[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.]
Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and other classical composers supplied the music performed by Keynote’s classical chamber group, Counterpoint. The original group was a four-piece ensemble made up of cello, violin, flute and viola. Eventually, the group became a trio which varied in instrumentation from year to year. Piano and two violins; Piano, flute and clarinet; two flutes and a cello; piano, cello and flute; the possibilities seemed endless. (photo, right, from 1988 – tour to Spain)
Stemming from the idea of significance, the ensemble members talked about the lives of the composers and their own journeys to find significance. The platform of music and shared struggles gave a great opening to tell audiences about Jesus. For it is only in Him that we can find true significance.
Hundreds, if not thousands responded to the gospel message given by Counterpoint during their events. Below is an excerpt from Mike Makeever’s prayer letter in 1990 about some events with The Executive Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ in The Philippines:
“I prayed to receive Christ…tonight I asked Jesus into my life…I invited Christ into my life tonight,” spoke the calm, deliberate voice.
I couldn’t believe what was being read. The comment cards were almost all revealing the same glorious truth: that God had revealed Himself to the people at that concert.
However, there is a back story…19 days before this concert, we found ourselves scrambling. Our hosts, John and Anne Pillsbury, had planned a forty-five minute evangelistic concert by Counterpoint (our instrumental chamber ensemble) among other methods of communicating a vision for home evangelism in Manila. Attending the concert were Filipino Christian executives who were very influential in their fields. Our audience had never been more strategic.
And we hoped they would be kind, too, because I hadn’t slept the previous night, Denise’s sinuses were giving her fits, and, worst of all, Kelly was having MAJOR lower-gastrointestinal distress. The once three-person concert would have to be a two-person concert. We were praying hard.
By God’s grace, we were able to assemble a thirty-minute concert that worked (never mind that we were virtually sight-reading two of the pieces we performed.) After the guests left, we read the comment cards we had passed out. God had impressed on every person’s heart the desire to be involved in some type of outreach with the Executive Ministry. One couple, Edgar and Hedy See, indicated that they wanted us to do a concert in their home as well.
So, nineteen days later, I found myself in the See’s living room, listening to the sound of Edgar’s voice reading those glorious words: “I prayed to receive Christ tonight…tonight I asked Jesus into my life…I invited Christ into my life tonight…”. When the results were tallied, 13 of 17 non-believers had prayed to invite Christ into their lives! Never have I seen more than through those two concerts just how God can use strategic planning and prayer to bring people to Himself, and to impart His vision to believers. I am a witness to the fact that He is always faithful. – Mike Makeever, pianist, Counterpoint
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