It’s become one man’s mission to put Springfield on the map musically-and to top it off, it’s for a good cause.
    
That man is Pastor Gary Brooks of the Promise Christian Fellowship.
    
This is not your grandmother’s church. Not by a long shot. It defies the conventional stereotypes. There is no steeple, no stained glass. The building, a renovated union hall, is nestled just beneath a Budweiser billboard, located just off the on ramp of the highway.
    
And then there is Pastor Brooks:
    
How ya doin, man? He asked while shaking the reporter’s hand in that floppy, exaggerated way you see in cartoons. Did ya find the place alright? His hair looked slightly disheveled and he sported a five o’clock shadow. No suit and tie for Brooks; he greeted me in a 1980s metal band t-shirt and jeans. Everything from his appearance and the way he spoke, stressing man? Out for at least two syllables, was more the behavior of an aging rocker than a minister.
    
That moment confirmed it was going to be an unusual interview. After all, just how does a pastor get started hosting local rock shows anyway? According to Brooks, it all started with his faith.
    
I read the Bible and realized Jesus was not how he was painted in most churches, he said. He showed grace, mercy, and love to everyone. He spent so much time with the outcasts and those who did not fit into the box of religion. He constantly corrected those who were trying to earn their way into Heaven by following man-made rules. I wanted to teach the fact that Jesus looks at the heart, not the appearance.
    
The concerts are a way Brooks tries to show just that. But they are also more.
    I was looking for a way to positively impact the youth of Springfield, he said. Music seemed like the obvious choice, ya know? There is just something about it that brings all different kinds of people together. And kids today, they have a lot going on with divorce, drugs, depression it’s a lot to deal with. They need safe places to just chill out.
    
And so Brooks started organizing concerts, beginning with his very first, about seven years ago, with local Ohio rock band Broken Yoke. Since then, Brooks has organized a handful of concerts every year that showcase talent from Springfield and the surrounding areas, including bands like Finding Windmere and Springfield’s own Orison Effect. Each of these concerts was free of charge to anyone who wanted to go, funded by Brooks and the members of his congregation. These concerts held to get people to see Jesus in the world around them.
    
Churches always seem so focused on this pertaining strictly to the church, he said. I don’t think there is enough focus on simply bettering the world around them. It’s not really about benefits for us.
    
But are there benefits?
    
Brooks thought for a moment and then erupted in laughter. Man, it’s actually provided me with some of the best times of my life. The first concert we had with Broken Yoke, we rented out Settler’s Park in Enon. The band showed up with a full light show, smoke machines, and enough speakers to fill a stadium. I think it made the town officials a little uneasy. I thought we were going to get shut down before we even started.
    
Brooks has already began planning for the next concert in the Springfield area, set to take place August 22nd with a outdoor stage dedication with local Dee Craycraft.
    
My friend Matt, who used to play in Broken Yoke, e-mailed me recently about putting on a concert with his new band, Harlend. I’m pretty excited about it. It should be awesome.
    
When asked about what Brooks wants to do beyond that, his answer was simple:  I want to keep doing this for as long as I can.