On September 20th, Burlington Lutheran had a full house to listen to Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jennifer Knapp and support the work of Underground Ministries. She was joined by local musicians who are staff and participants in Underground Ministries.
Both Jennifer Knapp and the formerly incarcerated know what it is like to come Out Of Exile. Teaming up for one magical night, $5000 was raised to benefit the work of Underground Ministries. Audience members came from the Seattle area, Vancouver, BC, and even Vancouver Island! There were nothing but smiles and gratitude afterwards. It was such a meaningful night that Pastor Charis even made the concert the focus of her sermon the following Sunday (starts at 25min mark).
This concert was made possible by the generous funding of Fidalgo Coffee, Anacortes Lutheran Church, Bethany Covenant Church, Bloom Floral Design, First Lutheran Church, Potential Finders Network, First United Methodist Church, Mount Baker Presbyterian Church, Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, St Paul's Episcopal Church, Salem Lutheran Church, Skagit Counseling, Westminster Presbyterian, La Iglesia Episcopal de al Resurrección.
With a rich history spanning over two decades, JENNIFER KNAPP has left an indelible mark on the music industry. In addition to her music, Jennifer Knapp is an author, speaker, and advocate, known for her commitment to social causes. Her career includes the remarkable achievement of selling over one million albums with her first three releases: the Gold-certified Kansas (1998), Lay It Down (2000), and The Way I Am (2001). Alongside this commercial success, Knapp has been honored with four Dove Awards and garnered two Grammy nominations.
Hailing from Kansas, Knapp's musical journey has taken her across the globe, sharing stages with renowned artists like Jars of Clay and gracing the prestigious Lilith Fair Tour in 1999 and 2010. Her artistry has been lauded for its poignant exploration of the human experience intertwined with themes of spirituality.
For more information and tour dates, go to jenniferknapp.com
UNDERGROUND MINISTRIES opens new relationship of embrace and trust between the incarcerated and the communities to which they return - for our mutual transformation and resurrection.
Underground Ministries statewide organizing the One Parish One Prisoner and Underground Employment models spring from their historical and ongoing work of relationship and reentry among gang-impacted families here in Washington States Skagit Valley. "We focus on helping those we love in prison, in gangs, develop hope and individualized release plans leading up to their release dates. We pick them up at the prison gate, celebrate them. We accompany them through the gauntlet of legal and social barriers. We believe this is where the greatest potential for transformation lies - not only for gang members and prisoners to begin an entirely new life, but for the wider community of churches, employers, and families to learn anew how to love and share life with our neighbors we formerly relegated to ghettos and lockdown human landfills.
The One Parish One Prisoner (OPOP) program asks, "What if every church became a local reentry team, a resurrection community walking alongside just one neighbor leaving the tombs of incarceration?" OPOP seeks to equip parishes - faith communities small or large, traditional or rag-tag - in every American town to build supportive pre-release relationships with just one person returning to their community from prison. They build release plans together, roll away the stones of reentry barriers together, and discover that we belong to one another. Currently there are over 70 OPOP churches in Washington state, with plans to expand to key cities in the US.
Burlington Lutheran Church (BLC), host and organizer for this event, is a unique community of faith in the heart of Skagit Valley. Since 1904, BLC has held to core Lutheran values, such as never-ending grace, and seeing the real presence of God in the midst of suffering. BLC is proud to be the 4th OPOP team, which aligns with their values of relational, local engagement and inclusion, as they seek to provide safe spaces for historically excluded populations.
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