Gospel concert promises to be a dream come true
Christine Andrews said the idea of a gospel concert in Onset came to her in a dream. In a few short weeks, that dream will become a reality.
"It was so vivid it just wouldn't let me go," Andrews said of her concert dream. What sparked that idea, she said, was the day her pastor at the Foursquare Church in Onset told the congregation to look for ways to reach out to people and bring them closer to God.
"What's a better way to reach people than through music?" asked Andrews.
The concert, "Joyful Noise: A Healing for the Soul" will take place on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Lillian Gregerman Band Shell in Onset. The show will consist of Christian bands, rap groups, dancers and singers. Admission is free.
Andrews, who owns Christine's Hair Salon in Wareham, said her committee of four people met every two weeks for about five months after the pastor and the church council gave the OK for the event.
"God placed it on my heart," she said. "At first I was a little afraid, but I believed it will work out and it has."
Andrews said a main goal of the concert was to reach out to the local youth.
"A lot of them are hurting, and they need to know they have somewhere they can go and somewhere they can be accepted as who they are," she said.
Andrews is planning on having eight or nine acts from all over the South Coast perform at the concert. The marquee performers are Annastasia Baker and Keisha Dreams, two professional gospel recording artists.
Baker, a Britain-based gospel singer, was a contestant on the X Factor UK television show. She was also the winner, by public vote, of the third season of Time2Shine, the UK’s biggest gospel talent quest show.
Dreams is a Boston-based gospel singer and rapper who has preformed all over the world. According to her website, she was the first female rapper to perform live with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Andrews said that Baker and Dreams, along with all the other performers, are doing the concert for free. If the concert proves to be a success, Andrews hope it can become an annual event that brings the community together.
"We want to bring families together and let people know they are loved," she said. "If you can touch just one person, it's worth it."