Link Chapters

    On Sunday, November 13th, Greenville experienced a somewhat unusual benefit concert organized by the Greenville College LiNK chapter. The unconventional nature of this show was not in the bands that played, the fans that came, or the cause for which it was raising funds. The element that separated this concert from others was that it took place in a two-car garage at the home of Charley Wheeler, Ben Johnson, and myself. We were ecstatic to share the blessing of our garage with the community, and believe that, by the end of the show, everyone who attended understood the concept of a real good time.
    The main goal of the concert was to raise funds for LiNK, a grass-roots organization dedicated to resettling North Korean refugees into the U.S. and South Korea. The LiNK chapter at Greenville College has two goals this semester: to raise $2,500, which is the cost to resettle one refugee, and to spread awareness of our chapter here on campus and in the Greenville community. These two goals came together in the form of the Open Garage Concert, which about 50 people came to and rocked out.
    There was a t-shirt making booth, food, coffee, hot cider, and six bands that each performed a talent-packed set. The bands that performed were The Commune, Mobile Mic, Michael Trieb, Gregg, Another White Suburbanite, and Shower Curtain Madness. Everything was “sold” on a donation basis, except for the t-shirt making, and over $150 were raised by the end of the night.
    Earlier that morning, Carrie Sleme, Brittney Rand, and myself had the privilege of attending a church in Granite City that had roughly 30 people in attendance. The pastor had met us at the showing of Seoul Train, a documentary about the rescue attempts of three North Korean families that our chapter showed in the Upper Union a few weeks prior to our coming to his church. He was so moved by the film that he wanted us to come to his church to show it to the congregation, and speak about what we were doing. They took up an offering for our chapter, and we were presented with a check for $352 by the time we left. That in itself was a huge blessing, but it was not the full extent of the blessing.
    While we were in the midst of planning the benefit concert, we were informed by The Reliance, LiNK’s online fund-raising branch, that an anonymous donor had given a large pledge. Because of this, The Reliance gave each chapter the opportunity to double the amount they raised by a fund-raising event. The only conditions were that they would match the amount up to $2,500, and it was for one event only.
    This event was a testament to God’s provision, the generosity of strangers, and timeless feel of a garage rock concert. The next LiNK event on campus will be a screening of LiNK’s documentary at which a group from LiNK, the Heartland Nomads, will be speaking and answering questions. It starts at 7 p.m. on December 6 in the Upper Union. As for the future of the garage, it will function as a music venue under the tentative title Garaj Mahal.

-Gabe Hernandez