A steamy evening on February 8 didn’t stop people entering Mt Gravatt Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mansfield with attitudes of empathy, compassion and solidarity to attend a special concert for an important cause.
The concert was well attended by more than 250 people from various parts of South East Queensland and the offering that was collected raised a total of $A12,600.
Guest musicians from local Adventist churches across Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast were invited to come and sing for a cause, with the concert featuring choirs, instrumental items, group, duet and quartet singing, as well as soloists such as Sandra Entermann, a well-known favourite in South Queensland.
After watching the destruction and devastation caused by the bushfires, and speaking with aid workers and people directly affected, Mt Gravatt church felt the need to do something to support the work that ADRA was already undertaking in affected communities.
The idea of a fundraising concert with all offerings going to the ADRA Disaster and Relief Fund became a reality.
“While frantically planning the event within a three week timeframe, Hosea 6:4 came to mind which says, ‘Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning, He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth,'” said Anna Mpita, part of the organising team and Mt Gravatt member. “This text gave both a spiritual and physical context of God’s concern and care of the disasters that affect us and brought relevance to the event. We decided the theme of the concert would be ‘Let It Rain’.”
As the concert proceeded, outside the rain began to pour. Mt Gravatt senior pastor Zeny Vidacak reminded the guests that in planning the event, rain had been the prayer and focus of the evening.
“We heard stories of rainfall reaching places in the country that hadn’t seen rain in five years,” said Ms Mpita. “We were reminded again of God’s providence in our lives.”
During the concert, South Queensland Conference ADRA director Irena Pule spoke of the challenges of dealing with the aftermath of the bushfires and inspired hope in the efforts to assist those in need.
“The evening was a testament to the power of God to motivate benevolence and provide for all our needs,” said Ms Mpita.
