This Christian tour was CANCELED days before the show... [STORY]

"Of all the years JOY FM has been on the air, this is one of the most jaw-dropping things I've seen God do." - Sandi Brown

 You buy tickets to a concert, it's canceled, and you don't get your money back.  What would you do? Find out what one of your favorite artists and JOY FM did...and more surprisingly what GOD did, in this next story that only He could write.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The manager says, I just want to let you know the show has been canceled. And I said, just to be clear, are they gonna get their money back? And he said, no.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

So you're gonna disappoint your fans and you're not gonna refund them? Really bad for everybody involved.

SPEAKER_03 0:13

This was a sold-out show. Thousands of people had bought tickets and we're so excited to see Stephen Curtis Chapman in concert for Christmas. But behind the scenes, something really unusual and pretty shady was going on.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

The promoter had sold tickets to shows all over the country and then had left town with the money.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Hey, we got a problem.

SPEAKER_03 0:35

A lot of money was on the line. Trust was at stake. So what do you do? Pay $50,000 you don't have?

SPEAKER_00 0:44

And he said, Can your ministry do that? And I said, I I we don't have the money, but our options were all of our listeners lose the money they had purchased for tickets, or we somehow come up with $50,000.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

I wonder how this story unfolds.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

Believe it or not, this is not some story about a major scandal. This is a story about how God is faithful and how he has the ability to provide when we follow his lead. This is truly a story that cannot be explained without God. It just doesn't make sense any other way. So if you're in a season of relying on God to provide, I hope this story is an encouragement to you today. Hey, my name is Bryce, and I get to be on the morning show here at Joy FM. Some of the stories that I have heard since starting here, you just wouldn't believe. So that's why I'm on a mission to capture these miracle stories because they're stories only God can write.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Shortly after we got on 99.1, so we were reaching a lot of people, we wanted to be a part of a Christmas show with Stephen Curtis Chapman. They wanted to make a stop in St. Louis. They would tell us, we're like, great, we'll talk about it on the radio, but it really wasn't a show that we had been involved a lot in on the back end.

SPEAKER_03 2:03

When Sandy says the back end, she means that someone is in charge of hiring the bus driver, renting the stage lights, hiring a sound guy, booking a venue, catering for the band and crew, and then all sorts of other details that go into making a concert happen. Joy FM's job was simply to let St. Louis know that Stephen Curtis Chapman is coming to town. And we love Stephen Curtis Chapman and his team. So of course, and speaking of his amazing team, I want you to meet Jim.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Hi, I'm Jim Hauser, and at the time of this story, I was Stephen Curtis Chapman's manager. We were doing an unusual arrangement on the tour where we were doing it with some women of faith speakers. Uh Laura Story was on it. It was a it wasn't your normal Stephen Curtis Chapman tour. And for that reason, we were working with uh people that we wouldn't have typically worked with to tour.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

My name is Jill Willis, and I handle the concerts here at Joy FM.

SPEAKER_03 3:05

So what was your first what was the first thing that you heard that made you realize I think something's wrong here?

SPEAKER_02 3:13

As we were about a week out, that I had reached out to the rep who we had worked with just to try and get some finalizations in place and know who needed to be where at what point in time, and I wasn't getting any correspondence. And so when I wasn't getting that correspondence, I began to think, this is kind of strange.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

And then we got to um, I remember we were actually at tour rehearsals. So the set is up. We we've we're arguing over the set list and catering, like, well, no, you can't do Christmas is all in the heart that early in the set. You gotta do it later. You know, we're having those sorts of discussions, and then there's this murmuring, and there the the fever is starting to build. There's a problem, and so it didn't take long for um me to get on the phone with Sandy Brown and say, Hey, we got a problem.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

And it was, I think, a few days before this Christmas show with Steven that his manager called me. I was a good friend of the manager, and the manager said, Sandy, I've got bad news. We've never been a part of a show like this, but we have to cancel the show. And he then began to explain a scenario that was I've never seen it before or since in our industry. The promoter who had been involved in setting up the tour, what cities they would go in, was the one who was receiving all of the ticket price money, and then paying the artists, paying the venue, all of that, right? That was the role. Had left town with the money, had sold tickets to shows all over the country, and then left town, and the shows were not then able to happen because he hadn't paid the venues, wasn't going to be paying for all the tour buses, the band, everything that needs to happen, the lights, the sound, everything. So paid not one bill, and the shows were not going to happen. So the manager says, I just want to let you know that, you know, you'll have to start communicating to your listeners that the show has been canceled. And I said, Okay, but just to be clear, this is not just a canceled show. This is a canceled show that listeners paid for. Are they gonna get their money back? And he said, No, because the only person who has that money is gone.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

See, Joy was also in this role where they couldn't have refunded everybody. Like it was a very horrible situation. So you're gonna disappoint your fans and you're not gonna refund them. Really bad for everybody involved.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

And so we sat there and and on the phone and just were um in disbelief. And listeners would not understand, since we had been the ones talking about it, that we were not the ones that, you know what I mean? Yeah. We felt like it was wrong that they were gonna get wronged, it was wrong that we were gonna get blamed for this or feeling like we had a part in this. There was no win in any of this for Stephen, for our ministry, for our listeners.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Both of us began talking about well, how do we do the right thing? How do we make sure the audience is not disappointed? How do we make sure the gospel is honored in this crazy, really bad situation? There's a lot of money at stake when it's an arena tour. And the St. Louis ticket sales were very good. My recall my recollection is it was sold out in St. Louis.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

So we just started, I started asking questions. I said, Sir, you're telling me there is no show. He says, No, we're Stephen, the band, no, there is no show. And I said, Well, how much would it cost for Stephen and the band to still come to St. Louis? If we could figure out, because the venue, the date had been held at the family arena, like we what would it take to still put a show on so our listeners could get what they've paid for? And he said, Well, it would take someone to step in for probably hundreds of thousands of dollars. And I said, Well, would you go investigate that? Like, talk to Steven and say, and just find the dollar amount and then get back with us and we'll start praying, and let's just find out how big of a nut is this to crack.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Do you remember by any chance what the total cost was gonna be?

SPEAKER_01 7:24

I think the nut on that show per night was around $95,000. Um, then you add in the venue costs and whatever those are.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Later that day or the the next day, he called back and he said, We think we can get the number down to $100,000. That would mean um the artist, the tour bus bringing in everything that need to be brought in for the show, the band. And so the manager said, $100,000, and we think that would take care of all of the expenses to get the tour into St. Louis for the night. Almost without thinking, I just said, Well, could we go halfsies on it? Could like, would you be willing to cover $50,000 and our ministry be willing to cover $50,000, and then our listeners get what they paid for. And he said, Can your ministry do that? And I said, I I we don't have the money, but we're getting ready to go into a board meeting, and I'll I'll bring I'll talk about it to the board. It's just the right thing to do, though.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

So when Sandy said, Yeah, we we'll we'll do half, we'll do 50,000. I wouldn't say I was surprised or concerned because I knew that Sandy is an incredible manager, and that ministry has had been a solid ministry.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

So we went into our board meeting and I explained the situation that our options were all of our listeners lose the money they had purchased for tickets. Um we have to communicate that, we have to message there's a risk that we will lose trust with them, and um, or we somehow come up with $50,000 and pull together a show last minute that our listeners will still get to come and enjoy. They won't even know the back end of it. And every one of them, we prayed first, we asked for wisdom, and then said, God, whatever you um, whatever you want us to do, we'll do. And we prayed, we got done, we took a vote. Everyone wanted to um spend fifty thousand dollars that we didn't have.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

But as I thought about it, I was like, well, I don't know where they're getting it from. Maybe they're maybe they're pulling money from forward, meaning maybe there's gonna be less shows next year. Um, I I didn't give it a whole lot of thought because of who I was working with. And and just trusting and just knowing that that ministry's faith. But I wonder how this story unfolds.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

It's one thing for the board to vote, yes, we're going to spend $50,000. It's another thing to not then be $50,000 short at the end of our budget, right? Because you raise a budget that's based on what the need is. There's not a lot of wiggle room in that. So we said yes. Um, we were able to pay the check that day, but but there was the risk then, a very real risk of not having enough then for insurance or rent for our building. You know what I mean? Like it was a very real concern.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

Did you think it was possible to pull this off?

SPEAKER_02 10:32

Um I th I knew it was possible. I just wasn't sure how the audience would respond. How would we manage responding to everyone? What type of financial loss was this gonna be?

SPEAKER_00 10:44

There weren't all of the bells and whistles and cameras and things. We were going to Lowe's and buying string lights and Christmas trees and putting them on the stage because this was a bare bone minimum type of event.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

The expenses that we had for the event are things like audio and lighting, the transportation for the artists, their buses, their fuel, and then we had the crew. You had the artists, you had their band. It's just adding up to $49,996.30.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

The only thing I remember that night saying from the stage before the show happened was if you look around, this doesn't look like your typical show. And so I explained that there was my mishap, didn't get into the details, but that very last minute we were invited to step in and still um create a show here, and that the options were either there was no show or we all come together and we so we've kind of like all just come together and made a show happen. And and that by the way, this was the only night of the tour that the tour had been canceled, but that we wanted to still make sure that the show happened in St. Louis since our listeners had paid for it. So please join us in war giving a warm welcome to Steven, who and his band who, even though the tour was canceled, came here to St. Louis and we're grateful that they did that. I mean, something just like that. And um, all of the monies were paid to everyone that needed to get paid for the venue and and the artists. Monday morning, when we walked into the studio, I think we're having our staff meeting. As you know, we have staff meetings on Monday morning, and the doorbell rang, and we went, and it was a listener dropping off a check for $50,000. And if that's not enough, she said to us, um, we just felt compelled to give this. There was no mention at the show, as she well knew, of a need, how much the need was. And I said, Why are you doing this? And she said, Well, my husband, who's not a Joy FM listener, came to the show that night with me. And we're sitting there, and we heard you speak at the beginning, and we we heard the show, and it just kind of felt like maybe there might be a need. And my husband nudged me and said, Why don't you write them a check? And she said, So this was his idea, his amount, like the Lord working through someone who didn't even listen to Joy FM.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

And and then to hear there's a donor who's written a check, and guess how much it was for? Uh it's it's remarkable, and and and then you kind of go, Well, why am I surprised that you did that, God?

SPEAKER_03 13:36

Why if the promoter wouldn't have canceled the concert and you wouldn't have had to get together with Sandy and figure out how to go Habsies on this thing and put it together, what lesson do you feel like you would have missed?

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Man, that is a really good question. I think I would have preferred to miss the lesson, candidly. Very stressful. No, I think, no, I think it's just seeing God show up. It it made me praise God. It made me, I remember crying. I still I'm getting teary thinking about it. Um I've just like Sandy had faith, and and Joy FM had faith, and God showed up. And you I just love when he does that. And I know he does it all the time, and I miss it. But here's this moment where God, you've been so gracious, not even I can miss it.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

We would have missed seeing God do something. Seeing, truthfully, in all the years of Joy FM being on the air, I think one of the most um jaw-dropping things that I saw God do. I mean, they had no idea of the need, they had no idea of the amount, and for it to come in from literally Friday or Saturday to Monday, like he didn't even wait. It was um faith building.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

I think I recall some tears fell from me because it was just one of those things that shows how real our God is. That a lot of times, you know, through all of our lives we second guess or we wonder. But this was one of those things that made it pretty clear with no other explanation.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

He does, he is faithful. He does show up. It's not always the way I want, but but I know he's there. You can't explain this any other way. This this moment is not explainable any other way.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Um, I have cleaned my files out over the years, and I've gotten rid of ones that I knew I didn't really need any longer. But this was this is one that every time I have come across it, I have kept it just like it is, because it's a very good reminder of God's hand, like I said.

SPEAKER_00 15:56

It just speaks of God's faithfulness. And when you have an opportunity, when he invites you in to do the right thing, right? Like, um it's an opportunity to see him do a big thing, a cool thing, and a faith-building thing. I have thought about that story so many times over the years, it's not even funny. When you're stuck in a, okay, I don't um, it would be easier to do it this way, or it's not that big of a deal, or or whatever, but then you're gnawing gut, you know there's a right thing to do that honors people. I go back to that and say, I know we're we're gonna do the right thing every time, and trust the Lord if we can't see how he's gonna work it out yet.

SPEAKER_03 16:36

God is faithful and his timing is perfect. But while this time his timing was almost immediate, that's not always how it works. But his faithfulness is still the same. In fact, after three years of trying to start a radio station and then raising zero dollars, and then being moments away from giving up, God showed up with a million dollar resource that no one expected. It was just one more example of his faithfulness. So, to check out that unbelievable story, click here and make sure you subscribe so that you don't miss a thing.