By Marcia Barnes
Feature Writer
Jason Crabb made Christmas a lot brighter for local area children when he accepted an invitation to perform in concert in Hayesville. The Grammy Award winning singer and musician was supposed to be in Israel on Sunday, Nov. 19. Instead, Crabb traveled from Tennessee with the band and began rocking the walls at Catalyst Church on Highway 64.
Crabb had agreed to come to Hayesville when Jessica Crawford spoke with him after an earlier concert this year in Georgia. That’s when Crabb first learned about the church providing Christmas gifts to children in Clay County and in surrounding counties. Crabb said that he wanted to help.
“It was so heartfelt,” Crawford said. “I’m not the kind of person who just walks up and says ‘will you do this for me?’ My grandma called me and she said that Jason Crabb was coming to Hiawassee. I took my two little girls with me.”
She told Crabb that she didn’t know what to expect when she came to his concert. Then, he pulled out those songs her grandma and grandpa sang and all the music was amazing.
Crawford’s invitation asking Crabb to come back and do a benefit concert at her church was a continuing thread in her desire to help bring Christmas to needy children.
“I was doing Shop With a Cop which started in Macon County,” Crawford said. “It really touched my heart. You have all these kids and they have nothing and I’ve arrested their mom and dad and that’s what started this vision for me.
“I came to Brandon Matheson and said I wanted to do this through our church. This was something that these children needed and it grew in a small church. We were in a small church.”
When Crabb and his band pulled their tour bus and concert equipment into the parking lot of the present church, there was a noticeable hush. As Sunday morning worship service ended, stage lighting and audio equipment began rolling in.
By mid-afternoon, set up for the concert was nearly complete when an authentic Crabb sat down with a few church members to talk about the kids and share some side notes about the concert’s songs and music.
“The album just dropped, it dropped Friday,” Crabb said. “Those songs you search for, you pray your whole career for, “Good Morning Mercy” has been one of those for me.
“The thing that’s really different for us is that we want everybody to be ministered to. We’ll have all the kinds of stuff they expect, lights, sound and rock band. It might take a minute to get a song that’s their taste, but lyrically everything if you’ve been a believer in the Lord for a long time, you’re going to grasp. If you’re new, you might go ‘Man, what is this?’
“There’s strength in this music, there’s community in this music,” Crabb said. “In my first concert, we did Southern Gospel which is not what people would say attracts younger generations, right? That’s where I started 14 years ago.
“They loved the music, from 10, 11, 12 and 13 years, moms and dads bringing their kids to those concerts. There weren’t any big lights, there were no back screens. It was just the music.
“I changed music when I went solo. I went to Christian country music not really to leave anything because those songs are always going to be there. I just wanted to try to broaden. “Good Morning Mercy” and “Through the Fire” are good staples in both sides, Southern Gospel and Christian country music.
“Now, if you’re not coming in on an elephant and there’s no waterfall on the screen behind you, it’s just totally different. You have to put a show on now.”
Crabb said that puts you back at square one and why you want people to be engaged in music. He said that if they’re engaged, then their attention is on what you’re singing about versus what’s going on.
Before the concert began and smoke filled the air space inside the church, a community was engaged in bringing a real Christmas to children with the additional help from 600 concert ticket sales.
“We’re reaching out to people who need love,” Crawford said.
Adding some details to Crawford’s words, church member, Catherine Brown, said that for children within four counties it started out very small and it has grown.
“We raise money all year long and we’re doing it in good venues. We have a car show, we have an auction where people bring things, a cake for $300 and people are bidding against each other.
“We’re raising money, but we’re spreading the money that we get to the children,” Brown said.
“We started in a little store front building,” Matheson said. He is the pastor of Catalyst Church.
“The first year we raised $12,000 and helped 20 to 25 children. It’s just grown every year. Last year we helped more than 300 kids in five counties. We work through social services, we work through the schools. We never turn anybody away. God’s always provided. This year we’re on track to give away more and this concert is a big part of it.
“We get a wish list from these kids and then we fill that wish list. We have volunteers who shop and bring the gifts back here to the church. We wrap them. Then, we have a huge party and give Christmas to the kids and families. We feed everybody and share the gospel.”
There are many stories, a girl who wanted things for her bed like a pillow, a boy who wanted a ham and a small girl about eight years old who came through the line only with gifts for her family.
“She had all this stuff, but nothing for herself,” David Brown said. “When one of the elders found out about it, he took her from the line to buy something for herself and paid for it out of his pocket.”
Crabb, his daughter, Ashleigh, who sings with him, and the band came to Hayesville with purpose. Crabb said that he travels 160 days a year and that he’s learned about all the stuff that you can give.
“Sometimes it’s just to let somebody know you care. It’s just one of the craziest things you can do and I believe every place is an appointment.
“This is beautiful and I’m thankful to be a part of it. Music is music. Somebody is going to sing my songs, somebody is going to sing somebody else’s songs. This is the true hands and feet of Christ.”