Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, California. What an unlikely place to hear “hallelujah” sung…
Milt Buckelew, worship pastor for The Chapel in Troutdale, Oregon, and his wife Lori knew they wanted to meet whomever the song was coming from. They walked over to the artist and casually struck up a conversation.
Two Musicians Partner with Hands of Hope
Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, California. What an unlikely place to hear “hallelujah” sung…
Milt Buckelew, worship pastor for The Chapel in Troutdale, Oregon, and his wife Lori knew they wanted to meet whomever the song was coming from. They walked over to the artist and casually struck up a conversation.
Kevin Toqe lives in Walnut Creek, California. At the time he had completed two albums and was in his third year of working as a full-time artist. Although he has been involved in music since his parents first “forced” him to take piano lessons as a child, he did not originally view his life heading this direction. His first studio-recorded album was only meant to enable friends and family to better hear his music and lyrics—but his career took off from there. “I wanted to be a part of my community through music,” he mentioned. That same reason drew him to play in Ghirardelli Square. “[I wanted to be] an avenue for people to hear God through music.”
The unlikely meeting between Toqe and the Buckelews began a friendship and partnership that none of them expected. Over the next year, both men kept in touch, and when Toqe came up to Portland with his brother for a weekend, the Buckelews hosted them. Milt and Lori even traveled down to California to be a part of Toqe’s third album, although not musically. This album was a new and exciting beginning for Toqe’s ministry, as he committed a portion of every sale to organizations fighting sex trafficking. Toqe had been introduced to the realities of trafficking through some close friends, and felt responsible to do something about it.
And so begins the story of The Chapel’s eighth collaborative worship night—an event in which they partner with other churches in the area to provide a worship concert and meet a need in their community. Previous concerts benefitted organizations such as Pregnancy Resource Center. This year, Milt asked Kevin to fly up to Portland and participate in the concert, along with Milt’s daughter from California, a friend from Texas, and several other members of The Chapel. Kevin immediately agreed, which left them with an obvious direction to follow when searching for an organization to partner with.
After connecting with several leaders from Abolition Now, Milt felt that they could best fill a tangible need by partnering with the Hands of Hope Resource team, a branch of Abolition Now that provides survivors with basic hygiene items, gift cards, and other immediate needs. The admission price for the concert was set at five items for Hands of Hope, such as a tube of toothpaste, a Fred Meyers gift card, or a bottle of shampoo. The result was overwhelming—hundreds of items were collected. “There’s a real connection to this issue,” Milt said.
Milt believes true worship involves sacrifice and giving of ourselves, more than just singing songs together. “If we don’t put some kind of shoe leather on our worship, they really become a selfish endeavor,” he comments. Their goal is to remain focused both “outward and upward.”
Toqe’s music, which emphasizes the message of the gospel and the grace of God, gives him a unique platform to speak to many different sides of the microphone. “I want to reach artists and musicians,” he adds, explaining that playing well-written music can give him credibility to share his message even in secular settings. However, he also desires to use his music in more venues like this as well. “I would love to be partnering with an organization,” he explains, by doing concerts to help with fundraising and awareness. “Reaching, discipling, ministering…it’s what I feel called to do even more than music.”
Milt would agree. “We don’t see what we’re doing as the culmination of anything. We hope it’s just he beginning.”
And for a story with this unlikely beginning, they know they can trust God to take it from here.
