John Hegner has a vision. A summer day, Christmas Hill Park,
2,500 people and 10 hours of live Christian praise music.
The only problem: He has no idea how he’s going to do it.
The Gilroy resident of 22 years found a home at First Baptist
Church just two years ago, and now he hopes a praise concert will
help increase interest in faith.
John Hegner has a vision. A summer day, Christmas Hill Park, 2,500 people and 10 hours of live Christian praise music.
The only problem: He has no idea how he’s going to do it.
The Gilroy resident of 22 years found a home at First Baptist Church just two years ago, and now he hopes a praise concert will help increase interest in faith.
The private investigator went to Baptist church as a child with his grandmother, but it wasn’t until just two years ago that he really started a close relationship with his faith.
“I’ve always felt God was on my shoulder,” Hegner said.
Hegner’s 17-year-old daughter, Kristen, brought him back to the Baptist church.
“My daughter was interested in religion and wanted to go to church,” he said. “I wanted to follow her example. She really brought things home for me. She made me want to go.”
The family attends church every Sunday and volunteers for the churchs AWANA program. The family also recently was baptized together.
But when Hegner joined the church band, he said he began to notice the crowds begin to shrink after the post-Sept. 11, 2001, surge.
“I get this unique view from behind the drums,” he said. “Over the last year, I’ve watched our congregation just dwindle. After the initial shock (of 9/11), it starts to go to the back of you mind.”
After going to the Spirit West Coast Christian praise concert in Leguna Secca in July, Hegner said he was inspired by the large crowds and thought that starting a non-denominational praise concert closer to home would help not only generate interest in faith but rasie money for local church music programs.
“The point of the concert is to say that going to church isn’t a formulaic thing,” Hegner said. “For me, every lesson is an awesome thing.”
From their, Hegner’s idea for the South Valley Praise Festival began.
He has begun working with the Small Business Development Center in Gilroy and has started talking to local church bands to weigh interest in the project.
So far, what he’s found is a lot of interest, but also a lot of costs and a lot of red tape.
First, Hegner found out that he could not simply start a non-profit organization because of high costs, paperwork and monitoring needed. So instead he putchased a business license for $155 from the city.
“It was really important to be non-profit,” Hegner said, “but it just wasn’t possible.”
The city also requires a $1 million insurance policy for the one-day event, and Hegner has received estimates of $1,000 to $5,000 for the insurance premium. He also has to find a way to pay for the $350 fee to rent the park, and an unknown cost of paying for park personnel and security for the event.
While Hegner envisions the event being free to anyone who wants to come, he also has to make sure he can find a way to pay for the cost of doing the show. Any additional money after the show would be used to divvy up between the praise bands’ churches
“I barely expect to break even,” Hegner said. “My biggest fear is we don’t break even and we can’t give back to the churches that come.”
So far, Hegner has only had to place a $50 deposit to hold the park for June 12. However, finding more support has been difficult.
“My church can’t back us because it isn’t a Baptist event,” Hegner explained.
Hegner has confirmed or is in discussion with 10 local praise bands, including three semi-professional groups, most for the Gilroy and Morgan Hill area.
“They’re all doing this for free,” he said.
The bands have said they’ll play, but Hegner is stuck doing much of the work.
“It’s awesome that they feel this way, I just need them to help,” he said. “If we’re not fully funded by March first, I have to take the money I’ve received and give it back. I just need to make sure I cover my expenses … and that doesn’t include any of my work.”
A few ways Hegner has found to help support the show is through advertising banners along the stage and by bringing in food vendors. While the concert would be free, Hegner hopes vendors will jump at the chance to sell food and drinks to the possible 2,500 people that would fill the Christmas Hill Park Amphitheater.
“I’d really like local vendors to come out because it’s a local event,” said Hegner, who also hopes that local businesses might be interested in participating in a raffle during the show to help finance the event. “It’s important for me to do this locally.”
Several Christian radio stations in the central coast and Bay Area have agreed to help promote the event with air time, Hegner said.
“One, it’s free. Two, it’s local musicians, local churches,” he said. “And while it’s a praise event, it’s strictly music. There’s not going to be any preaching. It’s going to be 10 hours of straight music.”
And, if everything works out, Hegner hopes to continue to produce praise concerts in Gilroy.
“I want this to be semi-annual,” he said. “I’d love to do a summer and a winter concert.”
For more information about the praise concert or if anyone is interested in helping out, e-mail jo**@*******lf.net.
