Singer/songwriter to perform at Waynesburg Central High School
WAYNESBURG – “If there’s anything our youth today are crying out for, it is leadership with vision to see where they are and the heart of compassion to bring them to a place of healing.” That’s what singer, songwriter, dramatist and author Billy Wayne says of his ministry with young people. He believes he has an understanding of the next generation and says he follows that path “with a vengeance.”
Wayne will appear at tonight at 6:30 at Waynesburg Central High School for a free performance.
Already a familiar face, Wayne has appeared a number of times at the Waynesburg First Baptist Church and is the author of the popular “Judgment House” dramatization put on by the youth group of that church. “Judgment House” is advertised as an “alternative” to the traditional Halloween events, includes more than 100 actors and helpers and has attracted nearly 1,000 people annually.
Wayne has also led local youth in the weeklong “Beach Blast,” where he performs and leads Bible studies.
Though his music is written with youth in mind, Wayne said he “sets a musical stage for an entertaining event where teen-agers and adults alike cannot help but encounter God and experience change.”
Publicity chairman Daryl Throckmorton of Waynesburg First Baptist said Wayne has become so popular, most churches don’t have enough room to hold the audience.
“This is his first regional concert,” Throckmorton said. “Too many churches are asking him to come, so he thought he could reach the same number of people or more with a larger concert.”
Waynesburg First Baptist, the W.W.J.D. Center in West Waynesburg, Mount Moriah Baptist of Smithfield, Calcutta (Ohio) Nazarene Church and the First Church of the Nazarene of Washington are sponsoring the event.
“We’re hoping to fill the auditorium,” Throckmorton said.
Wayne’s desire and ability to relate to the struggles of youth go back to his own childhood in a broken home. He said his only retreat was to spend time with God, desperately seeking peace, comfort and love.
As a teen-ager, Wayne said, he learned to follow a loving God, and the result of his early commitment to God has brought “an incredible ending” to this story.
Both of his parents are serving God with their respective spouses, working closely with Wayne’s ministry.
“Audiences of all ages are touched and encouraged as they listen to words of how God’s love and mercy are the answer, no matter what the circumstance,” Wayne said.
He said he gives young people what they want: someone to tell them the truth the way they understand it.
His ministry combines a musical presentation with a hands-on curriculum study format, including dramatic performances that involve the youth.
For more information about the concert at WCHS, call the First Baptist Church at 724-627-6444.