Breakdancing crews spun their moves, graffiti artists displayed some designs, a power metal band rocked the crowd…and event organizers passed out evangelical tracts.
Although under the pretext of celebrating the 21st anniversary of Radio Trans Mundial-Venezuela, the purpose of the rock-and-hip-hop event Concert Sacrifice was to reach out to the non-Christian youth of Maracay, Venezuela. Held one November afternoon in the public square of Calle Libre, Concert Sacrifice drew more than 1,500 youth, adults and even some children to enjoy the talent of national acts such as breakdancing team Crew Among Giants, metal band Pantokrator and disc jockey DJ C.
The two-hour event attracted a diverse range of social groups known to constantly reject conventional evangelical efforts. Punks and drug addicts, rockers and hip-hop enthusiasts all came together for the eclectic mix of entertainment, allowing event organizers to advertise Radio Trans Mundial and promote its youth-geared online radio program, Conexión—and to spread the word of the gospel.
Near the end of the concert, event staff distributed tracts titled "10 Reasons to Believe There is Life After Death." Some tracts were torn up, some were discarded and others were politely pocketed—but a great deal of the tracts were read attentively by many concert-goers.
Many people had been praying for every aspect of the event in the six months leading up to big day, and those prayers were honored. Concert Sacrifice proved to be an especially encouraging experience for RTM’s Conexión staff, as it demonstrated that in spite of financial hindrances (of which there had originally been plenty) and other undesirable circumstances, the desire of God’s people to spread the good news remains strong.
Conexión, the main vehicle through which the event was produced, is a 30-minute RTM online program aired Monday through Friday evenings out of Venezuela. The program features some of the best of Euro, North American, and Hispanic underground music, and highlights a myriad of genres, from rock and reggae to punk and electronica. While not explicitly religious, all the music chosen has spiritual undertones, allowing the Conexión team to reach audiences who would not typically tune into overtly Christian programming.
Concert Sacrifice organizers met immediately afterward to evaluate the success of the concert, discuss following up on those who had heard the gospel message presented and start the planning for 2006-07 events.
Para leer en español, haz click aquí.
TWR-Americas intern Melinda Pearce is a senior at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC, double majoring in Public Relations and Spanish.
More on this
TWR-Venezuela Web site (in Spanish)