Christian band to perform in Jackson and highlight work against human trafficking

Contemporary Christian band The Museum will give several concerts in smaller communities this spring and summer. On Thursday, the band will stop in Jackson for a concert at New McKendree United Methodist Church South Campus.

This is the second stop at New McKendree for the band, which will perform songs from its albums "Let Love Win" and "My Only Rescue."

New McKendree has previously hosted several other concerts featuring contemporary Christian artists and bands including Mark Schultz, Jason Gray, David Klinkenberg, Todd Agnew and Johnny Diaz.

Thursday's concert starts at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but tickets are required. Tickets may be picked up at the New McKendree church office, located next to the New McKendree High Street sanctuary in Jackson, or at LifeWay Christian Store located on Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau.

Greg Franklin, who attends New McKendree, is actively involved in selecting the performing musical artists for the church's concerts.

During its tour, The Museum is partnered with Not for Sale, a not-for-profit organization working to end human trafficking in the United States and around the world. (PROVIDED)

"We asked The Museum to return because they gave a wonderful performance the first time around. They have great energy, and they are also very popular," Franklin said. "But, even aside from those qualities, they partner with a campaign called the Not For Sale Campaign."

Not For Sale is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to eliminate human trafficking in the United States and elsewhere around the world. While many associate human trafficking to third-world countries, it's an issue that affects people in the U.S., including Georgia, from which The Museum band members hail.

According to the band's lead vocalist Ben Richter, this is what led the group to get involved with the campaign.

"We had heard about the Not For Sale Campaign and started to look into it," Richter said. "I think what really caught our attention was the fact that Georgia was one of the top three states in the U.S. in which trafficking is occurring. This terrible thing was happening in our own backyards, and we had no idea."

Richter added the band hopes its involvement with the campaign helps bring more attention to the issue.

"We are passionate about this campaign because we were caught off guard ourselves, and we now know that other people and societies are uninformed," he said.

"Hopefully our passion to help aid this cause and bring awareness, and with the support of our fans, we can help in raising awareness and assist in ending human trafficking altogether."

More information on human trafficking can be found at The Museum's website, www.themuseummusic.com, and at www.notforsalecampaign.org.

Pertinent address:

1770 South Hope St., Jackson, Mo.

225 South High St., Jackson, Mo.

127 Siemers Dr, Cape Girardeau, Mo.