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Heather’s Herald By Heather Harden |
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A Grand Vision From the outside, the building that houses
the Grand Ole Gospel could easily be mistaken as a typical business. The
red-lettered sign that rises in front of the red roofed structure only hints
to what goes on inside on Saturday nights. Since opening its doors in 2002, the venue
has ministered to thousands through gospel music. The venue has hosted big
name gospel singers and home grown talent. The concept of the Grand Ole
Gospel started out as the dream of Ronnie Lewis, owner. But Ronnie says the
dream wasn’t of his own making. It was in November 2000, Ronnie says, that
the vision of the gospel music venue came to him in a dream while he slept
one night. “As any human would do I dismissed the dream the first time,”
Ronnie remembers. A few months later when Ronnie had the
dream again, he felt he could no longer dismiss the idea. He knew there had
to be something to it. The vision filling Ronnie’s dreams was to create a
gospel music center just outside the rural town Chocowinity, North
Carolina. Looking back on the time
following the dreams, Ronnie recalls the number of incidents that lead him to
make the vision into a reality. So many things happened all at once, he
says-from the building materials he received from a friend, to the land
coming up for sale where he hoped to build the complex-that he could not
ignore the idea. “Too many things fell into place for this not to be a
calling from God,” he explains. “Who am I to argue with God?” Within two years Ronnie’s vision from the
Lord had become a reality. The first concert was held on May 25, 2002. Thou Shall Not Judge While the Grand Ole Gospel is a place of worship,
there’s no mistaking the inside of the venue for a church. Located in
the lobby are typical features of a concert hall such as a refreshment stand,
gift shop and merchandise tables. The auditorium where the music is made has
a comfortable, rustic feel. Antiques, like a 1925 Nash automobile, make-up
the auditorium’s down home décor. Once seated, visitors might be taken back
to memories of evenings spent on the front porch listening to grandpa pick on
his guitar. The stage resembles a front porch that could’ve been found on any
rural home not so many years ago, complete with tin roof and white washed
rocking chairs. The stage is made from wood taken from an abandoned house
that sat on the property before it was demolished to make room for the Grand
Ole Gospel building. The house that contributed the wood for the stage was
once the home of LaVerne Tripp’s grandmother. Tripp is a widely known gospel
artist who has also performed at the Grand Ole Gospel. The |