is a terraced lawn with a small hill used as a platform. Flowers are planted about the platform, with a pond as a backdrop.
The amphitheater is used for church services during the summer.
“We’ve had the venue for quite awhile,” Pastor Mark McCartin said. “We toyed with the idea many times, but it is such an organizational commitment.”
Still, “we think as we do things, the venue will sell itself,” McCartin said, and that’s where Gary Rasmussen came into the picture.
Rasmussen was a member of the Sweet Home Economic Development Group Board of Directors. SHEDG produces the annual Oregon Jamboree, a three-day country music and camping festival used to raise money for local economic development projects. He also worked extensively with the Jamboree.
Rasmussen put what he learned to work at his church.
“I’m a big music fan,” Rasmussen said. “I love to sing, and I love to listen to music.”
He had been looking at Agnew on line and had heard him on KLUV in the morning.
The church obviously did not want to lose money bringing Agnew to Sweet Home, Rasmussen said, but the concert was not about making money.
“It’s about sharing a message and gift,” he said.
“We’re in business to help people discover the joy of God’s grace,” McCartin said. Music helps do that, kind of softening the heart. “Music really is powerful.”
While not a country music fan, McCartin appreciates how it tells stories more powerfully through the use of music.
“It moves people emotionally,” he said. “I think the goal for us, we want to do things to the degree it helps our mission.”
This concert had scores of people making commitments to Christ, McCartin said. “That’s what we do: Get people to discover the joy of a relationship with Christ.”
The idea is “helping those folks that haven’t crossed the line of faith,” Rasmussen said.
“On this concert, we began to seriously consider doing it,” McCartin said. “I went to the church council to decide how much we could lose and live with.”
As it turned out, the show sold out of all 1,200 seats and sold even more tickets to others who spread out on the lawn next to the terraced seating.
With permission to move forward with the concert, “my experience with the Jamboree helped me,” Rasmussen said. “Our structure is exactly the same as the Jamboree as far as how it’s managed.
“We assembled a management team just like the Jamboree has.”
The team included Darcie Vanderyacht, Marty Mealue, Danny and Lisa McCubbins, Doug and Peggy Emmert, Donavan Willems, Tom Toth, Tim Murray, Rodney Hutchinson, Tiffany Virtue, Floyd Jones, Michele Tow, Phil Pollack, Mike Campbell, Tiffany Heggee and MaryAnn and Robbie Melcher.
“This crew was instrumental in putting on the event,” Rasmussen said. “There were a total of 90-plus volunteers that worked at and behind the scenes including an office staff that fielded hundreds of phone calls and took ticket orders.”
That team is considering dates for shows next year right now, Rasmussen said.
Community Chapel will try to do two bigger concerts on Saturdays during the year, McCartin said, and the church will try not to do one on Jamboree week again. Agnew’s schedule dictated the schedule for his show this year, adding to an already busy week for Sweet Home.
Of the two shows, one will target young people, McCartin said. The second show will provide broader appeal.
This year, “we’re hoping to have one with tickets on sale soon,” Rasmussen said.
The church is looking at bringing in bands such as 1,000-Foot Crutch, Cutlass, Hawk Nelson and similar performers for future shows targeted at the young. Appealing to a broader audience, organizers will look to performers like Big Daddy Weave, Matthew West and Toby Mac.
They also are planning more smaller events on Sundays after hosting Rescue.
With the Agnew concert, church organizers learned a couple of things, McCartin said. “We know we can get people off the property.”
Parking spread across a hillside at the church.
“Sweet Home Police did an awesome job,” McCartin said. They assisted getting traffic going, and the parking lot was cleared in 18 minutes.
For more information on upcoming plans, call the church at 367-5106.