ORIGINALLY WRITTEN
Tabor College and KJRL 105.7 FM will welcome Christian recording artist Jeremy Camp for the second annual homecoming concert Sunday, Oct. 19.
Camp and his band will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. in the Tabor College Chapel-Auditorium. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
Best known for his songs “I Still Believe” and “Understand” found on his CD titled “Stay,” Camp will break away from his fall tour to perform his brand of rock and progressive pop at Tabor College.
“I Still Believe,” currently heard on contemporary Christian radio stations, has been among the top 10 Christian songs for weeks.
The song came from a challenging time in his life.
“About 41/2 years ago, I met this woman named Melissa who was, to me, the most amazing woman of God that I had ever met,” said Camp in an interview with Tabor College.
During a time of separation, Melissa developed cancer and was hospitalized.
“I went down (to the hospital) to visit her,” Camp said, “and she looked up at me and (said), ‘If I were to die from this cancer, but one person was to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it would be worth it.'”
The two became engaged shortly after that and were married. But during their honeymoon, she noticed complications and soon died.
“It took me a season of confusion in my life, but God has restored (me) and he’s been faithful,” Camp said. “Now I’m able to share that God is good and God is faithful and he’s taken me through this time to glorify his name and encourage other people who have been hurting through different or similar circumstances.”
“I Still Believe” will be featured on the WOW 2004 compilation of the top 30 Christian songs of the year, and “Take My Life” can be found on the X 2003 album, featuring 34 of the most popular alternative Christian rock songs.
Camp’s “Stay” CD is No. 15 on Nielsen SoundScan, an information system that tracks sales of music throughout the United States and Canada. SoundScan is also the sales source for the Billboard music charts.
Camp will release his second CD in February with BEC Recordings titled “Carried Away: The Worship Project.”
Camp was a worship leader throughout southern California for three years while he attended college.
“We’re really excited about it,” he said. “It’s just a reflection of songs that have meant a lot to me. It’s songs that I love (and) songs that I’ve grown up with that I’ve loved to sing.”
Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased by calling the Tabor College Alumni Office at 947-3121 ext. 1706, or KJRL at 1-877-813-5366.
General-admission tickets are $10. Tickets are limited and nonrefundable, so concert-goers are encouraged to purchase them soon.
