Posted: February 4, 2009
Launched in 2007 Arisen Nation is the events wing of 12tribe records' musical revolution.
Conceding ground admittedly in '08, as the label rethought its strategy for maintaining a manageable events' portfolio, the Arisen Nation programme is back, having consolidated its successes and having learnt important lessons from past mistakes.
Debuting to audiences in various theatre, church and club settings throughout the UK in '07, including Greenock (Scotland), Newcastle, Nottingham and Liverpool (England), the 12tribe records' objectives were bold but resources stretched - as life on the road proved a costly excercise for the independent and question marks surfaced as to the sustainability and momentum that could be maintained with such a broad base of event localities.
With Arisen Nation's founding aim, to challenge, enliven and inspire communities in Christ through music and message, at the heart of the matter, a new strategy of concentrated event focus has been tabled that will hopefully see the events impacting more readily, and integrating more effectively, within local communities. With this rekindled directive comes a renewed desire to link the event's objectives to a network of feeder Churches/organisations who can rely upon 12tribe records' professionalism and Spiritually focused direction in supporting their own youth work and community outreach activities.
Not surprisingly therefore the label has opted to hone its event resources into creating a successful and sustainable event within its own heartland - Northern Ireland. Focusing initially on the areas of Ballymena and Belfast, it is hoped that from this platform the Arisen Nation event will become a twice yearly staple in the calendars of local Churches as the label seeks to intertwine its music and message with the lives of others. From this structure and experience other opportunities may open up, God willing, to stage more events not only on homesoil but throughout the UK and Ireland.
Commenting on the Arisen Nation events, 12tribe records' Company Director, David Paul said, " This primary focus of our label events within Northern Ireland is an exciting prospect for actually impacting lives spiritually and musically in a relevant way. Relevant because our desire is to coalesce our event objectives into the fabric of the community need that exists. That has always been the heart of the event purpose and, with over enthusiasm and lack of planning, we neglected that cause originally. "
Not that the events' programme to date hasn't been without its successes. With one young girl giving her life to Christ at the very first Arisen Nation in Greenock, Scotland, and numbers more reconciling again to a faith-lived life - the experiences were rewarding. " However we felt the events needed to continue contact within these communities ", explains David, " to follow through on some of its purposes. As an independent we felt that was going to be difficult to properly deliver over wide spread localities.
Our Arisen Nation events will prove not only to be a musical platform, for local and international Christian music artists, but also a spiritual mechanism for delivering a Christ-centred message, aimed at empowering and affecting individual lives within our local communities. "
Details of this year's events will follow shortly...