According to an
article published by Barna Group in 2014, in an increasingly post-Christian society, it is more likely for someone to accept a personal, face-to-face invitation to attend church with a friend than for someone to decide to go to church on their own.
This truth, combined with a steady decline in church attendance in recent years, lends to a need for ministries that are well equipped to reach people beyond the walls of the church.
Enter chAMPion Festival, a nonprofit founded by Jerry Fee Music Ministries with the mission to "awaken this culture to its meaning, identity and purpose in Christ, using provoking music/media." According to Jerry Fee, the vision for chAMPion Festival is to partner with community ministries, nonprofits and churches to put together free carnival and festival styled events that will be fun and engaging, ending with a concert and gospel message by his band, Heliograph.
"We want to be doing these events in easy to find, high traffic places in the community," said Fee.
What sets this festival apart from others, Fee says, is that he wants people to initially be drawn in by the fun atmosphere, captivated by the quality of the music and the production of the concert. "We want people to have an incredible experience that earns their attention, so they'll clearly hear the message of the gospel. Then, with the help of the local ministries, we can be a connection point for those who want to follow Christ and become discipled."
The band's genre blending sound is an energetic mixture of Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons and early Newsboys - with messages that aim to let an unbeliever peer in through a new window of who God is and says they are.
The first single, "
Let It Be Love" is a feel-good anthem that stands as the overarching mission statement for this whole ministry.
Delivering this kind of high-quality production and taking it on the road as a free event for communities comes with a high cost, which is why having ministry partners and people who believe in the vision to reach out to their local communities is so important.
