David Scherer (a/k/a
Agape)
has inspired youth from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Spokane, Washington with his
relational ministry “Hip Hop Outreach.” Using Rhythmic American Poetry (rap),
he is able to reach the young people of today in a way that they really
"get it." He combines dancing, rapping, storytelling and his fluency
in Spanish to captivate his audience and challenge them to explore their
faith. He has produced two CDs,
Bridge the Gap and, most recently,
Many Rooms. Youth Encounter was pleased
to minister with Agape at two
Youth EncounterEvents this year. You can find more information
about Dave’s ministry at
www.hiphopoutreach.com, including concert and booking information,
photos, and opportunities to check out his unique style of music and ministry. You
can also call Rachel at 1-800-65YOUTH (651-287-9688) extension 258. Recently, Dave
was kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions and share about his
ministry:
As a
songwriter, where do you find your inspiration?
There are a few different ways for me. One is definitely when I read the Bible at
night. If a verse hits me, I’ll say to
myself, “that’s a song waiting to be written.”
I think the bible is just one big song waiting to be written. Another thing that inspires me is when I
have an experience that I want to get off my chest. Everything from silly things I do, to painful moments in my life.
The times when I write the most often are in my car. (Don’t let my insurance
hear about that.) I have since discovered a mini-tape recorder. A grateful nation of drivers thanks me.
What are
some struggles you encounter in songwriting?
One thing that I struggle with is I have a tendency to want
to write for a certain audience, rather than just writing for myself. Don’t get me wrong, writing for others is a
part of what ministry is about, but I think some of the most powerful songs for
others are the ones that I write just for myself. For example, I have a song called “Be My Dad” that I wrote eight
years ago. The song was, more or less,
a journal entry on what it meant to not have a dad. It was pretty personal, and I did not plan on sharing it with
anyone. I performed it once for a
friend and she told me that I needed to share it with other people. I shared it at a basketball camp by reading
it from a paper (because I didn’t have it memorized at the time). Even though I barely got through the song, I
looked out and saw the reaction of people that were touched by how personal it
was. From that day, I knew that I was
supposed to share that with people.
What first inspired you to use your gifts in a full-time
ministry setting?
I guess that story I just told was a big part of it. But, another part of it was meeting one of
my mentors, Kelly Chatman. Kelly was
the National Director of the Lutheran Youth Organization at the time, and he
had heard my CD. At the time, I was
just a punk college kid trying to make a little extra cash and doing what I
loved to do. After hearing the CD, he
invited me to perform in Puerto Rico for all of the national church leaders
down there. After the performance he
said to me, “Dave, you don’t even have a clue what God has in store for your
ministry.” He said that he saw me as a
bridge between hip hop culture and The Church. God was speaking through him
that day. It was the first time I was
awakened to my gifts. It’s amazing how
our vision can be so much smaller than what God has in mind for us.
Through your ministry, what is one of the richest
things you've learned about who God is?
Through my travels and meeting so many people, I have
learned that God is a God of all peoples.
I mean, there’s not a day that goes by that I am not humbled. I mean humbled in some real embarrassing ways. Like, for instance, I will go to some small
little town in po-dunk South Dakota, and say to myself, “These people are going
to run me out of town. They’re not
going to be open to hip hop.” Before I
can get the words out of my mouth, I kid you not, I see a seventy-year-old lady
with her hands in the air dancing. Then
I say, “Sorry, God. I forgot to see
these people through your eyes.” And
yet I learn about God’s forgiveness that way.
Kind of a tough way to learn about it, huh? God can speak through so many different things. That is what continues to amaze me is how
God speaks through whatever God wants to, even a rapper!
What
projects are you currently working on?
This has really been a creative year for me (probably the
first one since college.) I hired
Rachel Bolte (former Captive Free member) and she has freed me up to be able to
do what I love to do. So now, I am
working on two CDs. The first one is a
hip hop worship CD. We do a hip hop
worship service once a month in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It has the same liturgy as your traditional
service with a slightly different musical feel (ha!ha!). We are going to release the first CD as just
a regular CD, but then we are working on creating accompanying materials that
would allow churches to be able to conduct the service at their church. Look out for the attack of the rap church
coming soon! The other CD is just going
to be some fun new songs I am working on.
It will probably be more of an underground hip hop project.
And (just for fun...) What is the first CD/tape/record you
ever purchased?
The first tape I ever purchased was a rap compilation called
“Greatest
Hits of The Street”.
It had all the old school rappers like Melle Mell and Run DMC. But my favorite CD was another story. I sat in that Best Buy doing an intense game
of “eeny meeny Miny mo” with the “Top Gun” soundtrack and a “Run DMC” CD. Cheesy 80’s rock won that day, but hip hop
would ultimately prevail in my CD player. Although I still don’t mind a little
“Take my Breath Away” every once in a while!
Hey, Minnesota Residents! Here is a chance to experience
Agape’s ministry LIVE!!! Come and praise the LORD with us and help record
Dave's Live JUMP CD at the same time!!!
JUMP Worship Sunday April 18, 2004, 6:00 PM
Our Savior Lutheran Church
2315 Chicago Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Call 612-871-2967 for more information!
