Women of Faith event boasts all-star lineup

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Singer-songwriter Amy Grant will be a guest artist at the Women of Faith "Over the Top" tour in Omaha Aug. 12-13.

The Grammy Award-winning singer does not travel with the Women of Faith entourage presenting programs in 14 cities across the country. But the Omaha dates just happened to fit into Grant's schedule and she agreed to come.

Grant said her appearance in Omaha will be the third or fourth time she has performed at a Women of Faith conference and she's looking forward to it.

"I have had such a wonderful experience every time I have been included in that community," Grant said.

Women of Faith is a faith-based organization encouraging women of all ages to grow in faith through a relationship with Jesus Christ and an understanding of God's love. More than 4 million women have attended Women of Faith conferences in North America since the touring program began in 1996. Up to 10,000 women are expected to gather at the Omaha conference.

Grant said she doesn't have a song list for her Omaha performance because she would like to hear the speakers appearing before her and see the audience.

"The music experiences that are the most rewarding are unique to that moment," she said. "All of us who have ever been on the stage have been guilty of delivering the same-o', same-o' and we've also had the experience of feeling really present. The best nights are the ones that are interactive."

Grant, who was born in 1960, grew up listening to her sister's Beatles records and to Carole King, Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell. When she was old enough to have pocket money she bought records by the Jackson Five, Elton John, James Taylor and Carole King and developed an interest in singer-songwriters. Over the years she has written many songs about faith, love, heartbreak, hope and healing.

"The music that we hear when we're young makes the strongest impression on us," she said. "I buy more music now but I have less time to absorb it. You need a moment of silence to just sit back and listen.

"I love how music connects us to each other. I notice that great friendships develop between people who enjoy the same music and how music connects us to the best parts of ourselves. Every time I find myself humming a hymn, I see images of my grandmother in a rocking chair and my mother because they loved to sing hymns. It brings back my childhood and what it felt like to be surrounded by that security."

Grant was raised in Nashville, where she attended Belmont Church, founded in the Church of Christ denomination and a nondenominational church since the 1970s. She continues to stay in touch with the pastor of her youth, 81-year-old "Papa" Don Finto. She calls him her "spiritual dad."

"He taught straight through the Bible, expository teaching," Grant said. "As he taught through the Bible everyone was transformed."

One of the themes at the August conference will be God's amazing love and Grant says the phrase evokes the image of an umbrella.

"It's not dependent upon circumstances," she said. "Every experience in life gives us a new angle on his love. His love is constant."

Picking up on that consistency, Grant said there is no song, CD or album that represents her 30-some years as a professional musician.

"Songs come and go," she said. "I hope the impression my music leaves is honesty, the gift of life and one person's experience of trusting God. When you write a song or tell a story in a song you hope the listener finds himself in the song."

Contact the writer: 402-444-1052, jane.palmer@owh.com

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