Residential rappers
Bridging the Gap Urban Ministries shares the gospel via rap and step-dance
Performers — Rappers Jessy and Czar Josh, two on-campus students, participate with BTGUM concerts, outings and service projects around the Lynchburg area. Photo credit: Kiara Leers
Jennifer Person of Bridging the Gap Urban Ministries (BTGUM) defines ministry as a way to advertise Jesus Christ to a dying and lost world.
“To me, ministry is basically serving,” Person said. “It’s to share the love of Christ (with the) world in a day (and) age where Christianity isn’t seen as popular.”
That is what BTGUM is — a ministry that reaches people in an unusual way through mediums such as rap, step and hip-hop.
BTGUM’s most recent performance on Liberty University’s campus was Jan. 17 in the LaHaye Event Space where BTGUM rappers CJ King, Illijam, Sinclair Hall, Czar Josh and Jessy performed alongside professional rap artist Swoope.
BTGUM participates in concerts and shows and also serves through community service around Lynchburg, according to Person.
“It’s both an outreach and a performance,” Person said. “We use things like step as an avenue to attract people and share the gospel with them.”
The ministry was started in 1998 by a student named Shameca Shae, who wanted to use step-dancing as a way to minister to people, according to BTGUM’s Facebook page.
The ministry aspect was what interested Person, who first got involved with BTGUM back in 2010 when the group was handing out fliers at the Student Activities Block Party.
“I was just looking for something to do,” Person stated. “I used to do step at church, so I figured why not? It seemed interesting.”
Person has been involved with BTGUM ever since.
“It’s amazing to see all the changes that have happened over the last five years,” Person said. “Last summer, we got together and basically reconstructed everything. We wanted to get out of the habit of getting wrapped up in the performances since we’re a ministry first. That’s our goal.”
Person mentioned one of her favorite moments was when the group took a weekend trip to Philadelphia to work with a church called Urban Hope.
“We had the whole team up there,” Person said. “It was the first time we really got to mesh as a group and began acting more like a family rather than individual teams like performance or step.”
Person said what really impacted her was the way Urban Hope members interacted with the community around them. The church was located in the middle of the people they were trying to reach. To Person, the trip put into perspective what urban ministry means.
“I think urban ministry has this misconception,” Person said. “It’s not a race, it’s a culture. It’s the ability to walk up to a person who may be walking down the street smoking crack and being able to expose them to Jesus. And that was what this church was doing.”
To learn more about BTGUM, visit facebook.com/BTGUM.
Walsh is a feature reporter.