Crossroads Christian Fellowship is holding a “Weekend of Worship” Saturday and Sunday.
There will be two free concerts. Saturday night at 7, Christafari will perform and on Sunday night at 6, Hilary Watson and Kate Feldtkeller will take the stage.
Christafari will also be leading worship service Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and delivering the Sunday service message.
Christafari is a gospel reggae band. The band name, in biblical Greek, stands for a group of people who bear or represent Christ. The band was founded in 1989 by lead vocalist, Mark Mohr, who is from Los Angeles. He discovered reggae music at age 15 when he was on a trip to Jamaica.
Mark was raised in a Christian home but become involved with drugs and alcohol as a teen. He re-committed his life to Christ at age 17 at a youth camp.
“Wanting to help others in the same situation he had been in, he felt God leading him to start the first gospel reggae band in America,” a press release said.
Since its beginning, Christafari has brought its unique brand of gospel reggae to nearly every state in the U.S. They have performed at the 1997 Presidential Inaugural Ball and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Their album “Reggae Worship: A Roots Revival” became the first Christian Reggae Album to reach number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart in 2012.
There are seven other members in the band: Avion Blackman (West Indies); Makamae Auwae (Wailuku); Justin Nalimu (Hilo); Tyrone Rudulph (San Jose); Solomon Jabby (Tallahassee), Jacquie Gaviria (Columbia) and Obie Obien (Manila).
“They all come from different backgrounds but have one heart to serve the Lord and reach people for Christ,” the release said.
Hilary Watson is a relative newcomer to the music scene. She bought her first guitar at the age of 11. Six years later she was performing at a Harvest Crusade. She decided to record a CD, began in the home studio of a friend and ended up in a world-class recording studio. Now Hilary performs with Kate Feldtkeller, an accomplished violinist. They met when Hilary was performing in Solvang, Calif., and was looking for a local violinist. Kate was recommended to her and they hit it off from the beginning. They now tour together.
Hilary has a heart for missions and evangelism.
“She originally wanted to be a missionary but God has shown her to use her musical talent to reach those He has called,” the release said.
Hilary says she has a folk-rock style. This will be Hilary’s second appearance at Crossroads Christian Fellowship.
