[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.]
Between 2000 and 2006, Keynote saw exponential growth in many areas. International opportunities skyrocketed, our Summer Project expanded to include multiple bands and new outreach teams were started to respond to the changing culture and requests for resources.
In the year 2000, we had the opportunity to participate in the World’s Fair in Hanover, Germany. God provided Summer Project students and Keynote staff members to form a band called Separation Anxiety for this purpose. This acoustic rock band was designed to be portable with a minimum amount of equipment.
Much of the ministry of Separation Anxiety was “pre-evangelistic,” setting the stage for dialogue about spiritual things and introducing the audience to one of the World’s Fair exhibits where they would find out more about God.
In many ways, the summer of 2000 was a life-changing experience for the members of the band. They bonded through rehearsals, shared experiences, wrestling with fears and laughing at language faux pas. The college students in the band, as often is the case, returned to the States eager to get involved again in ministry on their campuses. Guitar player, Jake Cushman, was no exception.
The fall semester of 2000 provided some great opportunities for ministry through an outreach campaign called “I Agree With.” Jake’s friend, Matt Cahill, was the object of the campaign at Purdue University. The campaign culminated in an event where Matt talked about what he believed. As a result of the campaign, students everywhere were talking about God. In January of 2001, Jake and Matt were killed in a tragic automobile accident. They would be remembered for their faith in Jesus and many more students heard the gospel, not just because of their lives, but because of their deaths.
Separation Anxiety gathered again at the funeral/memorial service for Jake, rocked by the sudden loss of a friend and comforted by the memories they shared.
We can’t comprehend why God allows things like the death of these two young men who were proclaiming the gospel to the people around them. But we’re reminded that life is short. People around us are lost without Christ – college students, military personnel, neighbors, co-workers and family members. That’s why Keynote is committed to providing creative outreaches, mobile apps and communication training to introduce others to Jesus Christ.
How have you seen God use painful or difficult circumstances for His glory?
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