April 7, 2003
Gospel brunches serve up faith with food
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___AUSTIN--Gospel brunches are serving a steady diet of fellowship and "roots" gospel in packed restaurants and clubs around the city.
___Non-Christians are flocking to eating establishments on Sunday mornings to enjoy good food, conversation and traditional gospel music in five locales that regularly hold gospel brunches.
___The brunches benefit both business owners and Christian outreach. Owners profit from people who pay for the meal, and believers usually are in charge of booking bands and setting up events, said Greg Adkins, project director of the Gospel According to Austin.
NON-CHRISTIANS are flocking to eating establishments on Sunday mornings to enjoy good food, conversation and traditional gospel music
___Organizers tried several different genres of music, including contemporary Christian, to bring people in before discovering a great demand for "roots" music--gospel with jazz, bluegrass, blues and country elements.
___The combination of home-style cooking, relaxed conversation and traditional music harkens back to a simpler time and lifestyle, Adkins believes. The brunches are energetic, secure and uplifting, feelings non-believers rarely find elsewhere, he said.
___The music speaks to the brokenness of people's lives with a fervor not found in today's music, Adkins said.
___Many of the people who come to the events say they have been burned by the church, found Christians hypocritical or have no interest in the faith, but they are drawn to the music, which Adkins calls "artistically cool."
___Diners listen to band members' testimonies because they are a non-threatening part of the performance, Adkins said. The music and band members speak on a level non-believers understand without intimidation.
___"They don't want to be preached to," Adkins explained. "They don't want to be judged."
___Despite their unwillingness to enter a church, brunch-goers are interested in spiritual matters, Adkins said. "They're open to the spirit of God. They love to feel the spirit."
___While people have told Adkins the brunches serve as their church service, he freely admits the events do not take the place of church. He believes the efforts are an outreach avenue in a town where 87 percent of residents do not claim to attend church regularly.
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