Chris Tomlin unites musicians, churches for foster kids

Christian music singer Chris Tomlin will unite church congregations across the state, along with fellow singers Big Daddy Weave, Zach Williams, Mosaic MSC and more Friday at Bridgestone Arena to raise funds and awareness for Tennessee’s foster children.

Good Friday Nashville, which also will feature famed Christian author Max Lucado, is almost sold out. Proceeds from the event will go to Tennessee Kids Belong, an organization that educates and mobilizes the community to meet foster care needs and gives Tennessee children in foster care a face and a voice.

Tomlin, who now calls Nashville home, led Good Friday events in Houston and Atlanta when he lived in those cities. He wanted to continue the tradition in Nashville and elevate the show's purpose.

“It’s such a special time for the church to gather and it’s such a special week for believers,” Tomlin said, promising it would be different than a typical night on his tour. “It's an amazing moment to do this. I feel like it’s something we can really build into the city of Nashville. We have Bridgestone on hold for the next seven years on Good Friday. We’re really excited about what’s to come.”

To ensure its success, Tomlin called a meeting with Nashville-area pastors and looped in Lucado and Gov. Bill Haslam, who is an advocate for Tennessee’s children in foster care.

“It started crystallizing for me that (the concert) needs to be something that gives back to the city of Nashville and Tennessee,” Tomlin said. “If this is going to be something that we really put a stake in the ground and say, ‘Good Friday Nashville for years to come,’ then people should know that this (money) shouldn’t be going to me. It’s going to be a beautiful night of spotlighting this beautiful (group, Tennessee Kids Belong). It’s a place where the church and state actually work together in a beautiful way to provide families for kids who have none.”

According to Tennessee Kids Belong, there are between 6,000 and 7,000 children in Tennessee’s foster care system. Of those, 350 children are available for adoption. If every church in Davidson County adopted a child out of the state’s system, every child would have a home. If each church statewide took responsibility for fostering a child or sibling sets, everyone would be cared for, said Laura Doherty, director of communications for America’s Kids Belong. The greatest need, Doherty continued, is for foster families willing to accept teenagers and sibling sets.

“For those children who are coming into care in the middle of the night and they are 14 years old and there’s no home in the whole county that can take a 14-year-old, they will have to send that child to an emergency shelter or a group home or out of the county to a foster family hours away who is willing to take a 14-year-old,” Doherty said.

Reach Cindy Watts at 615-664-2227, ciwatts@tennessean.com or on Twitter @CindyNWatts. 

If you go

What: Good Friday Nashville featuring Chris Tomlin with support from Big Daddy Weave, Zach Williams, Mosaic MSC and best-selling author Max Lucado

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Bridgestone Arena, 501 Broadway in Nashville

Tickets: $15-$70 through Ticketmaster, 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com

More information: http://americaskidsbelong.org/tennesseeskidsbelong/