The sun was hot, the crowds were large, the music was loud and the enthusiasm was palpable at Point Mallard in Decatur for the 12th annual SoulStock on May 22. Vendors lined both sides of the park’s large grassy field, but the attention was all on the stage as a series of bands and speakers led the audience in worship.
Although the event featured eight bands, promoters are quick to point out that SoulStock is not a concert.
“It’s a Christian music festival — a worship event,” said Phillip Presley, pastor of The Bridge at Valley Church, a nondenominational church in Athens. “We’re not here to entertain but to worship. The entertainment is a bonus.”
The event began in 1998 as Rockin’ With Jesus, an attempt by Presley to reach youth in the area.
“We (the church) wanted to have a youth rally,” he recalled. “We brought in a band and invited everybody. We held it behind the church, served grilled hamburgers for the 175 who showed up and when it was over, people volunteered to help make it an annual event.”
This year, the event was moved to Point Mallard and featured several artists, including local favorite Sarah Reeves and the big draw of the evening, Newsboys. Matt Pitt, who runs a Birmingham-based ministry called The Basement, was the featured speaker.
Brittney Plemons, who attended with her family and youth group from Cave Spring Baptist Church, Decatur, was especially impacted by Pitt’s message.
“Matt Pitt really got the crowd into it,” she said. “His whole message was just amazing — he shared his testimony about being a drug addict for seven years.”
Not all of the action was on the stage though. For people who want to accept Christ or have other needs, a prayer tent is a regular feature at SoulStock.
Alan Watson, a member of LifePoint Baptist Church, Decatur, wandered into a SoulStock prayer tent a few years ago during a troubling time in his life.
“I got prayed for and encouraged,” he said. And for the past two years, Watson has volunteered to work the prayer tent so he might help and encourage others.
“I usually pray with about 15 to 20 people each year at SoulStock. Some want prayer for salvation, but most need prayer for a problem they have. It can be embarrassing to talk to friends, but people can get ministered to here,” Watson said.
Presley noted that although there is a place for prayer at the event, there is not an emphasis placed on collecting information on decisions made. Follow-up is left to local youth ministers and Christian youth.
“Matt Pitt encouraged people to respond to their own youth pastor — even if they didn’t come with a church, go to their neighbor they came with,” Presley said. “We try to plug it as ‘bring a friend to a free concert.’ We plant the seed and let it go from there. We’re not big on numbers. When we get to heaven, I guess we’ll log on to the computers and see how many we reached.”
This year’s SoulStock drew more supporters than ever before with 39 churches (17 of them Alabama Baptist churches) and several businesses serving as sponsors. Presley reported that estimates put the crowd at somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000.
“We were able to plant the seed of Jesus and promote a spirit of unity,” he said. “It’s all to God’s glory.”
Presley said next year’s SoulStock is “penciled in” for May 21 and should be held again at Point Mallard.
For more information, visit www.soulstock.com.
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