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Almost Missed This One
Pastor Dan Bollerud invited me to attend their Foodstock IV: The Greening folk concert fundraiser at his church, Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church (COSLC), on May 11. Without this invitation I’d have had no awareness of this concert.

Somehow word of it was missing from the media that keeps me and others informed of Anchorage events like this. Pastor Dan Bollerud Explaining Foodstock

What a treat I’d have missed if Pastor Bollerud had not invited me. This illustrates the “Power of One” principle I sometimes refer to in these posts. It only takes one, but I wonder why COSLC’s parishioners seemed to be silent on this great event? I saw few, if any, of them at this one so…? Nonetheless this concert had the feeling of January's Anchorage Folk Festival. (See poster pdf at bottom of page)

What’s Foodstock?
The purpose of Foodstock IV, and all local Foodstock quarterly concerts at COSLC, is to raise funds and provide food donations for the Lutheran Social Services Agency (LSSA). LSSA provides weekly food distribution to the needy in concert with our local food bank. Area folk performers donate their time and talent to provide a program of merit. Foodstock IV lasted about two hours and featured five performers or groups. Pastor Dan Bollerud shared that about 250 lbs. of food and $350 cash were contributed that night. Although no admission was charged, they suggested a food or cash donation in lieu of. The concert was also live-streamed over the Internet by COSLC. In the future I’ll be "tweeting" my friends to invite them to at least listen to the live stream.

Performers Featured
The performers played and sang folk and spiritual music in a listenable, comfortable, and toe tapping fashion. The two-hour timeframe for the concert was just right, especially considering there were no refreshments to break the long sitting time with minor breaks between performers. A wide variety of talented local performers contributing their talents included:

• Tony Elder
• Melissa Beck
• Mary Oudean
• Paddle Boat Jam
• Just Old Hims
• Robin Hopper

Although all performances were excellent, I particularly enjoyed Mary Odean's and Robin Hopper’s individual performances. I was especially taken with Robin’s rendering of an acapella number, If I Were A Firefly, she’d recently written. She prefaced the song with a playful and loving tribute to her husband Bruce. The lyrics are below.

IF I WERE A FIREFLY
Robin Hopper 2012

If I were a firefly, tell you what I’d do
If I were a firefly, I’d shine for you
That’s what I’d do - I’d shine just for you.

If I could, I surely would
Dance around your face.
I'd shake and shimmy like a girl
Until you gave me chase
That’s what I’d do, I’d dance just for you.

I’d flit and flitter, pirouette;
I’d paint the evening sky.
A trail of light, a silhouette
Designed to catch your eye.
That’s what I’d do, I’d dance just for you
Well, I am not a firefly, but you can make me shine.
I’ll never be a firefly, but I dance real fine.
It’s what I do - and it’s all just for you,
It’s all just for you.Robin Hopper Singing (check out the feet)

Good Church Use
Too many churches everywhere sit vacant except for a few active usage hours weekly. What a treat to see a church being occupied to share listenable music, fellowship, and offering an opportunity help out with a worth social cause in line with Biblical commands. This is religion at its best. I suspect the low turnout had something to do the Anchorage sectarian penchant for churches not sharing information about events in other churches. It may be the “not invented here, not going to support it there” attitude I’ve witnessed over and over again. Or it may be with declining attendance all over Anchorage, Pastors are scared to death to risk one of their members showing up at another church than their own. Pastors should be thrilled anyone would want to attend church, regardless of whose church it is.

Hurrah!
Congratulations to local folk performers supporting Foodstock IV, Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, and Lutheran Social Services for putting on a class event. I can’t wait until the next one, which Pastor Bollerud suggests will be in the September/October timeframe. I learning to expect the unexpected from this South Anchorage church. Next time, I’ll use the Church Visits blog to get the word out on Foodstock V.Mary Oudean Performing

Melissa Beck

Tony Elder

Just Old Hims