Local Man Works For His Cause
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Martt Clupper, of Warsaw, is a man on a mission.
He's the organizer of an event that's coming up in August. It's the first of what Clupper hopes will become the annual Pro-Life Music Festival.
The thing that makes Clupper unique is that he isn't really a pro-life activist.
He believes very strongly in the cause, but he isn't a member of any pro-life organization.
In his words, "I am a 38-year-old Christian man with a wife and two stepchildren and I want to make a difference for the betterment of our society."
He saw recent surges in the popularity and quality of "Christian contemporary music" as a perfect way to reach people with a pro-life message.
"The project came from nowhere and just really covered me up," he says. "I couldn't get out from under it."
Clupper started working on the idea last December with his wife and another couple, Mark and Angel Hall.
He is quick to point out that this is absolutely not a pro-life rally.
The event is not designed to have any "shock" value concerning the abortion issue. Rather, it is a controlled display of support for the pro-life stance, Clupper says.
Information concerning abortion in the United States will be provided in the program for the event, but only to make clear that steps need to be taken to reverse acceptance of abortion.
He stresses, however, that there will be no support of militant or destructive behavior.
I would note that the pro-life movement is many times portrayed in national media as driven by a bunch of extremist wackos bent on killing abortion doctors and burning clinics.
Fact is, most people who don't agree with abortion are just normal everyday people like Clupper.
That's the message Clupper would like to get across with the festival.
"We're trying to love people into understanding the responsibility of a pregnancy," he said.
One of the stated goals of the festival is "to show the local public that there are many credible, intelligent and loving people that feel the pro-life stance is the only acceptable response to a pregnancy."
He believed that he could do that with a Christian music festival because of the emergence of some very talented and popular Christian bands.
The five bands to perform at the festival all have compact discs on the market. Some have won Dove Awards and have been recognized by Billboard Magazine. Their styles range from pop to edgy alternative.
The five bands, already signed to perform, are "The Waiting," "Plumb," "Bleach," "Satellite Soul" and "Channelsurfers."
Clupper's mission is "to share energetic Christian rock music with young people for the purpose of putting a credible voice and face to the cause of showing that the choice ends when a woman becomes pregnant, that life is a precious gift from God and that there is always a positive alternative to abortion."
All proceeds from the event will go to area pro-life organizations to provide support and education to women and men.
Clupper won't make a dime. All of his efforts are donated. Getting the bands signed, since some of them are well-known in Christian music circles, required a significant financial investment.
That was accomplished through donations from local businesses.
Clupper estimates he will need approximately $20,000 to cover all costs to stage the event.
He hopes to sell 3,000 tickets at an average price of $15 each.
He also hopes to make the event bigger and better each year, drawing from a more regional base of Christian music fans and pro-life supporters.
I hope he pulls it off. And based on the level of enthusiasm and commitment I see in his work so far, I am quite confident he will.
He really is living proof that one person can make a difference.
The pro-life issue is one that plays well in this area. He will have a solid base of support to draw from. My guess is that there is a good chance the event can grow.
And really, I think the pro-life issue is one that should resonate just about anywhere.
Here's a quote from an 18-year-old girl from a small town in Wisconsin. She was trying to make sense out of the Colorado school shootings. Trying to answer the question, "How could something like that happen?"
Here's part of her answer.
"We live in a loosely tied society, a culture dedicated to death. If you don't want the kid, kill it. If you don't want to live out the rest of your God-given days, kill yourself. Or better yet, have someone else come and help you do it. I guess, no matter how horrible or gruesome or gut-wrenching it may be, it was just a matter of time before someone got that 'killing as a means to an end' idea stuck in their head for the part between birth and death as well."
Pretty insightful for an 18-year-old, eh?
Something else to consider.
In 1995 there were 6,393 deaths among children up to age four. Of those, 2,280 were accidental. That same year, there were 8,596 deaths among children aged 5 to 14. Of those, 3,544 were accidental.
Also that same year, there were approximately 1.5 million abortions. Isn't it a sad commentary that by far the most dangerous place for a child in America is in its own mother's womb?
The Pro-Life Music Festival will take place in Warsaw at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds from 3:30 to 10 p.m. Aug. 21. Tickets go on sale Monday. They will be $13 in advance and $16 at the gate. For ticket information, call 269-9692. [[In-content Ad]]
Martt Clupper, of Warsaw, is a man on a mission.
He's the organizer of an event that's coming up in August. It's the first of what Clupper hopes will become the annual Pro-Life Music Festival.
The thing that makes Clupper unique is that he isn't really a pro-life activist.
He believes very strongly in the cause, but he isn't a member of any pro-life organization.
In his words, "I am a 38-year-old Christian man with a wife and two stepchildren and I want to make a difference for the betterment of our society."
He saw recent surges in the popularity and quality of "Christian contemporary music" as a perfect way to reach people with a pro-life message.
"The project came from nowhere and just really covered me up," he says. "I couldn't get out from under it."
Clupper started working on the idea last December with his wife and another couple, Mark and Angel Hall.
He is quick to point out that this is absolutely not a pro-life rally.
The event is not designed to have any "shock" value concerning the abortion issue. Rather, it is a controlled display of support for the pro-life stance, Clupper says.
Information concerning abortion in the United States will be provided in the program for the event, but only to make clear that steps need to be taken to reverse acceptance of abortion.
He stresses, however, that there will be no support of militant or destructive behavior.
I would note that the pro-life movement is many times portrayed in national media as driven by a bunch of extremist wackos bent on killing abortion doctors and burning clinics.
Fact is, most people who don't agree with abortion are just normal everyday people like Clupper.
That's the message Clupper would like to get across with the festival.
"We're trying to love people into understanding the responsibility of a pregnancy," he said.
One of the stated goals of the festival is "to show the local public that there are many credible, intelligent and loving people that feel the pro-life stance is the only acceptable response to a pregnancy."
He believed that he could do that with a Christian music festival because of the emergence of some very talented and popular Christian bands.
The five bands to perform at the festival all have compact discs on the market. Some have won Dove Awards and have been recognized by Billboard Magazine. Their styles range from pop to edgy alternative.
The five bands, already signed to perform, are "The Waiting," "Plumb," "Bleach," "Satellite Soul" and "Channelsurfers."
Clupper's mission is "to share energetic Christian rock music with young people for the purpose of putting a credible voice and face to the cause of showing that the choice ends when a woman becomes pregnant, that life is a precious gift from God and that there is always a positive alternative to abortion."
All proceeds from the event will go to area pro-life organizations to provide support and education to women and men.
Clupper won't make a dime. All of his efforts are donated. Getting the bands signed, since some of them are well-known in Christian music circles, required a significant financial investment.
That was accomplished through donations from local businesses.
Clupper estimates he will need approximately $20,000 to cover all costs to stage the event.
He hopes to sell 3,000 tickets at an average price of $15 each.
He also hopes to make the event bigger and better each year, drawing from a more regional base of Christian music fans and pro-life supporters.
I hope he pulls it off. And based on the level of enthusiasm and commitment I see in his work so far, I am quite confident he will.
He really is living proof that one person can make a difference.
The pro-life issue is one that plays well in this area. He will have a solid base of support to draw from. My guess is that there is a good chance the event can grow.
And really, I think the pro-life issue is one that should resonate just about anywhere.
Here's a quote from an 18-year-old girl from a small town in Wisconsin. She was trying to make sense out of the Colorado school shootings. Trying to answer the question, "How could something like that happen?"
Here's part of her answer.
"We live in a loosely tied society, a culture dedicated to death. If you don't want the kid, kill it. If you don't want to live out the rest of your God-given days, kill yourself. Or better yet, have someone else come and help you do it. I guess, no matter how horrible or gruesome or gut-wrenching it may be, it was just a matter of time before someone got that 'killing as a means to an end' idea stuck in their head for the part between birth and death as well."
Pretty insightful for an 18-year-old, eh?
Something else to consider.
In 1995 there were 6,393 deaths among children up to age four. Of those, 2,280 were accidental. That same year, there were 8,596 deaths among children aged 5 to 14. Of those, 3,544 were accidental.
Also that same year, there were approximately 1.5 million abortions. Isn't it a sad commentary that by far the most dangerous place for a child in America is in its own mother's womb?
The Pro-Life Music Festival will take place in Warsaw at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds from 3:30 to 10 p.m. Aug. 21. Tickets go on sale Monday. They will be $13 in advance and $16 at the gate. For ticket information, call 269-9692. [[In-content Ad]]