On Sunday, Dec. 20th, we at IMPACT Collective, partnered with Meant 2 Live Foundation, created the experience of a lifetime for twelve members from The Lamb Center, an organization that serves the homeless in Fairfax, VA. Each individual had the special opportunity to go backstage to meet Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith prior to their Christmas performance at the Patriot Center on George Mason University Campus.

The evening started off with a delicious meal graciously donated by Bennigans. The homeless individuals who came were able to meet on-air radio personalities from WGTS 91.9 FM and were offered encouragement and time of prayer. After dinner, we went to the WGTS booth to pick up gift bags with Bibles followed by a visit to the concert merchandise table to pick up some t-shirts and cd’s before we went downstairs to meet the Grammy winners! Once we went backstage, everyone was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. When Amy and Michael came out, they were greeted with an enthusiastic applause and cheers. IMPACT’s President, Eddie Fam, was there to introduce himself and Splendor. When he explained what Splendor was and who they were about to meet, Amy Grant replied “that is fantastic!” while Michael added “we are really glad you’re here! We are going to get you in the Christmas spirit!”

Amy and Michael went around to every individual and shook their hands and gave out autographed concert flyers. They greeted each guest with a warm welcome and a smile. We were so excited to see how generous and kind they were to each person there. Amy Grant stated, “these people are blessing us more than we are blessing them.” During the meet and greet, Michael found out that one of the homeless women was a French horn player. He talked with her for a few minutes about her talents which brought a huge smile to her face. (The IMPACT team got to meet them, too! What a fun experience!)

One of the coolest parts of the night was when Michael and Amy asked the crowd to sing along with them. They sang traditional Christmas songs such as “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.” As the crowd was singing “O Holy Night”, people started pulling out their cellphones and waving them in the air. In only a few minutes, the entire arena was filled with light. This brought tears to Amy and Michael’s eyes as they saw their audience light up the arena. It was truly one of the highlights of the night!

Overall, it was a night filled with laughter, music, encouragement and inspiration. We strived to give the homeless community a once in a lifetime VIP experience with some of the most respected names in the music industry. Our ultimate goal was to encourage these individuals to seek God and embrace that they are worthy and they are loved. To God be the glory for this once in a lifetime experience for IMPACT, M2L and TLC!