Last Shoutfest of 2008 Heads for New Orleans
A traveling Christian rock/ministry festival "in a box" will hit the New Orleans area Saturday, bringing with it Christian music sensations newsboys and DecembeRadio as well as the recently reunited Sixpence None the Richer, among others.
This weekend's one-day concert event will be the last in a three-city string of stops for Shoutfest '08 that has so far featured headlining artists such as Third Day, Relient K and Thousand Foot Krutch.
More than another Christian event or rock concert, however, Shoutfest is touted as a real ministry opportunity for the local church.
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"Our overall goal is to lose the title 'tour' and transform this into a tool that local churches and youth leaders can use to raise awareness and impact lives for Christ, ultimately leaving each market with a lot of young lives closer to God's Kingdom and in a relationship with local ministries who will be there in the days and weeks following when those kids start to encounter real issues," explained producer Van Hohe in a public announcement.
"This puts the focus where it should be – on the local church," he added.
Shoutfest has partnered with ministry sponsor Book of Hope USA, which is providing concertgoers a free book and online tools that give insight into overcoming the growing struggles of today's youth.
In addition to Book of Hope USA, author Renee Yohe will be at this weekend's Shoutfest New Orleans to share her journey out of depression which has become an online sensation with the "To Write Love On Her Arms" website. Other ministry sponsors this year include global poverty relief organization Compassion International, The Conquerers and first-time sponsor Oral Roberts University.
"Our deep relationship with Book of Hope USA and others continues to build on the concept of making this thing a tool of the local church," commented Hohe.
"How many young people are literally dying inside all the while thinking that no one in their day-to-day lives could ever truly understand what they are going through," he posed. "This is why I do what I do. We are here to equip the local church with relevant information and resources as well as providing a killer rock show."
In addition to the concert and the ministry outreach, Shoutfest serves as a regional Battle of the Bands competition for Christian artists of all styles. The top three bands in each region each year are selected by Shoutfest staff after online fan voting and are invited to perform live at their respective region's Shoutfest.
From this weekend's Shoutfest New Orleans, one band of the three invited to perform from the Southwest region will be selected by the staff to advance to the Shoutfest finals, which will be held in Nashville and include a showcase for the INO Records staff and other music industry professionals.
Shoutfest New Orleans will be held at Zephyr Stadium in New Orleans suburb Metarie. It follows Shoutfest North, held last month in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and Shoutfest South, held in August in Valdosta, Ga.
Saturday's event will feature newsboys, Sixpence None the Richer, Trin-i-tee 5:7, DecembeRadio, This Beautiful Republic, Renee Yohe & "To Write Love on Her Arms," Between the Trees, Nevertheless, The Biggest Loser's Dan Evans, Jason Morant, Magellan from Club DreamLab, Manic Drive, Mission Six, I Am Terrified, One Minute Halo, Gabriela Hindy, Say You Will, One Friday and comedian Bob Smiley.
On the Web:
More information on Shoutfest '08 at www.shoutfest.com
