Why We Do This!!!!!!

This year marks my 20th anniversary being around punk rock and hardcore music. From the first time I heard Judge & the Misfits in my friends bedroom til now it has stuck with me. The music and the culture are what make up many of my values. Before I ever decided to follow God I found my refuge in the music, in a scene, and with my friends. The term unity has become so cliché in our culture. It has been said and said again yet no one really understands how powerful that really is. It is the essence of all of this! We are a family, a unit, a tribe of misfits and nomads who found their home amongst others like them. It is not about a dress code or a style, it is about people who lean on one another because they have no one else that fully understands them. I grew up before we had a big scene like this, before we could download songs and before bands were everywhere. I remember seeing bands just because there was a show, before there were tours and booking agents involved. Mix tapes and your older brothers were the key to getting into the music and word of mouth built the scene. It was about passion back then not record deals and merch sales. It was raw and beautiful. It was ugly and out of tune but it was hardcore.

Then when I got saved I discovered the Spirit Filled scene. Bands like Focused, Unashamed, Six Feet Deep, Crashdog, & NIV. These bands were not just ripping off the secular scene these were scene kids, who happened to also be Christians. They were young and full of passion. They were bold and over zealous at times but they understood what this is about. They toured and played in clubs with secular bands and stood their ground. They still stayed bold and won the respect of their peers. I still remember seeing Zao play in Cleveland and how bold Shawn was on stage. People would boo him, and yet he still stood his ground. I didn’t always agree with what was being said but the balls it took to just get up there and spill your faith like that was inspiring. To listen to Jason Moody give a pep talk at Cornerstone was like listening to some great presidential speech. When he was done there were a thousand people that just exploded. This was a time of pure and raw emotion. It was about faith, conviction and boldness to be who you are. It was no different then sXe or the Krishna movements, it was just about Christ. I hope despite all the commercialization, the trendiness and the desire of some to just make it big, maybe SFHC has a shot of being real again. Hell, maybe hardcore has a shot of getting back to basics in general.

One Church started as a vision to unify the body of Christ, to heal the wounds left by legalism and disenchantment from the church. As we moved through our first year we realized we were casting our nets to wide and we needed to focus. We lost sight of the goal and tried to be all things to all people, it failed. We tried to separate our passions for the scene and our love for the church, it failed. So here we stand broken, but looking to rebuild. We are two guys, two hardcore kids, two Christians who tried to take on something huge and needed to re-evaluate our course. The fact is we are part of a subculture that is in our blood. We are also Christians who have put that first in order to be servants of God. So we revamped and here we are. We are focused on the scene that we love and building the unity in this body of believers. We are here to serve those who oppose us in love. We fully understand that hardcore is not a chirstian movement nor has it ever been. It is not a movement of any religion, creed or belief system. That is what makes it so beautiful and free. We just want to give back and show our family we appreciate them.

Finally we want to publicly stand up and say we are sorry if we ever offended or set a poor example to anyone we have some across. Our passion at times spills over into pride and foolishness. I want to say to our brothers Hope for the Rejected that if it weren’t for you guys taking Chris and I in we wouldn’t be here today. To the bands, especially XlookingfowardX, 7th Star, & A Love for Enemies who allowed me to share the stage back in 06 at Cornerstone and speak my passion………………I thank you! To bands like Ten 33 & The Red Baron who showed me love and made me feel apart of a scene I thought I had outgrown, thanks you gave me my youth back. This is not a letter to drop names and get pats on the back. This is a letter to say thank you and challenge all of us to come together and actually mean it. We want to be apart of your lives. Maybe we haven’t been the best of friends but we love all of you. We are standing up publicly to say we want to make SFHC a reality again. As a veteran of this scene I feel it is on me to help lead. I know bands and younger people don’t like the oldheads coming in and telling them how to do things. That ain’t this, I am saying I am hear for you if you need anything. A place to stay, food to eat, wisdom, advice, gas money, or just friendship. Take me up on that! We are here to serve.

To the rest of the hardcore scene, we extend the same offer, even if we do not share a same belief. We are humbled by bands like Steel nation who despite not believing in our faith still offered to take fliers on the road. That is what I am getting at, this is hardcore, and this is our scene. Taking care of each other and standing up for what ever is a positive in this world of negatives. You guys may laugh this off as another hollow unity plea but for us it is why we do what we do. I am doing this ministry because I believe in it and I believe in you all. I don’t get paid, I don’t receive any accolades for this and there are days I want to quit. Then I hear a band, talk to a kid or see a show and it all comes back to me. This is why I stay. I love this broken family and I love my God. I am not gonna judge, not gonna press just letting you know where I am at. I am a Christian and a member of the Hardcore scene. I am a oldhead, a cynical bastard and a downright grumpy old man most of the time. Underneath that is a guy who has given a large portion of his life to the scene, whether it was playing, supporting, promoting, booking or being a pastor. I care guys about all of you regardless of belief.

Lets keep it going!

Jeremy
Pastor – One Church
717.439.9605
onechurchmin@gmail.com
www.onechurchmin.org

RIP Larry Norman

 

Christian rock pioneer Larry Norman died Sunday morning. He was 60 years old. He was a true poet and helped spark a revolution that changed music in many ways. He wrote from his heart and with a honest, gentle voice. He will be missed.

For more info about Larry Norman visits his website

Services, Studies and More!!!!

We are working on getting our bible study/services going here soon. One of our goals  is to have a study in Harrisburg and one near or at Messiah College. Things are coming together so stay tuned!!!!