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Megan Mong
  • Class of 2019
  • Salina, KS

Wittenberg Hosts AGAPE and Rachel Kurtz for Spring Concert

2016 May 20

Community members from Wittenberg and beyond gathered under the blooming trees of Commencement Hollow at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, for an evening of soul, pop and hip-hop. Campus Ministries, with support from Build a Better Wittenberg, proudly welcomed AGAPE (David Scherer), a Christian hip-hop artist, and Rachel Kurtz, a Christian soul/pop artist. PROFOUND, a student hip-hop group from Wittenberg opened for the event.

The event's planning committee included Courtney Steinmetz '17, Megan Mong '19, Grace Mullen '19, Ben Brown '16, Christina Howard '19, Kathleen Serio '19, Kristina Lindsey '16, and Heath Queen '16.

Mong had the opportunity to meet AGAPE in 2012 while attending the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) National Youth Gathering, a triennial event that attracts more than 30,000 youth and their adult leaders for a week of faith building, Bible study, service and community

AGAPE, along with Kurtz, has been responsible for raising $1 million toward water projects around the world. Mong describes Kurtz's music as "calling listeners to make a change, whether personally or globally."

Similar to the Gathering, Wittenberg, "fundraised from donations at the event to benefit Lutheran world hunger projects - specifically in the relief efforts after the earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador," said Queen, campus interfaith senator.

"These two artists have been traveling and performing while at the same time raising money for these types of initiatives like water access. The event itself is free, but people can donate at the event to these various projects that will end up serving our global community," Queen added.

Aside from the service opportunity, students like Logan McCord '19 and DaShawn Glover '16 of PROFOUND were excited to share their love of music. The two call themselves PROFOUND because "we want to make music with a thought-provoking message that hopefully will challenge the audience," the artists said.

"We are incredibly grateful to Pastor Rachel Tune for telling us about this opportunity and allowing us the privilege to be able to perform at an event where we can praise God with the gifts He gave us. Hopefully, we are able to bless the lives of the people listening," Glover said.

In addition to PROFOUND, Kent Brooks, director of Imani Gospel Choir, and senior Kristina Lindsey are helping a small group of Springfield youth collaborate in a song with Kurtz. "We're having numerous youth groups come," said Pastor to the University Rachel Tune, "including a group from the church where our new Interim Board Chair Rev. Jonathan Eilert '93 is pastor."

For more information and to register for the free event, go to www.hiphopoutreach.com or call Wittenberg University Campus Ministries at 937-327-7411.

-Kayla Villegas '16, Office of University Communications