Petra in Venezuela?

[separateunion]

I will be straight up and say that if I had an extra $200 laying around I would gladly give it towards a Petra concert. Most donations that goes to charities(including ones ran by churches and Christian organizations) goes towards administration costs. Very little if any at all goes to helping someone in need.

This isn't true, at least not in the general sense that you're making the statement. It may be true in some cases, but definitely not all.

Also, how is this any different than paying $200 for a Petra concert (which is what we were discussing, not giving money directly to Petra)? That $200 is paying for the promoter, the manager, the venue, the people working the show, etc. I doubt that the percentage going to Petra would be any higher than the money given to charities.

And giving money directly to Petra would be no different than giving money directly to a missionary. I'm pretty sure the missionary still wins out.

I'm not saying it's wrong to pay to see concerts or to support Petra, I just think the money could be put to better use.

[74CAPethead]

Maybe this is just the cynical side of me, but...

Aren't there much more pressing issues we could be coming together to raise money for than a Petra concert? Especially at $200 a head? I get the Petra is a ministry, but I sometimes feel like people use that as an excuse to talk about raising/paying money for a concert that they want to see. It just seems like if you're going to try to get a bunch of people to commit $200 a piece to something, it should be about helping feed starving children or something, not putting together a concert.

WHY CAN’T WE DO BOTH?

First of all I guess you must not realize how much Petra's ministry IMPACTS people’s lives...they don’t just minister to the unbelievers; they minister to the believers too! Do you also frown on churches that pay for guest speakers to teach a seminar? Wouldn’t that be like preaching to the choir too? Some of those seminars cost $50.00-$100.00 per person! According to your view the churches shouldn’t do that either, they should give all the money to the poor instead!

I totally believe in helping the poor, in fact if it wasn’t for PETRA’s huge influence PROMOTING Food for the Hungry (at their CONCERTS), my husband and I wouldn’t have the 8 sponsored children that we have today! It has been such a blessing for us to be able to help the children in need. Petra’s song, Homeless Few, has always been a great inspiration to us! But the impression you are giving me (by wanting to have a Petra concert) is that I’m a selfish person and want this all for myself…you don’t even know my heart! That is not the type of person I am!

I have just been SO incredibly BLESSED throughout my life by PETRA’s songs and most of my friends that are Petra fans have brought me to tears telling their stories about how a Petra song has changed their life or helped them through a tough time in their life! Through sadness, depression, loneliness, despair, anger, jealousy, fear etc. So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with preaching to the choir when the choir NEEDS to be preached to! Christians go through so many trials and tribulations in their lives, if they didn’t there probably wouldn’t be so many falling by the wayside when things get too difficult to bear. They need encouragement, uplifting, comfort and strengthening to continue fighting the battle. I have always left a Petra concert feeling more blessed and feeling stronger in the Lord and edified in the body of Christ…and if everyone that went to the concerts left feeling the same way I did then I think that’s a good thing…not a negative thing! Because those people will be more On Fire to serve the Lord and “feed the poor” and continue to walk the walk not just be hearers of the Word!

I noticed you only quoted the $200.00 part of my post but you didn’t quote the part about $50.00…those were ideas…or it could be whatever people could afford…I was just throwing out the example of what we did before! You make it seem like my $200.00 was a waste of money! So I could say the same thing to you…do you ever go on vacations, do you go out to eat, to the movies, do you buy clothes, shoes, computer software, books, CDs, DVDs, electronic toys, etc. etc.? Don’t you think that money could also be given to the poor instead? How about when somebody gives you money for your birthday…do you spend it on yourself or do you give it to the poor?

I’ve been saving any extra money I can (since 2007) hoping to get II Guys back to CA, since then Classic Petra and Farewell Petra have become other options! I would get all three here if I had the money! I have done “without” a lot of “things” that I could have bought for “myself”…because I am more blessed going to a Petra concert than buying any new “things” for myself! If you only knew what kind of influence Petra has had on my life maybe you wouldn’t be so cynical about me wanting to see them in concert again!

I am always telling people about Petra, but you might even think the extra money I pay for my license plate should be given to the poor instead, because it’s a personalized “Petra” license plate! But it has sparked up conversations with strangers because they ask about it and it opens the door to tell them about Petra and share the Gospel with them too! I usually have extra Petra CDs that I carry around with me in the car so when that happens I can hand them a CD… hopefully they will listen and get saved…at least the seed was planted! One time a guy at my work non-Christian asked me about my license plate so I told him who Petra was and gave him a Farewell CD…he came back about a week later and said, MAN THOSE GUYS ARE GREAT!!! He said that’s the first Christian band I ever heard and I REALLY love Amazing Grace! I gave a Vertical Expressions CD to a non-Christian repairman that comes to my work; he loved it too…2 months later he was still listening to it! More seeds planted! We also have a neighbor that is an alcoholic and has attempted suicide we told her John’s testimony and gave her some Petra CDs, she loved them and still listens to them and the Lord has been working on her heart. I’ve given away hundreds of Petra CDs to people and I love hearing their stories about how the Lord has used Petra’s songs to bless their lives!

I totally agree that the poor need our help…but the believers need edifying too! Why can’t we do both?

Ephesians 4:12
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

Romans 14:19
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

I Thess. 5:11
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

I Cor. 14:26
How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying..

Ephesians 4:16
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Acts 9:31
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

[separateunion]

I'm not saying we can't do both, but this whole thing was started by someone suggesting that people donate $200 for a Petra concert. That's a lot of money to spend on a concert.

[sue d.]

Oh, if you only knew.....


It was suggested to POOL everyone's resources to help make it happen, showing the math:

If we could get at least 50 people that are willing to contribute $200.00…or 200 people willing to contribute $50.00…that’s $10,000!

... just examples of how money adds up and things happen if everyone would commit.

[separateunion]

Oh, if you only knew.....


It was suggested to POOL everyone's resources to help make it happen, showing the math:

If we could get at least 50 people that are willing to contribute $200.00…or 200 people willing to contribute $50.00…that’s $10,000!

... just examples of how money adds up and things happen if everyone would commit.

Right. I get that. And I pointed out that better things could be done with that $200 than putting it towards a 2 hr concert. That $200 is going to do a lot more elsewhere. If you want to spend $200 on a Petra concert, fine, but I'm not about to believe that the majority of the people are really doing it because they want Petra to minister to people.

[gman]

Is it that it would cost Petra far more to get to Spirit West coast than any other band that plays there, and Spirit West Coast doesn't want to spend that much? Or that Petra is asking for more? Stryper had to bail on Creation because the money they were getting paid wasn't enough to cover getting there, lost work time, etc. It sounded to me like they could have done the show and accepted what Creation was offering to pay them, or not. Creation wasn't going to shell out extra just to get them there, and as I said they cancelled because they couldn't afford to lose money on the deal. I guess every festival does things definitely. If it costs more for Petra to do the gig, and SWC would pay that if they could ,that is fine. If Petra is just asking for more than what other bands are getting to play there, not so much perhaps.

[sue d.]

SWC has not made any offers or asked me how much Petra costs. The band is not asking any more than any other that's in their position.

In fact, for a band of Petra's caliber and history - we should be asking a lot MORE! But you can only charge what the market will bear....

As for Classic Petra - rumor has it that they've been asking way more than usual. Since the tour that was supposed to have started Oct. 15 had not happened, and a U.S. tour is still not posted - I tend to believe the rumors were true.

[brent]

Here is my experience with festivals. When I was mixing for A and B artists, festivals were great because we all made the same money. The artists were a draw for the festival, so the bands could get it. The artists I mixed for were the headlining acts. Festivals were great for me because the shows were shorter. I could get off of the bus do my thing and hop back on about 40 minutes later in some cases. Anyway, when bands are no longer a draw and become filler, then it becomes a pay to play situation or a heavily discounted buy. Sue stated that Petra was asking fair market price, based on what other bands in their situation are getting. The festival buyers have to look at bands like this: Will this band draw more people or am I just spending extra money So the people that are already here can have some background music?" It is that simple. It is all about money and it is hard for a festival to break even in this economy. Heck, it was hard before without major sponsorship. Ticket sales alone never pay for the expenses.

[brent]

Sue, you never asked John about singing in front of the Classic band for a show?

[sue d.]

Was that a serious question... I wasn't sure.

"In front of..." means with Petra, followed by Classic P.?

[brent]

Will John sing WITH Classic Petra? Will Classic Petra perform WITH John?

[sue d.]

Do they want him to? I haven't heard anyone in that camp ask the question or put forth a proposal of sorts.

[brent]

Never mind. I think I know the answer.

[BForm]

I will be straight up and say that if I had an extra $200 laying around I would gladly give it towards a Petra concert. Most donations that goes to charities(including ones ran by churches and Christian organizations) goes towards administration costs. Very little if any at all goes to helping someone in need.
At least I know what my money is going too.

This is simply not true in the example I gave of organizations building churches in Kenya and Tanzania. Since the work is primarily being done by locals, salaries are very low and there are almost no administration costs. They aren't advertising on television. I'm sure there are many examples of ministries like this all across the globe.

The bottom line is that the costs associated with putting on a rock concert makes it a very uneconomical method of "preaching" the gospel. Again, $4,000 to build a church and pay a pastor to minister for two years.........or hold a one night rock concert and sing gospel lyrics to a largely saved audience.

[brent]

The bottom line is that the costs associated with putting on a rock concert makes it a very uneconomical method of "preaching" the gospel. Again, $4,000 to build a church and pay a pastor to minister for two years.........or hold a one night rock concert and sing gospel lyrics to a largely saved audience.

Excellent post, except in the case of Classic Petra, you are looking at about 10 times that amount for one show. Which is a better investment? Someone that will shock and awe for one night or someone that will be with the people when they are burying their children who died from starvation?

Christian music is entertainment. Some of it ministers. If you consider it ministry alone, it has the worst return on investment. If it came down to my church bringing in a band for $40k or paying a staff person, it would be a no-brainer. We don't NEED Christian music performed by professional musicians, paid to play on a concert stage with production to make disciples of all nations. We need the church. Christian music is a luxury.

That said, I hope lots of people book and attend the Petra shows. Everyone should have a chance to re-live their past once in a while.