July 30, 2001
GRANT BYRD and Derek Draper come out from backstage to enjoy the concert.
Duo thrives behind the scenes at Baptist Youth Days
___By Ferrell Foster
___Texas Baptist Communications
___ARLINGTON--They're not exactly confidantes to the stars, but two Texas Baptist youth ministers do get a unique opportunity to be of service to well-known Christian musicians once a year.
___For three days each year, Grant Byrd and Derek Draper have backstage access duringthe Christian music concerts that are a part of Baptist Youth Days at Six Flags Over Texas.
FOUR teenagers from Early have front seats on the Flashback roller coaster during Baptist Youth Days at Six Flags Over Texas.
___Byrd is from First Baptist Church of McKinney, and Draper is from First Baptist Church of Justin.
___Their official responsibilities are limited, although they serve an important role in keeping the show running and keeping everybody happy. They hang banners and get signatures on promotional posters. Most importantly, they make sure the visiting artists get to the Southern Palace for a talk-back time with adults and teens each afternoon.
___The two have chosen to see their roles in a broader perspective as well.
___"We try to help as much as we can," Draper said. So they simply make themselves available to both the artists and the set-up crews for whatever they might need.
___And there's one more important thing: "We try to stay out of the way as much as we can."
___That servant approach has built relationships, especially with the locally hired set-up crews, many of whom are not Christians.
___"I think we're breaking down walls with a bunch of them because they know we're ministers and they've really never talked to a minister in their life," Byrd said. "They see that we're close to normal and easy to talk to."
___Some barriers have been broken down within himself as well, Draper said. They have taught him to "look on the inward and not on what they're wearing, not on how many earrings or piercings they have or tattoos. Some of them know the Lord; some of them don't."
___Many of the crew members return each year, and so Byrd and Draper slowly have built the connections. They have not had the opportunity to lead anyone to Christ, but Byrd said he and Draper "try to find ways that we can break through with them."
___Jane Wilson, who coordinates Baptist Youth Days for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, said Byrd and Draper are "two of the most Christ-like, servant-hearted people I know."
dc Talk performs.
___"Because they want to forge relationships, they do whatever manual labor they are allowed to do," Wilson said. "The goal with them is to determine other people's relationship with Christ."
___The backstage role has evolved "because of the kind of men they are," she said. "I can't imagine how their youth groups must be affected by the fact that their youth ministers have a lifestyle of sharing their faith."
___The days at Six Flags are long and hot for Byrd and Draper, but there are perks. "It's been a lot of fun," Byrd said. "We get to see the bands in a different light."
___When he first began helping backstage 10 years ago, Byrd was "so excited because we got to meet the bands," he said. "Now, I'm not excited so much to meet them but to see who they really are, because you get to see a lot different person back behind than you do in front. And they're just guys. ... They're really neat. A lot of them really take time to talk to us."
___The closeness can create interesting experiences.?
___For example, dc Talk, one of the top groups in Christian music, performed the first night of Baptist Youth Days this year. Several years ago at a dc Talk concert, singer Toby McKeehan came off the stage and handed Byrd his microphone while he took off a shirt to put something else on. The youth minister started talking with him, then McKeehan grabbed the microphone and started singing again.
___"He was still on; the microphone was still hot," Byrd said. "It scared me so bad." But it didn't seem to bother McKeehan.
___"Toby is one of the nicest guys in the world," the McKinney minister said.
___Backstage, Draper and Byrd have encountered all kinds of people, some friendly, some not so friendly. "We just see what we can do to help," Byrd said. "We really feel like God has put us here to be a witness."
___
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