Hope Shows founder, Robyn Lyn (r), with Carrie Van Alstine at the Hope Rocks booth in Springfield.
Family-Friendly WIBI and Hope Shows kicked off the Hope Rocks Campaign November 16 & 17 in Belleville, IL and Springfield, IL with Word Records’ Remedy Drive. Two shows and two love offerings later, the Hope Rocks Campaign celebrates over $1,800 in first gifts for an upcoming Sara Groves Christmas prison concert at Lincoln Correctional Center, a medium-security women’s prison in Lincoln, IL. In addition to the gifts received, donors were given the opportunity to write words of encouragement on the back of the tickets that will be given to LCC inmates the day of their show.
“I truly had no idea what to expect from the love offerings at these events … and realized that when God builds the house it takes some of the pressure off of us to perform or achieve our own goals,” states Hope Shows founder, Robyn Lyn. “God called me to participate, and I’m all in on that. I’m just so thankful for the response of others in meeting the shared mission of Hope Shows and the Hope Rocks Campaign, ‘to advance the surrounding hope of Christian music to where it’s most needed.’”
Both shows featured Word Records’ Remedy Drive and two regional acts. Robyn states, “The Zach brothers have become favorites of mine over the last year. They can write, they can perform, they can share … and it’s all about hope. They were the perfect partner in these kick-off events.”
Monday evening also featured The Great Romance (Belleville, IL) and Kaleb Krueger Band (St. Louis, MO). Tuesday night featured Photoside Cafe (Greenville, IL), a band which formed while the members were students at Greenville College and is now signed to Grrr Records, and Royal Tailor Band (Granite City, IL). “Remedy Drive and Hope Shows share a value for regional acts, so we were excited to welcome this rising talent to the stage,” states Robyn.
WIBI and Hope Shows have now set their sights on the inmates at Lincoln Correctional Center. Sara Groves will make a stop at LCC this month on her “O Holy Night Christmas Tour.” The tour will also make a stop in Springfield, IL on Sunday, December 20, at Calvary Temple Christian Center. Showtime is 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Seating is general admission and a love offering will be received during the concert.
Hope Shows is in the final stages of completing the paperwork required to establish a nonprofit corporation. The organization is filing for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3), but does not expect to receive confirmation of this status until early 2010. In addition to the event expenses for the Hope Rocks shows and the prison concert, there are a number of start-up costs that come with a new organization. Hope Shows appreciates the ongoing support for its ministry initiatives and those of our partnering organizations.
