(Originally posted Sept. 04, 2009)

Tickets to the DecembeRadio “Love Can” DVD recording concert are just $10 (and groups of ten or more can purchase tickets for only $5 each).  The concert also features special guests Sevenglory and Sarah Reeves.

Ask anyone who has ever been to a DecembeRadio show to describe the experience and you’ll get an enthusiastic barrage of comments about the band’s blistering stage show and an adrenaline-fueled rock spectacle that leaves audiences nearly breathless. Yet intertwined among the searing guitars and anthemic choruses, the heart of the band shines through on every note.  It’s that unwavering commitment to spread the Gospel that defines the essence of DecembeRadio and reverberates throughout their sophomore set “Satisfied.”

Feed Your Faith presents DecembeRadio LIVE !!

“God has called us to do this and we know that,” says guitarist Eric Miker. “Every time we play a show we hear how our songs have impacted people. We’ve had people come up to us after the show and say, ‘This song is what made me realize that no matter what it was that I was going through, I could turn back to God.’ They just need to hear the words.”

Few bands more effectively fuse music and ministry than this Virginia-based foursome. Miker along with lead vocalist/bassist Josh Reedy, lead guitarist Brian Bunn and drummer Boone Daughdrill burst onto the national scene with their self-titled Slanted Records’ debut in 2006. The project was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album and earned the group four Dove Award nominations, including nods in the Best New Artist category and Song of the Year for “Drifter.” That night the band claimed their first Dove Award when DecembeRadio was honored for Rock Album of the Year, an impressive feat for a new band.

Youth groups purchasing 10 or more tickets to the DVD recording session will be entered to win front-row seats (for the entire youth group) and a pre-concert dinner backstage with the band.

For the past three years, Feed Your Faith has been bringing the best and brightest Christian speakers, authors and performing artists to East Tennessee to feed the faithful while raising tens of thousands of dollars for local charieties.  The Feed Your Faith DecembeRadio “Love Can” concert at Faith Promises Church will begin at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) at 10740 Faith Promises Lane in Knoxville (just off the Pellissippi Parkway).

For more information, or to order tickets to the Feed Your Faith “Love Can” concert DVD recording session with DecembeRadio, visit www.FeedYourFaith.org.

(Originally posted Aug 21, 2009)

The three-disk set includes the Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference with Kirk Cameron plus the musical performance of Warren Barfield, who sang the hit song “Love Is Not A Fight” from the FIREPROOF movie starring Kirk Cameron.  As an added bonus, Cameron’s sermon from Sunday morning July 19, 2009 at Sevier Heights Baptist Church is also included on the DVD.

For the past three years, Feed Your Faith has been bringing the best and brightest Christian speakers, authors and performing artists to East Tennessee to feed the faithful while raising tens of thousands of dollars for local homeless ministries.  The Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference in July raised more than $14,000 for Family Promise of Blount County.

For more information, or to order a copy of the Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference DVD, visit www.FeedYourFaith.org.

Kirk Cameron speaks at the Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference

“Feed Your Faith was started to bring thought-provoking Christian speakers, authors and musicians to East Tennessee so we could raise money for those in need,” said founder Mike Williams. “Family Promise embodies everything we wanted to support with our ministry, and we’re pleased to know this event will continue to touch people’s lives through the marriage conference and the great things Family Promise of Blount County does right here in our community.”

The new Family Promise of Blount County program allows local churches to provide overnight accommodations and meals for homeless families on a rotating basis.

Cross-denominational mission

The local churches that have agreed to participate in the Family Promise network so far are Beech Grove Baptist Church, Carpenter’s Campground United Methodist Church, Fairview United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church-Maryville, First United Methodist Church of Maryville, Forest Hill Baptist Church, Friendsville First Baptist Church, Monte Vista Baptist Church, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul Lutheran Church and Sycamore Tree United Methodist Church.

(L to R) Feed Your Faith co-director Rick Laney, Kirk Cameron and Feed Your Faith founder Mike Williams

There are several support churches, whose members have agreed to provide volunteers and other support to the program, as well: Alcoa First United Methodist Church, Bethel Baptist Church, Broadway United Methodist Church, Embassy Christian Center, Friendsville United Methodist Church, Highland Presbyterian Church, New Providence Presbyterian Church, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Peck’s Memorial United Methodist Church and St. John’s United Methodist Church.

Green Meadow United Methodist Church serves as the day center for the program, giving families a place to stay during the day while they look for housing and work. The day center provides a stable telephone number, mailing address and a base of operations for participants.

If 13 churches participated, each church would host from three to five families for a week each quarter. Budgets for each church would be between $200 and $250 each week.

The average stay for families in Family Promise programs nationwide is 52 days. Ideally, the families are in the program for no more than three months. The families are required to seek employment and housing. Failure to work toward independence means termination from the program. Families are referred to Family Promise through the school systems, social services and various nonprofit organizations.

To make a referral to Family Promise, community members can contact Family Promise at (865) 233-4737.

Copyright 2009 The Daily Times

Sara Shookman (WVLT)

(Originally aired on CBS Television on July 18, 2009 by reporter Sara Shookman) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — More than half of marriages in this country end in divorce.

But a big event here hopes to keep it from happening in Knoxville by “feeding your faith.”

After being inspired by the movie Fireproof, David and Rose Rutledge, and more than 3,500 others turned out to hear movie star turned evangelist Kirk Cameron offer a few words of advice.

The Rutledges are new to marriage.

But like the rest of the crowd at Sevier Heights Baptist Church, they came to find out how to keep their relationship alive.

“It’s been awesome so far and we want to make sure it stays awesome, so we’ve been going to different marriage conventions and reading books together,” says David Rutledge.

Organizer Rick Laney says, “There is a built in audience in East Tennessee for that type of message, needless to say. Anytime you have a 50 percent of marriages failing, there’s some level of need for the message of building stronger marriages.”

North Carolina-born songwriter Warren Barfield contributed.

“Even here in the bible belt, i still think people take marriage very lightly. A lot of people view it as the next step,” says Barfield.

But the message was good marriages take work and a lot of time.

Cameron says spending more time together is essential — down to the minute.

“It’s a daily loving and treasuring and honoring kind of a thing. Those are hard things to hear, hard things to admit that you’re not doing. And even harder things to change.”

Cameron suggests 15 minutes a day, one evening a week, one day a month and a weekend a year.

Amy and Chris Mathews of Knoxville say that could be a challenge.

“I don’t know that we can do that, but I think if you just make a conscious effort to change and spend that time. No other distractions, just each other, it would be nice,” says Amy.

The Rutledges have their own goals as they prepare for family life to begin.

“Do more for her. Make an active effort to go out of my way,” says David.

“Try to be more understanding. A little more patient and less emotional. Just taking it one day at a time,” says Rose.

Feed your Faith aims to bring Christian leaders to East Tennessee to raise money for local charities.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Family Promise of Blount County.

Watch the entire WVLT report here.

Copyright 2009 WVLT-TV Knoxville

Following the Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference at Sevier Heights Baptist Church, Kirk Cameron signs copies of his book “Still Growing” for Keli Hodges, center, and Melissa Watson.

Cameron may seem as ordinary as the guy next door, but as the star of the 1980s sitcom, “Growing Pains,” the “Left Behind” film series and last year’s “Fireproof,” he is anything but average. Besides having an impressive acting career, he is also an outspoken Christian. Cameron led both an afternoon and evening conference last Saturday which drew a combined crowd of almost 4,000.

Attendees listened as Cameron used examples from “Fireproof” and his own 18-year marriage to actress Chelsea Noble to explain biblical principles for building a strong marriage. Repeatedly Cameron stressed the importance of first submitting to God before trying to fix what is broken in the marriage.

“Only God can transform the human heart,” explains Cameron. “It’s not about getting a new spouse. It’s about asking God to use you to be a vessel of change in your home.”

The highlight of each conference came when Cameron extended an invitation for couples wishing to pray for their marriages to come forward. As Cameron prayed, more couples kneeled and huddled together at the front of the sanctuary than remained in their seats.

That kind of response was exactly what Feed Your Faith founder Mike Williams had hoped for. When he started the nonprofit group in 2006, he had two objectives in mind: help Christians grow in their faith and help those in need.

“My family moved here from Seattle in 2001. I had been exposed to seeing Christian speakers and concerts quite regularly there,” explains Williams, a nuclear reactor operator at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. “I found there weren’t many Christian speakers coming to Knoxville. I decided I wanted to have speakers come and then donate the proceeds to good causes, especially those that help the homeless.”

Later that year, Williams joined forces with Rick Laney, an account executive for Ackermann Public Relations in Knoxville. As a two-man volunteer operation, they keep expenses low in order to donate as much as possible to the charities Feed Your Faith supports.

“We joke that Feed Your Faith offices are in my bedroom and Mike’s basement,” says Laney. “After each event, we cover all expenses and then we zero out the checkbook. All proceeds go to the charities.”

The benefactor of the Cameron marriage conference will be Family Promise of Blount County. Family Promise is a national organization that works with local churches to help homeless families get back on their feet. After all conference expenses are paid, Feed Your Faith expects to donate more than $10,000 to Family Promise.

In three years of operation, Feed Your Faith has hosted nine different events and raised tens of thousands of dollars for area ministries including Knox Area Rescue Ministries and Second Harvest Food Bank. Williams and Laney put in many hours to make these events happen. Why do they work so hard?

“When Mike was out in Seattle struggling with a young family and was approached by homeless people, he’d always give something – snack foods, energy bars, money if he had it,” explains Laney. “Mike is truly one of those people who has a heart for those in need.”

“Homelessness hits me the hardest because I have kids,” adds Williams. “I can’t imagine how hard it would be to have my kids out on the streets.”

The News Sentinel is profiling East Tennessee ministries in 2009. Please send suggestions to features@knoxnews.com. Nancy Twigg is a freelance contributor to the News Sentinel.

Copyright 2009 Knoxville News Sentinel

A sold-out crowd for the first Feed Your Faith FIREPROOF event in Knoxville, Tennessee

(Originally posted July 13, 2009) – KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Feed Your Faith announces the addition of a second Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, 2009 at Sevier Heights Baptist Church.  The first Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference, which takes place that evening at 7 p.m., sold out completely in March just weeks after tickets went on sale.

Feed Your Faith is bringing actor, author and evangelist Kirk Cameron to Knoxville for this important conference. Following the success of his 1980s hit television show, Growing Pains, Kirk Cameron married actress Chelsea Noble and started a family. Today the father of six is an outspoken believer and has starred in the Left Behind movie series as well as the widely acclaimed movie Fireproof that was released in theaters nationwide last year. The East Tennessee market was one of the most successful markets in the nation for the Fireproof movie.

Kirk Cameron

For the past three years, Feed Your Faith has been bringing the best and brightest Christian speakers, authors and performing artists to East Tennessee to feed the faithful while raising tens of thousands of dollars for groups including Family Promise, Knox Area Rescue Ministries, Second Harvest Food Bank and the School of Hope (a Blount County-based school for single mothers).  Proceeds from this event will benefit the brand new Family Promise of Blount County.

A few years ago, Mike Williams – a Blount County resident with a heart for people who are struggling – started Feed Your Faith. Rick Laney joined him as Feed Your Faith’s marketing and promotions director three years ago.  The Feed Your Faith concept was simple; bring in Christian speakers, authors, singers and music groups to help Christians grow in their faith and, at the same time, raise money for those who are less fortunate. Unlike some nonprofit and charity groups, Feed Your Faith has virtually no overhead expenses – so once the cost of bringing the event to town is covered, proceeds go directly to local charities.

Warren Barfield

To date, Feed Your Faith has brought nationally known writers and music groups including Lee Strobel (former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and author of The Case for Christ), author Mark Middleberg, DecembeRadio, Decyfer Down and Sanctus Real (Dove Award winning Christian Rock and Alternative band) to East Tennessee.

North Carolina-born singer/songwriter Warren Barfield, whose hit song Love Is Not A Fight was featured in the Fireproof movie, will appear with Cameron at both of the Feed Your Faith Marriage Conferences in Knoxville.  The Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference is generously sponsored by Cedar Springs Christian Stores, Sevier Heights Baptist Church, Love 89.1FM, Life 88.3FM, and Joy620AM.

The Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference featuring Kirk Cameron will be at Sevier Heights Baptist Church at 3232 Alcoa Highway in Knoxville at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 18.  For tickets or more information, visit www.FeedYourFaith.org.

(Originally posted July 07, 2009)

Due to your demand, we are pleased to announce that there is a new, additional Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference featuring actor, writer and evangelist Kirk Cameron at Sevier Heights Baptist Church on Saturday afternoon July 18.  Although the 7 p.m. conference has been Sold Out for months, tickets are now available for an afternoon conference starting at 1 p.m. featuring the star of the hit movie FIREPROOF, Kirk Cameron.

Kirk Cameron

The Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference will be at Sevier Heights Baptist Church on Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 1 p.m. (doors open at noon).  Tickets are available now at www.FeedYourFaith.org.

All proceeds from the Fireproof Your Marriage Conference will go to the brand new Family Promise of Blount County.  Learn more about Family Promise at www.FamilyPromise.org.

Cameron and his wife, actress Chelsea Noble, have six children and have been married since 1991.  The couple starred together in the Left Behind series of movies based on the New York Times best-selling books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

Since its start in 2006, Feed Your Faith has raised tens of thousands of dollars for East Tennessee charities.

Warren Barfield

For more information about the Feed Your Faith Marriage Conference featuring Kirk Cameron at Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville, or to order tickets to the event, visit Feed Your Faith’s web site at www.FeedYourFaith.org .

Sevier Heights Baptist Church, Cedar Springs Christian Bookstores, Love89.1FM radio, Life 88 radio and Joy 620 radio are proud sponsors of Feed Your Faith.

Feed Your Faith is a Knoxville-based charity that brings the best and brightest Christian speakers, authors and performing artists to East Tennessee while raising money for those in need.

Feed Your Faith was started three years ago to bring nationally known Christian speakers, authors and performing artists to East Tennessee while raising money for local charities.  Through its events, Feed Your Faith has raised tens of thousands of dollars for East Tennessee food-banks, women’s shelters and groups that help homeless families get back on their feet.

“Our concept is very simple,” said Feed Your Faith founder Mike Williams.  “We want to spiritually feed believers by bringing the best, brightest and most thought-provoking Christian events to this area while physically feeding and providing support to those in our community who are in need.”

The Feed Your Faith Summerfest ’09 at Sevier Heights Baptist Church features three of Christian music’s most talented and popular bands; Sanctus Real, DecembeRadio and Decyfer Down.  All three bands have earned national followings and best-selling recordings for their unique rock sounds and heartfelt lyrics.

Sanctus Real:  Success for Sanctus Real has typically been marked with massive radio singles, including six No. 1 songs and 11 Top 5 hits, albums that have marched up the Billboard sales charts, major tours with some of the biggest names in the business, or draped with various awards, including the Modern Rock Album of the Year Dove Award.

With their newest record, “We Need Each Other,” the Toledo, Ohio-based band members – Mark Graalman, Chris Rohman, Matt Hammitt, Dan Gartley and Pete Provost – feel they have created their most successful album to date because for them, it is just that.  After three records, the guys have finally crafted in their fourth effort the ever-elusive album – definitely not the norm in this era of hit singles. Not that the first single and title track wasn’t infectious enough to climb to No. 1 in record time, which it did, but the real surprise for the listener lies in the album as a whole.

Sanctus Real

We Need Each Other represents a startling leap forward in its songwriting, musicianship and overall production, and for the band, a way to connect to its listeners with a theme worth talking about. Wholeness, family and unity are what Sanctus Real has always been about, but it has never been penned so effectively. Complete with gut-honest lyrics and feel-good melodies from the opening riff to the closing thought, a strong, unyielding sense of unity and community is woven through the very musical fiber of this much-anticipated new album.

Since the release of 2006’s critically acclaimed “The Face of Love,” which feature the No. 1 songs Don’t Give Up and I’m Not Alright, the band members themselves have grown into a unified whole.  Since 1996, Sanctus Real has been performing, touring, and recording with joint goals of entertaining and encouraging listeners.

DecembeRadio:  Ask anyone who has ever been to a DecembeRadio show to describe the experience and you’ll get an enthusiastic barrage of comments about the band’s blistering stage show and an adrenaline-fueled rock spectacle that leaves audiences nearly breathless. Yet intertwined among the searing guitars and anthemic choruses, the heart of the band shines through on every note.  It’s that unwavering commitment to spread the Gospel that defines the essence of DecembeRadio and reverberates throughout their sophomore set “Satisfied.”

“God has called us to do this and we know that,” says guitarist Eric Miker. “Every time we play a show we hear how our songs have impacted people. We’ve had people come up to us after the show and say, ‘This song is what made me realize that no matter what it was that I was going through, I could turn back to God.’ They just need to hear the words.”

Few bands more effectively fuse music and ministry than this Virginia-based foursome. Miker along with lead vocalist/bassist Josh Reedy, lead guitarist Brian Bunn and drummer Boone Daughdrill burst onto the national scene with their self-titled Slanted Records’ debut in 2006. The project was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album and earned the group four Dove Award nominations, including nods in the Best New Artist category and Song of the Year for “Drifter.” That night the band claimed their first Dove Award when DecembeRadio was honored for Rock Album of the Year, an impressive feat for a new band.

Decyfer Down:  As much as “Crash,” Decyfer Down’s current album, is a metaphor for the band’s ability to rise above its most straining circumstances, it’s also a call to action for anyone downtrodden to bounce back from whatever hurdle may hang between where they are and what they hope to achieve. “It’s an impact of our ideals and beliefs in today’s culture and it’s why we have named our album Crash,” said drummer Josh Oliver. “Our life experiences have lead us to where we are right now and circumstances that once affected our lives can no longer control us. This is just a way of expressing and illustrating the scars and the breakthroughs in our lives.”

Not only does the disc overflow with ambition, confidence and overall creative excellence, but the aggressive endeavor also finds the players digging in an even more mature lyrical direction that simultaneously meets listeners of any association exactly where they are, while challenging them to make assertive strides towards increased personal fulfillment.

“As has been the band’s tradition, Crash is certainly capable of connecting with crowds, if only for the unflinching degree of honesty within the lyrics and the overall vibe of the album,” said front man TJ Harris. “As a band, our hope is that listeners will be inspired to explore themselves to an even deeper degrees and that’s an energy I continue to feel every time we deliver these songs on stage.”  In addition to Oliver and Harris, Brandon Mills (guitar) and Chris Clonts (guitar) make up Decyfer Down.

Feed Your Faith Summerfest ’09 tickets are available at www.FeedYourFaith.org, at all three Cedar Springs Christian Bookstores and through  iTickets by calling 800-965-9324.  Tickets are $13 each in advance, $15 at the door and group tickets (ten or more ordered at the same time) will be $11 each.  Sevier Heights Baptist Church is located at 3232 Alcoa Highway in Knoxville.  Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the Feed Your Faith Summerfest ’09 begins at 7 p.m.

Feed Your Faith Summerfest ’09 is generously sponsored by Cedar Springs Christian Stores and Love 89 Radio.  For more information, visit www.FeedYourFaith.org.

Feed Your Faith was started three years ago to bring nationally known Christian speakers, authors and performing artists to East Tennessee while raising money for local charities.

(Originally posted Jan 29, 2009)

The Fireproof Your Marriage Conference by Feed Your Faith will be at Sevier Heights Baptist Church on Saturday, July 18, 2009.

Sevier Heights Baptist Church, Cedar Springs Christian Bookstores, Love 89 radio, Life 88 radio and Joy 620 radio are each co-sponsoring part of this event for Feed Your Faith.

All proceeds from the Fireproof Your Marriage Conference will go to the brand new Family Promise of Blount County.  Learn more about Family Promise at www.FamilyPromise.org.

Feed Your Faith is also conducting FREE movie showings of the Fireproof movie to promote its Fireproof Your Marriage Conference.  Kirk Cameron, star of the popular 1980s sitcom Growing Pains, stars in the movie which stresses the importance of a strong marriage.  Go to www.FeedYourFaith.org for a complete listing of the FREE showings of the Fireproof movie.

Cameron and his wife, actress Chelsea Noble, have six children and have been married since 1991.  The couple starred together in the Left Behind series of movies based on the New York Times best-selling books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

Since its start in 2006, Feed Your Faith has raised tens of thousands of dollars for East Tennessee charities.

For more information about the FREE movie showings and the Kirk Cameron and Chelsea Noble marriage seminar at Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville, or to order tickets to the event, visit Feed Your Faith’s web site at www.FeedYourFaith.org .  Tickets to the Fireproof Your Marriage Conference are also available at all Cedar Springs Christian Bookstore locations.

Feed Your Faith is a Knoxville-based charity that brings the best and brighest Christian speakers, authors and performing artists to East Tennessee while raising money for those in need.

In partnership with Cedar Springs Christian Bookstores, Love 89, Life 88.3 and Joy 620 radio stations, Feed Your Faith will conduct a series of FREE showings of the movie Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron throughout East Tennessee, beginning with the Love 89 showing on February 15.  Seating at Northstar Church is limited to 350 and all seats will be first-come, first-served.

The powerful movie Fireproof provides a wonderful opportunity for an inexpensive Valentine’s Day date for couples and offers up a fantastic message about the importance of marriage.  There will be door prizes, books and video tapes related to the Fireproof movie and a ticket giveaway to the Fireproof Your Marriage Conference this July.  Northstar Church is located at 10919 Carmichael Road in Knoxville and doors will open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. showing.

All proceeds from the Fireproof Your Marriage Conference will go to the brand new Family Promise of Blount County.  Learn more about Family Promise at www.FamilyPromise.org.

Feed Your Faith is having the FREE movie showings of Fireproof to promote its next major event, the Fireproof Your Marriage Conference, which will take place this coming July.  Actor, author and evangelist Kirk Cameron, star of the popular 1980s sitcom Growing Pains and the 2008 hit movie Fireproof, will be Feed Your Faith’s guest at Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville on Saturday, July 18, 2009 to speak about the importance of a strong marriage.

Cameron and his wife, actress Chelsea Noble, have six children and have been married since 1991.  The couple starred together  in the Left Behind series of movies based on the New York Times best-selling books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

These events are sponsored by Feed Your Faith, a Knoxville-based nonprofit group that raises money for those in need while helping Christians grow in their faith through guest speakers, authors and music groups.  Since its start in 2006, Feed Your Faith has raised tens of thousands of dollars for East Tennessee charities.

For more information about the FREE movie showings and the Kirk Cameron and Chelsea Noble marriage seminar at Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville, or to order tickets to the event, visit Feed Your Faith’s web site at www.FeedYourFaith.org .  Tickets to the Fireproof Your Marriage Conference are also available at all Cedar Springs Christian Bookstore locations.

Feed Your Faith, an East Tennessee ministry that brings Christian writers, speakers and performing artists to East Tennessee while raising money for those in need, is bringing Kirk Cameron’s Fireproof movie to Knox and Blount counties for FREE in coming months.