Soul Stock: Day 2
A full day with bands, speakers, vendors and food ending with a magical performance by Ben Fuller.
I forgot to tell all of you that I took all of these pictures myself. It was a magical experience. I lived at Shawmut Park all weekend, meeting new people, checking out the booths, sampling food, and browsing at the vendors’ booths. I was there before the official opening and there was atmosphere of anticipation, like the very oxygen in the air knew something exciting was about to take place. The Boy Scouts were preparing their booth for the hungry patrons. Vendors were setting up their crafts and other wares to be sold. The kids canopy in the middle of the park was refilling it with free crafts for the incoming children. A new vendor set up next to the Boy Scouts, was the Child Evangelism Fellowship with additional free crafts for the kids. I knew the minute I took my first step into the park that day, it was going to be an exciting time.
The Hallton Church of Christ has two band, Resurrected and By the Jordan, who perform once a month. Resurrected’s performance was the start of the festivities and their passion for the faith in Jesus was present in every note they sang. If you visit the Hallton Church of Christ Facebook page you can find live stream videos of them performing. My favorite song is their cover of Lion, by Elevation Worship with Chris Brown and Brandon Lake.
Soul Stock is a free event open to anyone who wants to attend. Many of the attendees come from distant counties in Pennsylvania, other states to watch the bands perform and participate in the events. Many of the bands do not perform for free and they spend much of their time on the road. Janice Schatz does major fundraising efforts throughout the year so they can perform and have a place to stay in historic St Marys. Your donation to Janice will allow her to keep bringing this wholesome, life-changing, and soul-changing event to the community, the county, greater Pennsylvania, and the world. One dollar can change the life of one person. Here are some donation options, Paypal: @gatheronthegrass, Venmo to @gatheronthgrassworship, you can donate at GiveButter at https://?GiveButte.com/EtkIQ or by texting “SoulStock” to 53-555.
In the above picture is the 814 band, a worship band from Erie Pennsylvania, who started performing during the pandemic. In 2023, they released an album, called Break Every Chain, was released in 2023, and they have a single called “One Thing You’re Missing”. They are made up of nine worship leaders from five different churches. Band Leader, Dave Lefebre is professional bass fisherman and attends Grace Church in Erie. The band contains a wide range of ages. There are two college students from local colleges, Mercyhurst and Penn State Behrend. The other band members have a wide range of careers. However, their music has touched the hearts of many. I hope they continue to reach others and have success in the future.
Saturday was such a full day and I tried to capture as much of it as I could. Above is Pastor Michael Winder from New York in blue who spoke of his testimony regarding addiction. There is another picture of Pastor Wellborn of Soul Revival Church, with a focus on saving souls and keeping from Tennessee. Pastor Wellborn is batptising Connor Gausman. Boy Scout troop #199 food both and Sunday school teacher Tim Emry are in the gallery too and finally the crowds, all the people. I am an introvert, but when I see crowds like this their energy leads me to want to talk to them or at least observe them. I have heart that loves other people, (even those who have done me wrong) and watching them have a great time and having their soul filled as well is just an extra bonus.
The end of the night was topped with Ben Fuller, as seen in the above gallery. When he first came to Soul Stock, he was an up and coming artist and now he is a national CCM artist and a Dove Award Nominee. I saw him perform in November of 2023 at the St Marys Area High School, which was part of a concert series by Family Life Radio. However, this was better, I was five feet away from the stage and my ears were ringing. I had so much fun and so did the people around me. I got the complete Ben Fuller experience and I don’t regret a minute of it. Ben Fuller can be heard on Christian radio stations across the country and maybe even across the world. Before coming to St Marys, Ben did a free concert at Rockview prison for the inmates there as part of his ministry to reach the lost and the broken. You can find his music on Spotify. My favorite song of his is He Found Me. Find his music and even if you don’t like his music, you should at least hear his message.
This post is dedicated to Zachary Christopher Gausman. His life was changed on Saturday at Soul Stock 2023. He met Ben Fuller and was baptized on Saturday of Soul Stock 2023. In the first gallery is a picture of Connor Gausman’s baptism. He is Zach’s younger brother. In late September of 2023, Zachary was killed in head on collision, while he was coming home on Route 28. He was riding his motorcycle and he loved riding his motorcycle. There are days I still expect to see him walk through my door. He had some struggles but his heart was pure. This is just one of thousands lives changed at Soul Stock. God never stops moving and one day you might be surprised when God answers your prayer. It may not be answered in the way you want it to be answered but God does answer prayer.
Another very evocative piece for me. Hope, joy, and sadness over Zach's death, but I'm grateful he found a relationship with God last year.