Event brings students together without boundaries

Diana Bates has a lot of reasons for listening to contemporary Christian - or God music as some in the business like to call it.

"It helps me stay strong, and the things they sing about relate to my life," she said.

As a sophomore at Florence High School, the 15-year-old has built around her not only a core of good music to help with her goal of staying strong in her Christianity, but she is also part of a youth group at First United Methodist Church of Florence, the home of the uber-contemporary Sunday morning worship service, The Bridge.

"I've been lucky because my friends are in my youth group, and they don't pressure me to drink or do some of the things that might happen to other high school students my age," she said.

In reaching out to others to share this message, the youth group, so much a part of this teenager's Christian life, is sponsoring a back-to-school block party, featuring Boochie Shepherd, an up-and-coming Christian band based in Decatur whose first release, "Pull My String," has developed a following for its strong guitar riffs and stirring vocals.

Clayton Grider, who has been part of organizing the event, said the seeds for the block party were planted last year, when he and others on the Students Ministries staff at the Methodist church realized that music could be the way to bring young people together without regard to denominational boundaries.

"Music is that international language," Grider said. "We can speak to many different groups of people through music, but especially to youth."

Through word of mouth - the friends-telling-friends network that's cheaper than texting - Grider said he's expecting between 200 and 500 people, "so we'll probably end up with 300 to 350 people."

Bates and her core group of friends will be among that group, and, if the block party goes well, Grider said the plans are for the event to happen each year before the start of the fall semester.

"It's a good way for (students) to start the year off with Christ," he said. "The vision was there for this a few years ago, and it didn't really take off last year, so we started to work on it a little earlier to make it happen."

Without question, contemporary Christian music is a booming business, with bands like Boochie Shepherd filling the airwaves on radio stations like WFIX in downtown Florence whose listnership can be found as far east as Elkmont and as far west as rural Mississippi.

Mark Allen Pyle, the owner and morning disc jockey for the Fix, said the ages of the station's listeners varies widely, from teenagers such as Bates to stay-at-home moms to grandparents, and, for all of them, he said the message is clear: "They want music that is uplifting to them, that they can enjoy."

As a result, Pyle said the choices they allow to hit the airwaves are largely determined by audience request, and there are occasions when particular bands and songs get played more frequently.

On tour now, Boochie Shepherd is hoping to be one of those bands with that song that captures the ears of the audience, but the members admit that it's work, no easier on them to come-of-age as Christian music rock stars than it is for secular artists who get their start in seedy bars, rather than church sanctuaries.

Brandon McCaghren, frontman for the band, said his struggle is bewteen the self and being selfless, which has been a big inspiration for the band's album, "Vertical."

"That inner conflict is something that I battle personally," he said. "And I know it's something that a lot of other people are fighting, too. I want to help them see that they aren't alone in the fight."

Bible in hand and youth group members at her side, Bates said music like that of Boochie Shepherd, pure and clear in its message is the bonus, the little extra that, as a Christian, keeps her focused.

"I expect my faith to be tested, and I hope to be prepared for what that will mean," she said. "I believe music will help keep me strong."

Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or mcihelle.eubanks@timesdaily.com.

n Where: Wilson Park, downtown Florence