Never in his wildest dreams did former Clarkston resident Shawn Smith imagine he could make a living as an independent Christian performing artist.
But that’s just what he did ? and his talents were on full display during a special concert sponsored by Christ the Shepherd Church at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Clarkston, August 6.
Performing with a group of friends from around the country, Smith came to Clarkston as part of a weeklong tour through various U.S. cities. The eight-day 11-concert tour was part of a larger four week overseas mission trip. The group’s return home was delayed and several of the concerts rescheduled due to weather issues in India.
The 1985 CHS grad has worked full time as a Christian singer and songwriter since leaving the area after graduating from the University of Flint-Michigan in 1992. Smith produced 12 albums over the last 13 years. He tours nine months of the year as a performer and keynote speaker while living in West Palm Beach, Flor.
Smith spent the first three weeks of the tour in India helping the needy through a Side By Side Global Work Crew ministry program promoted by Youth Encounter, a Minneapolis-based organization sponsoring several ministry programs.
Smith said this trip differed from others put on by Youth Encounter because it was customized to his ministry schedule and allowed him to personally recruit a ‘hand-picked dream team.?
‘We wanted to add a statewide tour after the mission overseas, but the normal schedule didn’t work,? said Smith.
So with the customized schedule, the group spent their first three weeks in India working in service projects, sharing culture and building friendships in efforts to aid the country’s poor.
Much of the group’s work revolved around helping the REACH Home orphanage in Bapatala, India. Smith said the orphanage housed around 280 orphans, but was responsible for educating closer to 350.
At the orphanage, the group spent many long days painting, clearing drainage, digging wells to combat a fresh water problem and other maintenance projects. The group also used its own money to contract out jobs to local professionals to make electrical repairs and install fans and lighting in classrooms.
Having visited India five years earlier on a similar mission trip, Smith knew exactly how he wanted to return if another opportunity arose.
‘I said if I go back a second time, I want a group who could do music because music is a universal language. Everywhere we went on the first trip the people asked us to sing. So I recruited musically inclined people who could share musical gifts and then return stateside,? said Smith.
‘Our goal with the stateside performing tour is to present 31 bios and pictures of orphans and get sponsors for their education. It costs only a dollar a day for a year.?
Every person in the group raised roughly $4,000 to support the trip through their churches, friends, colleagues and other fund-raisers, said Smith.
The amount accomplished with the U.S. dollar in India amazed Smith, who noted the exchange rate at 42 rupees (the currency in India) to 1 American dollar. The strong value of the dollar allowed them to hire many locals to complete some of the more specialized work.
While seeing the poverty and need for mission work overseas, Smith said he sees the United States as being in desperate need of mission work.
‘After completing my first mission, I saw one of the areas most in need of mission work as being the affluent U.S.A. I think there is spiritual poverty in the U.S., especially in the upper middle class. There’s great physical prosperity, but spiritual poverty. In some poor countries, there is physical poverty but spiritual wealth? It’s not that money is evil, it just offers opportunity for distraction,? said Smith.
‘Seeing someone experience hunger and have nothing, yet remain hopeful having experienced God’s Providence is amazing. The depths of that faith is inspiring.?
Smith hopes to make this type of mission an annual event.
‘On stage, I have an opportunity to give a voice to mission trips and gather support for worthy causes that make life and death differences,? he explained.
Smith said the concert in Clarkston was almost jeopardized when poor weather conditions and flooding forced a difficult flight rescheduling that held some of group nearly a week.
Smith was excited to return home to perform so where his parents, Harriet and Frank, could attend.