The seats of Virden Alliance Church filled up, April 18, as guests from the area came together for a good cause, and to enjoy Prairie Joe.
Following the Oak Lake band’s first recording and their 2017 nominations in two categories including for Southern Gospel/Country Music Album of the year by the Gospel Music Association of Canada, Prairie Joe has developed audience recognition.
In Virden, the band began the second leg of their One Hope tour to raise funds, supporting summer camps for kids and youth.
The camp experience is something the Thiessen brothers believe in.
“All of us in the band grew up in our teenager years working at summer camp. We have a strong connection to summer camp, a lot of good memories and a lot of development, personally,” said Joe Thiessen.
One Hope is the overseeing organization for camps throughout Canada. Touring Manitoba, Prairie Joe represented Gimli Bible Camp, Roseau River Bible Camp, Dauphin Bible Camp, and Valley View Bible Camp, fundraising for them.
In Virden, Prairie Joe represented Turtle Mountain Bible Camp near Boissevain.
Thiessen spoke of the importance of summer camp, saying, “Just seeing all the kids who were touched by it, it holds a close spot to our hearts. So, it’s pretty exciting that we can be doing the fundraising for One Hope, with our connection to the camp.”
The song “Friends”, track five on their CD, was written by Robert Thiessen. “It’s about a kid that went to camp. It talks about learning about God, about someone touching his life.”
