Local residents, along with small businesses, of a small Middle Tennessee city came together for an event put together by a youth ministry group that was full of fun, food, and entertainment to raise money for a good cause on July 14.

The ‘One Mic Stand’ event was held at the Courthouse Square in downtown Springfield, Tenn., as part of the ‘Beyond the Walls’ Youth Ministry by the City of Faith Church. The event started with members of Beyond the Walls Ministry doing a prayer walk around areas of Springfield before the start of the event. Tiffany Thomas, Youth Director of Beyond the Walls Ministry, said the event served as a way for young people to come together and share their talents while raising money for the Bransford Revitalization Project. She said the money raised would be used for the construction of the Bransford Community Center, which is currently being built on the grounds of the original Bransford High School.

The One Mic Stand event featured spoken word artists, praise and worship teams, and various Christian music artists. There were also several candidates who were running for local and state offices such as County Mayor and State Representative who made appearances and spoke to the crowd.

Thomas said the overall response to the event was very positive and had lots of constructive feedback. The Beyond the Walls Youth Ministry was formed with the goal of serving as a positive force to the youth in Springfield. The ministry has done positive things in the community such as other spoken word and back-to-school events.

“God loves them and that we love them as well and we just hope that they leave feeling better than they came in,” said Thomas.

Thomas said the overall response to the event was positive and said that it was possible that the City of Faith Church would plan another event similar to the One Mic Stand in the future.