DESTIN — The Rev. Jonathan Sansom has been preaching from the pulpit for more than 20 years, but now he’s found a new way to reach a new crowd.
The Hard Rock Café and Sansom’s Gulf Coast City Church are partnering to bring the gospel to the patrons of the restaurant in Destin.
“This is out of the box, but we’re providing locals a place to bring their family and hear inspirational music with a positive message,” Sansom said. “We’re excited to show people there can be relationships between faith-based organizations and area businesses.”
The first Feed Your Soul Brunch will be from noon to 2 p.m. Sept. 21. The brunches will continue on the third Saturday of each month through February.
The Hard Rock Café has been featuring live music for more than a year, according to sales coordinator Cassie Wade. She said the move to feature gospel should fall in line with the restaurant’s eclectic mix of genres.
“Our live music has been very popular,” Wade said. “We don’t typically do a lot with gospel music, but we’re not all about hard rock. We have classic rock, indie rock, hip hop, punk rock, Latin. It’s across the board.
“This should be very positive, inspirational and fun for the whole family.”
Sansom said musical acts have been booked through November. This month will feature true gospel music with local artist Lionel C. Other months will showcase different types of contemporary Christian music.
“We know there are parameters when we cross into a marketplace like this,” Sansom said. “We want an atmosphere that is conducive to having conversations. This is a safe, non-threatening place where you can hear the positive message of the gospel.”