Christian recording artist and Texas native Jimmy Needham will be featured in a free concert at Mississippi State University’s Wesley Foundation tonight.
Campus minister Hugh Griffith said the Wesley Foundation wants to give students one good night of worship.
It is an opportunity to welcome all students to their worship center with no commitments, he said.
“Our purpose is to offer students involved at the Wesley Foundation and all across campus a neat opportunity for a worship concert,” Griffith said. “We are here to serve all students.”
Rachel Brock, senior communication major and student intern with the Wesley Foundation, said it is not mainstream music, but it is different from most other contemporary Christian artists.
“I really enjoy his music. It is soulful and acoustic,” she said.
Brock also said the campus United Methodist ministry’s goal is to reach out to the entire campus and give all students a unique and authentic worship experience.
Junior kinesiology major Ann Hendrick, a member of the Wesley Foundation’s leadership team, said Needham can be compared to secular artists.
“You could compare his style to non-religious artists like Jason Mraz,” said Hendrick, who helps oversee special events and is involved in the planning of activities and concerts like this one.
The doors open at 7:30 p.m. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in the Wesley Foundation’s worship center.
This concert will be the first of three that will take place this school year. The next one is Tuesday, Oct. 19, featuring Christian recording artist Shawn McDonald. Another concert is tentatively planned for sometime in the spring semester.
Griffith said the series began last year.
“Our main weekly worship and Bible study, called Insight, happens every Tuesday night at 8 p.m., and we used three Tuesday nights to bring in three special concerts,” he said.
Christian acoustic guitar duo Shane and Shane as well as vocalist and songwriter Phil Wickham were two of the guest artists last year.
After the success of last year’s concerts, the Wesley Foundation is eager to host more.