Meet Promoter |
 |
Meet
promoter Ray Flynn...
Before my first concert I had never promoted anything. In 1989, I was laid off from my job where I had worked for ten years. My wife and I had just had our first baby and the future seemed a little uncertain.
The first concert I promoted was August 28, 1992. About a year prior to that was when I first found Southern Gospel music on a new radio station in my area. I really never knew that there was another type of Christian music other than the hymns we sang at church prior to that time. After listening and being blessed by the great Southern Gospel on the radio, I was very excited to find out that one of these groups had been scheduled to do a concert at our church on an upcoming Sunday evening. This was my first experience seeing a Southern Gospel group live. During that night, the awesome presence of God was there and each song touched me and many. Not only the songs but the testimonies that the members of that group gave between the songs made seeing Southern Gospel live even that much more powerful. As the evening began to come to a close, the group gave an invitation and many people came to Christ, and I left overwhelmed by the whole event.
After a couple of months, I heard on the radio about a concert at a local Civic Center featuring many of the artists I had been enjoying on the radio, so I immediately made plans to attend. During that concert, I again was blessed by the songs and especially their testimonies of what God had done. But something very special was missing, the invitation. After the concert was over and no one had an opportunity to come to Christ, I really felt that we had only attended a show, just like any other professional program. It bothered me that Christ had been presented in songs and testimonies of what He had done in the groups lives, however time was never given so He could be accepted by someone that night. I thought maybe this was just a one-time thing, so I attended other paid concerts and found pretty much the same type of program. I then talked with some of the artists and was told how that many promoters did not like testimonies or preaching in their concerts, that people came to hear singing and that's all they wanted the groups to do - just sing.
At that very time I felt that God was calling me to a ministry that could take this powerful music, place it in a concert atmosphere without denominational barriers and give the people an opportunity to hear the basic Gospel, and invite them to receive Jesus. Really let them experience just what I did the first time I saw a Southern Gospel concert at church. I knew nothing about promoting, yet I set out to promote my first gospel concert at Reynolds Auditorium in Winston-Salem, NC, trusting the Lord that He would just supply my needs and that we would see people come to Christ. That night as the concert started, my eyes filled with tears as I watched God fill the 2000 seat auditorium to near capacity. The concert was great. God was moving so strong and then came the real test. As a brief message and invitation was presented, several people came to Christ. I knew then that I was right on track with what God had called me to do. Since that time, I have been blessed for God to allow our concerts to grow and literally explode in attendance. Some of our biggest events are the Christian's Alternative To Halloween Concert the last Saturday in October each year at the 16,000 seat LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, which is normally either sold out or near capacity. Another event is at the Van Hoy Park & Amphitheater in Union Grove, N. C., an outdoor event with attendence that has often exceeded 10,000 people, depending upon the weather.
On our 2000 seat auditorium concerts, most of the people attending are within a 100-mile radius of Winston-Salem, N.C. However, on our larger coliseum events people come from as far away as Texas, California, Canada, and even the Bahamas.
I think fans do not necessarily prefer 4-part all male quartets or family groups, but groups or soloist that have a real touch of God on their ministry. People want to see people that are real and when they see them live they can feel the presence of the Lord in the building.
I will continue to promote Southern Gospel music as long as God will continue to use me in that capacity and as long as it can be ministry focused. I could not do the concerts I do, especially the big ones, without my wife Denise and about 50 faithful volunteers from my church in Yadkinville, NC.
In my church, I serve as a deacon, and currently teach a Sunday School Class for adults. I have a radio program on JOY-FM, our local radio station in North Carolina that has 50,000 watts and also is broadcast on its two sister stations. My radio program is Southern Praise and is featured during prime church drive time. Sunday Mornings from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
In 1998, we had the opportunity to start a television program called Southern Gospel Showcase, that program now airs each Thursday Evening at 7:30 PM on the TCT Television Network and goes into over 3 Million homes. The program is also available on all cable networks and Direct-TV. TCT is most common on cable channels 6,7,8 & 9, through NC and VA, and by antenna on channel 61 out of Greensboro, NC and channel 18 out of Danville, VA.
I am also the President and the Chairman of the Board for Abraham Productions, Inc, a corporation that was formed in 1997 that does multi-day events in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina each year in April and in Gatlinburg, TN on Labor Day Weekend.
Nothing compares to being used by God and being in his will. I have already mentioned my involvement in my church. In addition, I enjoy water sports, auto racing, and spending time with my wife and children.
Before my first concert I had never promoted anything. In 1989, I was laid off from my job where I had worked for ten years. My wife and I had just had our first baby and the future seemed a little uncertain.
The first concert I promoted was August 28, 1992. About a year prior to that was when I first found Southern Gospel music on a new radio station in my area. I really never knew that there was another type of Christian music other than the hymns we sang at church prior to that time. After listening and being blessed by the great Southern Gospel on the radio, I was very excited to find out that one of these groups had been scheduled to do a concert at our church on an upcoming Sunday evening. This was my first experience seeing a Southern Gospel group live. During that night, the awesome presence of God was there and each song touched me and many. Not only the songs but the testimonies that the members of that group gave between the songs made seeing Southern Gospel live even that much more powerful. As the evening began to come to a close, the group gave an invitation and many people came to Christ, and I left overwhelmed by the whole event.
After a couple of months, I heard on the radio about a concert at a local Civic Center featuring many of the artists I had been enjoying on the radio, so I immediately made plans to attend. During that concert, I again was blessed by the songs and especially their testimonies of what God had done. But something very special was missing, the invitation. After the concert was over and no one had an opportunity to come to Christ, I really felt that we had only attended a show, just like any other professional program. It bothered me that Christ had been presented in songs and testimonies of what He had done in the groups lives, however time was never given so He could be accepted by someone that night. I thought maybe this was just a one-time thing, so I attended other paid concerts and found pretty much the same type of program. I then talked with some of the artists and was told how that many promoters did not like testimonies or preaching in their concerts, that people came to hear singing and that's all they wanted the groups to do - just sing.
At that very time I felt that God was calling me to a ministry that could take this powerful music, place it in a concert atmosphere without denominational barriers and give the people an opportunity to hear the basic Gospel, and invite them to receive Jesus. Really let them experience just what I did the first time I saw a Southern Gospel concert at church. I knew nothing about promoting, yet I set out to promote my first gospel concert at Reynolds Auditorium in Winston-Salem, NC, trusting the Lord that He would just supply my needs and that we would see people come to Christ. That night as the concert started, my eyes filled with tears as I watched God fill the 2000 seat auditorium to near capacity. The concert was great. God was moving so strong and then came the real test. As a brief message and invitation was presented, several people came to Christ. I knew then that I was right on track with what God had called me to do. Since that time, I have been blessed for God to allow our concerts to grow and literally explode in attendance. Some of our biggest events are the Christian's Alternative To Halloween Concert the last Saturday in October each year at the 16,000 seat LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, which is normally either sold out or near capacity. Another event is at the Van Hoy Park & Amphitheater in Union Grove, N. C., an outdoor event with attendence that has often exceeded 10,000 people, depending upon the weather.
On our 2000 seat auditorium concerts, most of the people attending are within a 100-mile radius of Winston-Salem, N.C. However, on our larger coliseum events people come from as far away as Texas, California, Canada, and even the Bahamas.
I think fans do not necessarily prefer 4-part all male quartets or family groups, but groups or soloist that have a real touch of God on their ministry. People want to see people that are real and when they see them live they can feel the presence of the Lord in the building.
I will continue to promote Southern Gospel music as long as God will continue to use me in that capacity and as long as it can be ministry focused. I could not do the concerts I do, especially the big ones, without my wife Denise and about 50 faithful volunteers from my church in Yadkinville, NC.
In my church, I serve as a deacon, and currently teach a Sunday School Class for adults. I have a radio program on JOY-FM, our local radio station in North Carolina that has 50,000 watts and also is broadcast on its two sister stations. My radio program is Southern Praise and is featured during prime church drive time. Sunday Mornings from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
In 1998, we had the opportunity to start a television program called Southern Gospel Showcase, that program now airs each Thursday Evening at 7:30 PM on the TCT Television Network and goes into over 3 Million homes. The program is also available on all cable networks and Direct-TV. TCT is most common on cable channels 6,7,8 & 9, through NC and VA, and by antenna on channel 61 out of Greensboro, NC and channel 18 out of Danville, VA.
I am also the President and the Chairman of the Board for Abraham Productions, Inc, a corporation that was formed in 1997 that does multi-day events in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina each year in April and in Gatlinburg, TN on Labor Day Weekend.
Nothing compares to being used by God and being in his will. I have already mentioned my involvement in my church. In addition, I enjoy water sports, auto racing, and spending time with my wife and children.
