Pastors rock in Trench Town concert

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner WriterTrench Town, through its historical connection to a large number of Jamaica's iconic musicians and vocalists, is considered the birthplace of reggae music. So it was more than a stroke of vision when it became the venue for the first multi-denominational concert, Pastors in Concert - Rebirth of a City, that was held on Saturday.
Dr Henley Morgan, of Agency for Inner city Renewal (AIR), served as the host.
Tommy Cowan, representing Glory Music, one of the companies involved in the execution of the concert, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. But said there were some doubters.
"Wow! This is quite an achievement. I feel good about it, because it was like diving in the deep. A lot of people said if you are doing a concert like this, why go to Trench Town? But Dr Henley Morgan is a man of great faith and commitment. He is committed greatly to these people and he said this is where it is coming. And at the end of it when we saw the number of hands that went up for people who really wanted to have their lives transformed it was wonderful."
Cowan, also a pastor himself and one of the founders of the gospel festival Fun in the Son, expressed that some adjustments were made to the venue, Charlie Smith High School. He also explained one of the objectives of using pastors as performers.
"All of these pastors are so much more like the people now, because in a sense it [the concert] more humanises the pastors. Sometimes people think pastors are in a little globe by themselves, but tonight they got a touch of who they are."
The pastors were selected "from my point of view through experience." And he also had an exhaustible list to choose from.
"The pastors list doesn't have an end, all over the world pastors are great singers."
But the concert that was conceptualised about five years ago by the late Dr Sandra Morgan was five hours long. The explanation given to The Gleaner was that, "A few of the pastors whom we thought would not be coming, came, so maybe I would have tailored it a little bit more."
Among the pastors who performed at the inaugural concert were Goddy Goddy and Junior Tucker. The Gleaner also got their feedback on the staging of the concert.
Awesome experience
"It is so good, pastors are gifted in other areas, it is good to showcase their other talents that God has given," said Goddy Goddy.
He also described the experience as "an awesome one in that pastors can come together, and they are not bringing the spoken word, but bringing the word in songs. It shows that not only is the spoken word a sermon, but you can also put it on a rhythm and it is a total sermon. Persons still get the conviction and the healing, and people still get saved and delivered."
For Tucker it was unimaginable that a concert of its type and magnitude was held in the place where he was born and lived. And it makes him feel really good especially for the fact that it recognises Christ.
"I am really happy to be giving honour to God," he said.