[In 2011 Keynote celebrates 45 years of ministry. We thought we would use our Friday posts to look back on God’s faithfulness through the years.]
It all started when Bruce Boyd traveled with a men’s a cappella octet in college. After a few years of traveling with Prism, Bruce was reminded of the versatility and mobility of that group when he and his wife, Julie, saw The Nylons perform at the Hollywood Bowl. Their tight vocal harmonies combined with synthesized percussion was not only innovative, but very entertaining.
The wheels started turning and before long, a new Keynote group was formed – Vanguard. The “pilot” version of Vanguard (1988) was a five-piece group which quickly became a quartet, allowing the group to perform in a variety of venues.
Vanguard’s program was designed to speak to business professionals/executives. Their concert combined upbeat a cappella music with short vignettes about success. Drawing from their own stories of seeking success or significance in what the world has to offer – money, prestige, fame – the singers were able to tell their audiences about finding true significance in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Many of Vanguard’s events were in conjunction with Campus Crusade’s Executive Ministry. Associates and friends were invited to an evangelistic dinner party where, on average, 50% of the audience would be unbelievers. Because the unbelievers came at the request of a friend or associate, there was a built-in follow-up system for those responding to the gospel. At one event in 1990, 46 of the 80 people in attendance were unbelievers. After the concert, the response cards indicated that 23 of those people had decided to give their lives to Christ. One of the hosts found out that seven of her neighbors had responded to the gospel that night!
Vanguard continued full-time ministry to executives, singles, military professionals and other audiences through the spring of 1997. Since 1997, Vanguard has continued to offer limited engagements during the month of December.
Comments on this entry are closed.