| Concerts For Life A ministry dedicated to celebrating the dignity of human life. MISSION To uphold the sanctity and respect of all human life in all stages at all ages. It is our hope to always serve as positive messengers of God’s Word and to proclaim healing and forgiveness through the Divine Mercy of His Son Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. BACKGROUND Concerts for Life was originally conceived by Donna Lee from San Diego, California. She envisioned a company of women of varying ages sharing a ‘stage’ and recounting significant experiences of their lives. Donna enlisted the aid of her friend, Lynn Geyer from New York, who shared her vision as a prolife advocate. It was determined that a Concerts for Life event would be held as a benefit for the sponsoring host or for a charity designated by the sponsor. MUSICIANS/SPEAKERS Donna and Lynn are both members of the Catholic Association of Musicians (CAM) and between them have ministry contacts in almost every corner of the US and Canada, Mexico, Europe and South America. All the music ministries included in Concerts for Life have achieved regional to national or international success and have available commercial CDs, songbooks, retreats, special programs, etc. Depending on the location of the venue, artists from the surrounding region would be invited to join Donna Lee and Lynn to share their stories and songs. Though the nature of the ministry is decidedly female, a male musician known for his dedication to “life” with an interesting testimony would be invited to share his perspective with us. Also included in the presentation will be a guest speaker, either one of the ‘Priests for Life’ or a member of the Sisters of Life, a New York based order, founded by the late John Cardinal O’Connor in 1991. The speaker may also be a lay person who has a significant contribution to make to the issues of life. If preferred, the sponsor may recommend a speaker provided we would receive an advance copy of his/her text so we would be able to coordinate our program. PROGRAMS: Ideal Settings The “Coffee House” style format starts with an opening prayer followed by introductions/announcements by the host. All 4 of the artists are seated on stools on the stage. If there is no official emcee then Donna Lee or Lynn will do the initial remarks after which the purpose of Concerts for Life will be explained. The musical part of the program will begin with an opening song of praise by all the musicians together, inviting the audience to sing along.…followed by the intro of the first artist who will have 12 minutes of testimony and 2 solo songs or two and/or possibly a duet. The second and third artists have the same time and structure but different topics. When the 3rd artist has completed her set the host will come back up and announce a 20 minute break and take up the free will offering (If tickets have been sold, no offering will be taken). There will be a song while the collection is being made. Refreshments will be served and the artist’s tables will have their products for sale. The second half of the evening begins with a song of gathering and introduction of the guest speaker, who will have 15 - 20 minutes. We will follow the talk with a song of reflection based upon the topic. Donna Lee will close out the presentation with her powerful testimony concerning abortion and choices. Following Donna’s set, provided there is time, a brief question and answer period will take place. There will be a final closing song of praise and thanksgiving. The artists will be available at their product tables for personal prayer or discussion. The “Concert” format is structured similarly to the coffee house venue, is a little shorter in time and offers no break. The guest speaker will come on after the 2nd ministry set. If tickets have NOT been sold, the offering will be taken immediately before the speaker prior to his/her introduction. The collection is best done at this point because there is still a full house in attendance. Refreshments are served at a reception immediately following the program. The artist’s product tables are set up in the reception area. Social time is very important at either format for the artists to meet with the audience. “Alternative” formats come into play when there are 3 ministries involved instead of the standard 4. If there are only 3 artists and a speaker, the speaker will give his/her presentation after the 2nd artist’s set. The artist’s individual sets will be extended. It may be decided for artists to alternate with each other trading stories, instead of performing in large blocks of time. This will be determined by the venue, the artists involved and the subject matter of each individual ministry. TOPICS The topics will vary depending on the venue and the ministries who are with us. If there is a specific issue you wish to have addressed to those in attendance, suggestions may be made. We will do our best to accommodate all requests. One of our artist’s will speak on the issue, assuming we have experience in the subject matter. Topics are all life related and include but are not limited to abortion, death with dignity, separation and divorce, conversion and reversion, growing up as a saved baby and adoption, to name a few. The guest speaker’s topic will determine some of the material of the program. We wish to have a cohesive thread running through the entire presentation. The music will be reflective of the testimonies and the main talk. PROMOTION/MATERIALS When possible, Concerts for Life will provide promotional materials such as fliers. We will work with the advertising committee chairperson offering basic techniques as to how to advertise your event. We will also notify people from our Concerts for Life and individual ministry mailing lists about the program. Advertising is essential to any successful fundraising effort; there must be assigned committee members each with designated duties and specific areas of which to be in charge. A highly successful method of advertising and raising money is to prepare a program book for the evening by selling ads and boosters in your program. We can provide detailed instructions as to how to accomplish this. FINANCIAL We prefer for each event or program to be ticketed. People tend to view a performance such as this as more legitimate when they have paid for a ticket. It places value on the program and assures (in most cases) that the person will attend. The ‘donation’ amount of the tickets depends upon how many seats can be set up or how many may be available. This offers more control of finances and makes it possible to estimate how much can be spent on other expenses. There can simply be no admission charged and advertised that a free will offering will be collected. We don’t generally recommend “free admission” unless there is a proven track record of the participatory behavior of the community. Tickets should be available and distributed even if there is free admission; this will provide an estimate of how many are likely to attend. We encourage 50/50 raffles and special door prizes; this is a fundraising event and we hope to raise as much as possible. We waive our usual ministry fees and stipends but do ask that our out of pocket expenses be covered. We also will expect to sell our CDs, music books, etc. at the event. If a donation can be made to our ministry we will gratefully accept it though it is not required. TECH REQUIREMENTS/PERSONNEL We will need a sound system with 4 microphones, a CD player connecting to the sound system on which to play backing tracks, someone to run this equipment off stage. Lighting should not be excessive but warm and simple; no glaring spotlights. A podium with microphone for the speaker to use during his/her talk. 4 tall stools. There will also need to be a few 8 foot covered tables set up for the artists to display their CDs and ministry products and a few volunteers to handle sales at the break (if there is an intermission) and after the concert. It is our experience that people want to speak to the artists afterward and it is awkward to be doing sales while trying to pray with someone or simply talk to them. A quiet area to pray, change or have a bite to eat, some bottles of water. There will be occasions when we will be able to provide a sound system but will need tech help to man the equipment. CONTACT INFORMATION lynngeyer@yahoo.com or Fax Request 914 663 8357 About Donna Lee and Lynn Geyer Donna Lee started playing guitar and singing at the age of seven. In 1972, she joined the folk group at her local parish where she sang for 11 years. At the age of 15, she wrote her first song for a Catholic youth retreat. Her debut album, “Immaculate Heart, O Sacred Heart,” was released in 1990, and was well received by all ages. Since then, she has recorded five albums of mostly original music. Her newest album, Whispers From Heaven” was released in September of 2000, and was nominated for three UCMVA awards. Her song, “I Will Worship You” from the same album won first place in The Great American Song Contest 2001 in the Contemporary Christian/Gospel category. Some of the other highlights of her ministry were having the opportunity to perform with Tony Melendez. She has given concerts in five different cities in Portugal for Youth 2000 and also in Aylesford, England opening for Sal Solo. She has sung at conferences in Australia and New Zealand with fellow musicians, Father Stan Fortuna and Marty Rotella. Other appearances were in Spain at the MULTIFESTIVALDAVID and also at the Hallel Festival in Franca, Brazil. In 2002 Donna Lee travelled to Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, and Holland to sing in festivals, perform in concert, and give workshops on marketing and graphic design. Besides full-time ministry Donna works as a graphic designer in her family print shop in San Diego. Visit her website: www.donnalee.ws Lynn Geyer, as a Catholic singer and songwriter, presents uplifting music for use in Christian settings. Lynn develops youth programs, such as her nationally recognized “Journey to Forgiveness: The Way of the Cross”, an examination of conscience, which was selected for use during World Youth Day 2002, Toronto, Canada. Her easy alto lends itself to quiet healing services, cantoring liturgy using traditional or contemporary music as well as charismatic prayer meetings. Lynn has recorded four albums. “Music of the Light”, her first solo project, was released in January, 2001. She has performed and/or presented workshops in countless parishes on the east coast, as well as in conferences throughout the US, Canada, Spain, Italy, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Barbados and Trinidad. She has produced a CD single, “Until We Meet Again”, dedicated to those who perished in NYC on 9/11 and their survivors. Lynn is also one of the original members of CatholicArtistsForRelief.com creating a CD/Video, “You Are Not Alone”, dedicated to those who died in the attack on the Pentagon. Her most recent recording, “Christmas All Year Through” has received enthusiastic reviews and was nominated for a number of Unity Awards by the United Catholic Music and Video Association (www.ucmva.com). Lynn is currently the President of CAM, the Catholic Association of Musicians, founded by John Michael Talbot providing guidance for Catholic musicians in public ministry. She DJs a radio program in the internet, GloryGirls: Women Who Serve dedicated to Catholic music recorded by women. Her own ministry, ColorBlindMusic provides booking, publicity and support for Catholic musicians and specialty programs. Visit her website www.colorblindmusic.com |
Concerts For Life
October 13, 2006
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
October 14, 2006
London, Ontario, Canda
Details to be announced.
October 13, 2006
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
October 14, 2006
London, Ontario, Canda
Details to be announced.
ColorBlindMusic Ministries
All Things are Possible With God Luke 1:37
All Things are Possible With God Luke 1:37
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Concerts For Life
From Fr. Frank Pavone, Co-Founder, Priests for Life Dear Friends of Life, It is my pleasure to send you my prayerful best wishes on this special occasion. You are here because you have been given the grace to speak up for the defenseless, and to recognize the harm that abortion does to everyone in its path. The message we have is one of acceptance of every human being, no matter how inconvenient and no matter how wounded. We need that message to reach those who do not come to events like this, and those who are not looking for the message. It is a special blessing, therefore, to work with groups that have the courage to put these messages on television by means of pro-life ads. May you be renewed today in your dedication to eradicate abortion from our midst and restore protection to our unborn brothers and sisters. You are in my prayers and those of all of us at Priests for Life! God bless you. Sincerely, Fr. Frank Pavone Co-Founder, Priests for Life |