SoulStock 2022 hopes to heal during festival next week
ST. MARYS - SoulStock 2022 will hold its third annual festival in St. Marys July 15 - 17.
SoulStock, which will be held at Downtown Event Park on Depot Street, will be hosted by Gather on the Grass Worship, a non-profit organization based in Kersey. The event is a free community outreach event for those struggling with addiction, depression, suicidal thoughts, abuse, or trauma.
“A lot of people struggle with a lot of different things. It might not just be drugs and alcohol, it can be anything they're carrying inside of them and they're just not living their best life,” Gather on the Grass Co-founder, Janice Schatz said. “They have something that's keeping them in, what we call bondage and keeping them from being happy and being fulfilled. We want to see things change.”
The SoulStock 2022 festival is conducted in an effort to open the door to the community to come together for fellowship, worship and prayer to see lives restored. The festival will feature live, uplifting contemporary Christian music, speakers, food, crafts, small business vendors, non-profit organizations, service providers and kids' activities. Contemporary Christian national recording artist, singer and songwriter, Ben Fuller will be preforming Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Fuller travels the country telling his own personal story of loss and redemption after battling drugs and alcohol addiction.
“It's not that we're doing it to have a concert. It's really more about the messages that are being shared and stories and the encouragement,” Schatz said.
Schatz added that the Gather on the Grass Worship organization grew out of her husband, Chris' (and co-founder) rehabilitation from addiction to drugs and alcohol and her struggles with relationships.
“We really believe that people can turn their life around, but we believe one of the keys to it is having a spiritual relationship. That's is really an important tool,” she said.
The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday with music starting at 5 p.m. On Saturday the festival will run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and then from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
For more information and a complete list of SoulStock 2022 performers and speakers, visit gatheronthegrassworship.com.