Sometimes the most intimate of venues carry the most impact and heart.

Last night I had the honor to attend a Music for Missions event supporting theVine.co. Being a supporter of theVine.co for a while now (written about them a couple of times now) I know the heart of its founders Rick and Samantha.

The mission of the Vine.co is to help Mission Teams raise money for Mission Trips to help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and minister to those in need all around the world.

Music for Missions is one vessel that Rick and Samantha use to be able to fund the mission they have started in Canaan, Haiti. Rick spends hours and hours late at night scouring the internet for artist that have a similar heart for Christ and his people.

On this night we had the opportunity to spend an evening with a few dozen guests listening to the music and testimony of Chris August. I personally have been a fan of Chris’ for many many years. Chris is one of those artists that is not afraid to admit his flaws and uses his own mistakes and acceptance of God’s grace as his testimony.

Local artist Keira Mackenzie from FaithbridgeChurch in Jacksonville opened up the evening with her fresh raw talent. If you have a chance to hear her sing she has quite a future ahead or her.

Then there was a group that came all the way from Ireland based in Nashville, called We Are Messengers, in which the lead singer Darren Mulligan did an acoustic set. I cannot wait for their album to drop in November and see them out on the WinterJam tour this year.

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What does live music, hot dogs, blistering sun and church families coming together all have in common? Community.

This past weekend we had the opportunity to hang out with some new brothers and sisters. We met some great people with fantastic hearts of service at FaithBridge Church on the other side of town. We witnessed the passion and true servants that the church had to offer. Not only that church but their neighboring church had recently come together to serve the community as one body.
FaithBridge opened up the doors of the church and welcomed the community to join them in a free block party. The block party consisted of jump houses for the kids, hot dogs and side dishes galore along with a array of tasty treats. Following dinner the FaithBridge worship band opened up the night for a free concert starring Shawn McDonald.

One of the missions that is near and dear to FaithBridge Church is the country of Haiti. Haiti is a country that many know has been ravaged by poverty, natural disasters and crime. Many people know their plight yet stand by and don’t take action. FaithBridge member Rick Reed and his wife along with many others from the FaithBridge community could not just stand by. After spending time in Haiti on mission trips they decided they would be the hands and feet of Christ in the form of The Vine.co.

The Vine.co is an organization that won’t let the children of Haiti go unnoticed. The founders Rick and Samantha Reed

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Last weekend we helped build a school, what did you do?

On Valentine’s Day while many were waiting hours to eat an over priced dinner. My bride and I spent the evening with fellow Christians that wanted to do more. The 2nd annual Valentine’s Day Gala by theVine.co was a night to remember.

The sole purpose of theVine.co is to raise money for their Mission and Outreach work locally and around the world. It is events like the Gala that make all their hard work possible. Last year enough was raised to buy a plot of land in Haiti. This year they raised funds to build a school and orphanage on that land.

At the Gala, we were greeted by rose barring kids. One of whom is from Haiti. There were numerous generous gifts donated by local companies. These items were being raffled off as well as silent auction items. All the proceeds were going to theVine.co.

Dinner was served with in several courses. Started off with bruschetta followed by a salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette. The main courses were comprised of either fish, chicken or steak. I opted for the steak, my wife the chicken. Both paired with mixed vegetables and potatoes. Desert was mini cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries.

Towards the end of the meal, after Austin Adamec finished his musical set. Our emcee, local radio host Theresa from the Promise introduced our guest speaker. Many people know him as Javier (aka snake eyes) from the movie Courageous. He also starred in Mom’s Night Out. The one and only Robert Amaya.

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