More than Music Bonnaroo
2011 Report on the “More Than Music” Ministry at Bonnaroo
On June 9-13 more than 80,000 visitors came to Manchester for the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Duck River Baptists were there sharing the love of Christ with people from all over the world. The Duck River Baptist Association, the Tennessee Baptist Convention, and area Baptist churches jointly sponsor a ministry called “More Than Music.” A large tent owned by the TBC is set up adjacent to one of the camping areas. The tent offers a place to sit and cool off in the shade, free internet access, and even free haircuts. A serving line in the tent offers water, tea, lemonade, snacks, fresh fruit, toiletry items, sunburn lotion, Bibles, tracts, and other items.
All of this takes a lot of staff. Over two hundred volunteers staffed the tent around the clock for five days, visited in the campgrounds, shuttled volunteers to the ministry site, hauled ice and water, maintained freezer trailers and generators, led a worship service on the site on Sunday morning, and talked with guests. Many of these volunteers were from churches in Duck River Baptist Association. We are grateful for everyone who helped in any way.
This year we were overwhelmed with thousands of people coming into the tent. We ran out of food and repurchased supplies three times. We gave away 100 cases of bananas, 30 cases of oranges, 20 cases of apples, truckloads of snacks, 600 slip discs imprinted with our logo and a gospel message, and thousands of cups of water. We used over 250 pounds of sugar just to make sweet tea!
All of this creates opportunities to talk to people. Many people asked, “Why are you doing this?” We tell them that we give these things in the name of Jesus, who loves us and died to save us from our sins. Let me share just one conversation. One of our volunteers was staffing the tent Friday night. A young man came in about 2 AM, got a banana, some crackers, and something to drink. He was almost out of the tent when he turned around and came back. He asked the volunteer, “Who pays for all this?” The volunteer told him about our churches and about the love of God. He asked, “Do you have anything I could read?” The volunteer gave him a tract. He sat down and read it through. He came back and got a New Testament and left the tent reading the story of Jesus from his new Bible. That makes it all worthwhile!
We are already planning for next year’s ministry. We invite you to pray about working with us!
Brenton Cox
First Baptist Church, Manchester
bcox_fbc@hotmail.com