Getting the gospel message to kids isn’t always easy. But pairing it with music is one of the surest ways to reach youngsters.
Now, an unprecedented pairing of local churches, led by First Baptist of McComb, will bring the highly acclaimed Christian rappers of 116 Clique to McComb on a July 9 stop in their Unashamed Tour.
Led by nationally known performer Lecrae, 116 Clique also includes Trip Lee, Tedashii and Sho Baraka. They take their name from Romans 1:16. (“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”) Their music is on the Memphis, Tenn.-based Reach Records label.
Joining First Baptist in promoting the event are First Baptist Church of Summit, New Heights Baptist, Pine Grove Missionary Baptist, Walker’s Chapel Free Will Baptist and 24th Street Church of God in Christ, as well as New Orleans-based Abandon Production Ministries.
Ian McAnally, the 26-year-old interim student minister at First Baptist of McComb, acknowledges that the upcoming rap concert is likely “the most unusual thing the church has ever done.”
Booking the concert was a fluke. It came about when McAnally talked in earnest about music with Dean Ross, director of ministries for Abandon Productions. Abandon was a principal sponsor of the Avalon concert at First Baptist Church of Summit this spring. During the discussion, Christian rapper Lecrae’s name came up, and McAnally learned that Lecrae, along with three other rappers, were going to be in New Orleans on July 10.
“I love Lecrae (and 111 Clique). They’re absolutely amazing, phenomenal,” McAnally said. “There’s a three-year waiting list (to book them). You basically have to know somebody who knows them, there’s such a high demand.”
McAnally wanted to book Lecrae and 116 Clique during the school year and have assemblies leading up to a concert. But that wasn’t likely to happen. Then, nearly six weeks ago, Ross called McAnally and said, “Man, I’ve been talking with Lecrae’s guys. They have a huge interest in doing a show in Mississippi on the ninth.”
McAnally immediately thought about what his commitment would have to be to underwrite the $5,000 cost for the event, but he realized, “That’s a lot of money. I don’t have it in my budget.”
Through dogged efforts and because of the tight time frame to work with to book the act, McAnally persuaded First Baptist’s Mission Committee to be the sole underwriter for the event. In doing so, he had to assure fellow church members that the rap lyrics, which in popular music are often profanity-laced, were appropriate.
“I’ve listened to all of their music. Their lyrics are about people coming to know Christ,” he said. “The salvation doctrine is in just about every single one of their songs. It’s unashamed music. It’s really cool. … They’re not ashamed of the message and the point of what they’re trying to do. It’s not about entertainment. It’s about seeing people come to know Christ. They use the Internet as an avenue to reach people. Rap music is simply the megaphone Lecrae uses to shout Jesus Christ.”
Getting the right venue was key. Enter McComb resident Charles Ashley, who agreed to let the group perform at the McComb Event and Entertainment Center on Parklane Road, which he now owns.
“Charles wants to see this succeed as much as anyone else does. He’s been invaluable,” McAnally said.
“We knew Lecrae would be able to share the gospel with people,” McAnally said. “We wanted to take those who committed their lives to Christ to this event, and we as churches are going to commit to disciplining and seeing these people grow and mature in their walk with Christ.”
The members of 116 Clique, he said, all rap differently, but each is devoted to sharing the gospel message. They are active in Bible colleges, and Lecrae has an inner city ministry in Memphis, McAnally said.
He acknowledged that the concert won’t be to everyone’s taste. There will be people who won’t attend simply because it’s rap music. But the fact is that rap music has an enormous fan base among whites and blacks.
McAnally encourages people “to look past the style and their own personal taste and see we’re reaching people for Christ. I think they could jump on board for something like this.
“If you don’t like rap music, buy a ticket or two for somebody who would like to go. Without God, this is going to be a failure. First Baptist Church and the other churches involved want no glory after this. My hope is that people will look behind the style of music and see the depth of the message we’re trying to get out.
“We’re seeing the benefits with our church partnering with those other churches. There’s so much positive to come of an event of this. It’s about building the community and seeing people come to know Jesus Christ,” he said.
McAnally said the best compliment he’s heard about Lecrae came from First Baptist Church of Summit’s youth minister Trey Waldrop, who’s seen Lecrae in concert. “He said Lecrae spent more time sharing the gospel than he did doing his own music.”
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TICKETS TO THE 6:30 P.M.
concert are $11 and are available in advance at Wizard Electronics and Ashley’s Rims in McComb, at the door before the show and online at www.itickets.com. For more about Lecrae and the other performers, visit www.reachrecords.com.
