Impact Movement Kent State hosted its annual show, The Remedy, on Saturday evening in Schwartz auditorium.

For the past seven years, Impact Movement, an on-campus ministry, has hosted the event in hopes of sharing gospel through artistic expression 

“The world is broken, we all know it.” Darnell J. Wilson, director of Impact Movement said. “The only remedy is a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Local talent has always been a large part of the event. This year, two spoken word artists addressed the crowd.

One artist described her individual journey to finding The Remedy. She spoke of searching for help during dark times, including facing addictions, before finding God.

“No matter what you did, no matter what you are going to do, God still loves you,” Tierra Kahli said. “Christ is the remedy.”

The other, spoke directly to college students about sex before marriage through a poem titled Nympho. At the end, the nympho transformed into celibate and let Jesus Christ have her, instead of random partners.

Between each act, emcees Caleb Broaddus, junior exercise science major and Taylor Coleman, sophomore journalism major, provided input on how every performance helped the crowd come closer to The Remedy.

“We connect vertically through Jesus Christ and horizontally through each other,” Coleman said. ”With this event, we like to bring those who are far closer to God.

Funding for the event comes from student donations alone. Each year, servant leaders meet to discuss the best performances for the venue. This year, they selected popular comedian Kevonstage to headline the event.

Kevonstage spoke on being poor in college; reminiscing about having his card declined at McDonalds. He followed by discussing his family’s devotion to the church when he was a child,

“I don’t know how to solve for Y, but I know how to speak in tongues,” Kevonstage joked about his childhood.

He even performed a mock sermon, dramatizing the story of The Lion King where he referenced Michael Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson and many other members of pop culture. Later in the sermon, he jokingly prophesied about babies learning to use the bathroom, a man wearing glasses learning to see past his blurry life and outdated hairstyles within the crowd.

“We want to engage everyone,” Israel Garrett II, Kent state alumnus and Impact volunteer, said. “In every way, shape or form, there’s a way for someone to hear the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit.”

The crowd contained a mix of Kent State students, community members, family and friends. On average, 200 people attend the event every year. The large turnout, according to Impact Movement members, is due to the size of the team and their reaching out to all Christian Orthodox organizations.

Impact Movement currently has 75 regular members, all of which were invited to bring family and friends to the show.

Members also reached out to local organizations to attend the event. They partnered with Hope Soaps, an organization dedicated to feeding the homeless in Akron, and International Justice Mission, a Kent State student organization focused on global human rights.

“In John 13:35, Jesus says that the whole world will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another,” Wilson said.

In past years, other orthodox christian organizations, such as H2O, have been involved. This year, Voices of Testimony gospel choir brought the entire crowd to its feet, singing and dancing with their performance of Kirk Franklin’s Melodies From Heaven.

“That’s how you know you’re praising the Lord,” Broaddus said. “You feel the moisture. You start sweating.”

Praise dancing focused on Matthew 28:19.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Performers showed that finding Jesus Christ is a journey to be taken together, instead of alone.

Later in the show, Impact Movement members performed a skit, created by Garrett, showing a young girl as she struggled with the demons and temptations in the world. Finally, as an adult, she gives her life to Christ.

“We get to see her begin as a young girl and in the end, Jesus transforms her,” Anora Burke, Impact Movement member and senior public health major said.

Garrett said the idea came to him while listening to Trust Me, by Richard Smallwood.

“The Holy Spirit gave me the images and I connected the dots,” Garrett said.

Pastor Bryndon Glass, founder of Shepherd’s Pasture for All Nations (SPAN) ministries, closed the event with an altar call.

“Life is made of moments – the collection of movements is what defines your life,” Glass said. “Make this moment, right here, tonight, where you follow Jesus Christ and make him your Lord.”

 Arkayla Tenney-Howard is the stater religion reporter. Contact her at [email protected].