Helping Where You Can
27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.
28If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,
“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” (Proverbs 3:27-28)
Last week, Mrs. Z caught wind of a tour stop from two, big Christian music names that was coming to a little church in our hometown of Richmond Hill, GA. My Foundation Tour, a ChaseWell production, featuring “The Band Table”, Stars Go Dim, and headliner, Jordan St. Cyr. The tickets were incredibly cheap, two for $15, and the church that was lucky enough to hold the show was a traditional, smaller-style Community Church, which made for a surprisingly intimate experience between the crowd and these artists. Mrs. Z and I left the kids at home for this show, though I wish I had brought them along because the preaching done by each artist was amazing. When we arrived, just as the doors opened, we ushered in and picked some really horrible seats as our view was obstructed by a speaker the majority of the night. We were trying to save a full row because Mrs. Z had invited her women’s Bible Study to incorporate this Worship event as their bi-weekly meeting. As we sat down, I noticed that an unknown group, “The Band Table”, was the opening act. I was most excited to see Stars Go Dim (whose biggest hit “You Are Loved” was released eight years ago), as I have been a big fan of his music for years. And, of course, Christian Artist newcomer, Jordan St. Cyr, has had phenomenal success with his first two albums. But The Band Table, they were an enigma before the show started. I did some quick research on the interwebs to see who they were and if I knew any of their songs. I was reading a brief article listing the band members by name (Jordan Merritt, Cliff Preston, Jonathan Lee, Jade Lundgren), when a friendly gentleman in a ball cap stepped forward from the stage and begun introducing himself to everyone in the audience.
“Hi, I’m Cliff,” Mr. Preston stated as he shook my hand and Mrs. Z’s. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
At that moment, I knew this was not going to be a typical Worship concert. What we would learn through the course of the night is that this tour is paid for by Mr. Cliff Preston in an effort to grow support for the non-profit organization he has started. Mr. Preston’s passion is to build Christian-based, mental-health facilities and resources across the country in honor of his father: Dr. David Preston who served as a pastor of 40 years, but also a licensed psychiatrist. Dr. Preston spent his life merging Gospel-centered, mental health care for those in need in the Arkansas area. When Mr. Preston’s father passed away, Cliff launched ChaseWell.org, with the hope to create the largest “Christ-centered, behavioral health network” in America. I invite you all to click the link to ChaseWell.org here and explore this very important mission from Mr. Cliff Preston. I know personally how bad the mental health crisis is throughout America, as I deal with mental health patients struggling to find services that work for them every single day I work for the Savannah Police Department. I would love to have another resource for these individuals within the city I work, especially one that is “Christ-centered” as none of the mental health facilities in Savannah place Jesus at the center of their restoration processes. While we did not have the ability to sign up to partner with ChaseWell last night, we will be partnering with them as soon as we are financially able to do so. So, if you have the means to do so, please look into a way to financially support this incredible organization. Mr. Preston’s efforts to get the word out and grow his own non-profit is commendable. And big praises to Stars Go Dim and Jordan St. Cyr for lending their names and talent to help promote this noble cause.
This concert was quite a different experience from the last two Worship Concerts I attended in sold-out arenas. The small chapel received intimate storytelling from each of the artists. Mr. Preston was surprisingly hilarious. Stars Go Dim front man, Chris Cleveland, revealed to the crowd his history of leading worship for his local church for decades. And Jordan St. Cyr spent a good deal of time sharing the backstory behind some of his biggest hits, including “Fires” and “Rescue“. But what was probably one of the most unique aspects of the night was that The Band Table’s instrumental artists performed sets for all three groups. And they were amazing.
I wish I had knowledge of this tour much earlier than I did. I would have done all I could to share their stops for everyone to hopefully attend. I guess I need to get my finger on the pulse of Christian music a little better, so I can be aware of these purposeful, mission-driven musical events before they roar into a town near me. The Band Table and Stars Go Dim have two stops left this weekend, one in Forest City, NC on Saturday (11/23) and the final stop for the tour will be in Gallatin, TN on Sunday night. If you are by chance reading this and live near one of these cities, I recommend you check this show out. It is well worth it! And spread the word on Mr. Preston’s mission of building a better mental health network across this nation, one that is centered in the truth of the Gospel but also recognizing the importance of medicine and professional therapy.
And for a special treat, here is the latest from Mr. Cliff Preston. Click the image below to hear a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, praise-raising, catchy, twangy worship track called “Better Road.”
Common Sense Reborn 