(from the National United Methodist Reporter)

Band of pastors connects with audience

Katie Shockley, Jan 29, 2009

By Katie Shockley
Special Contributor

DALLAS, Texas—What do you get when you combine United Methodist clergy, the music of the ‘70s and fundraising for relief work? You get a surprisingly good evening of entertainment, music and family fun. You get Connections.

Connections, a band that includes up to a dozen or so United Methodist clergy members performing at a time, began several years ago as a jam session of Dan Fogelberg songs during a clergy retreat in the North Texas Conference. A few of the clergy floated the idea that maybe they should play a concert, but they wondered who would come. As it turns out, hundreds of people would.

Connections performed its first concert—a tribute to Fogelberg—in March 2006 at Spring Valley United Methodist Church in Dallas. The event raised $2,300 for United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the denomination’s disaster-relief agency.

Connections has gone on to perform 17 area shows and two clergy retreats, and has raised nearly $48,000 for UMCOR and Nothing But Nets, an anti-malaria campaign supported by the people of the United Methodist Church.

Clergy musicians representing 15 Dallas-area United Methodist churches join the six founding members of the band for performances.
The founding clergy members are the Revs. Eric Folkerth of Northaven UMC, co-band leader, guitar and vocals; Rusty King of Spring Valley UMC, co-band leader, guitar, keyboard and vocals; Ann Willet of Royse City UMC, vocals and keyboard; Frank Rahm of First UMC Rockwall, keyboard; John Fleming of Buckingham UMC in Garland, guitar and vocals; and Paul Escamilla of Perkins School of Theology, guitar and vocals.

The band’s repertoire includes tributes to James Taylor, Carole King, The Eagles, Chicago, Elton John and The Doobie Brothers. Band members say it’s not much of a sacrifice to give up their time to play secular music for charity because they pick music they like. Most of their music is “power hits” from the ‘70s that audience members will remember and be able to sing along to.

Ms. Willet says the music is “consistent with the Christian message.” The band avoids lyrics that have a negative, agnostic view of the world.

Mr. Rahm joined the band because he is “a big fan of fellowship.” The band’s name reflects that members are connected to each other as a community. Members at churches where the band performs also connect to one another and to the music at the concerts.

What’s more, those who donate to the group’s causes are connected to people around the world, through UMCOR and Nothing But Nets.
Ms. Willet said being in the band offers a way to contribute to missions: “It’s my mission trip.”

Participating in Connections is also a way for the pastors to model for United Methodists how to reach out to others through denominational causes such as UMCOR and Nothing But Nets.

Mr. Fleming sees the band as a way to minister to those outside the church. “We are representing church to people who otherwise would have no interest in church,” he said. In December, for instance, a woman joined Spring Valley UMC because the church supports Connections.

Mr. Fleming said he frequently hears comments such as “I didn’t know a pastor could do that” and “I didn’t know it was OK to like that kind of music.”

“Connections is a place where we have learned to be authentic to people outside the church,” he said.

Through Connections, Mr. Fleming extends that vision to his own congregation. Members of Buckingham who follow the band have been dubbed “Buckheads,” a take-off on singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett’s “Parrotheads.” What started as a show of support for their new pastor has become a loyal and vocal group of fans.

And it shows that church members can have fun, too. Following the band’s recent debut of its Elton John tribute show in which Mr. Fleming wore large sunglasses, about 30 Buckheads showed up for Sunday morning worship wearing large sunglasses.

Connections has been successful, Mr. Folkerth said, because they “seriously benefit from low expectations.” People will come to their shows as a courtesy to someone they know in the band, for instance, and then are surprised at how good the band is.

Another reason the band has become so popular in the region is that audience members are seeking family-safe entertainment. Band member Mr. King says the group members recognize that they “have to stand apart from culture,” and while audience members never know what they will get with secular entertainment, a Connections concert provides a smoke-free, alcohol-free, clean-language and otherwise safe environment.

The band’s members said other United Methodist clergy could also use their imaginations to do something in a secular vein that will bring people into the church.

“Anywhere clergy get together to enjoy each other, something like this can be born,” said Ms. Willet.

For information about Connections, visit www.connectionsband.net.

Ms. Shockley is a member of First UMC in Rockwall, Texas, and a student at Perkins School of Theology.