Keynote band The Gap Theory recently returned from an incredible tour in India where they had the opportunity to share the gospel with over 7,000 people through various outreach events. Band member Scott Naylor recalls one of the tour’s highlights:
We played a concert at Vinayaka Mission University in Salem, India. The language spoken in this region of India is Tamil, and the word ‘Vinayaka’ is actually the Tamil word for Ganesh. Ganesh is one of the most commonly worshiped figures in Hinduism.
The day of our concert was the second day of the 10-day Ganesh festival throughout India. We’d seen displays all over the cities of the elephant-headed god with food offerings and dancers and other acts of devotion. We’d even seen where some businesses had shut down in observation of the festival.
So… what I’m saying is that we played a concert at Ganesh University during the height of the Ganesh Festival. We couldn’t have asked for a better setup.
The India CCC staff we worked with have some Christian friends in the administration who were able to get our concert setup. We had dinner with the school’s registrar and some other key people, and we learned that our concert would be the first Christian outreach event in the 30-year history of the school. Obviously, this was hugely strategic for them.
When show time rolled around, we played to an audience of about 500 people. The power went out twice during our set, but the energetic crowd embraced the outage with screaming and applause that only grew louder when it came back on. To say we had a receptive audience is a vast understatement. So of course, we did a full-on outreach program, with Seth clearly sharing the gospel, and then giving an invitation for people to pray and receive Christ. Not that we usually pull any punches, but we certainly weren’t going to miss THIS opportunity!
After the show, we took a lot pictures, got in a lot of conversations, and heard a lot of GREAT feedback from the school’s administration and students. The event was a huge success on all fronts, and should prove very helpful for ICCC to have more opportunities to minister on Vinayaka’s campus.
And… when we read through the comment cards, 108 people indicated a decision to receive Christ, and many others wanted to know more about Jesus and about the ICCC ministry. We’re grateful to God for another opportunity to share the gospel, see lives changed, and help our friends push forward with their ministry.
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