Houston pastor believes Friday’s rap concert will bring “Hope” to the Third Ward

Houston's Von Won performs at last year's "Hope for the Tre" event - photo courtesy of Von Won

Patrick Ngwolo has a bold vision that a hip hop concert this Friday night can bring hope to the Third Ward neighborhood where he is the pastor of youth and young adult ministries at Houston’s Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

The event, called “Hope for the Tre 2” (playing off a slang term for the area), will start at 7pm and feature nationally known rappers Thi’sl and PRo (whose Dying to Live album hit as high as number three on iTunes’ overall sales chart when it was released on Tuesday.)

“Through the efforts of this concert we will reach into the community-at-large with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Ngwolo said. “We believe that what we are doing is not just a concert, but a Christ-cert.”

“We can be literally new creations in Christ Jesus, living lives that reflect Him in strong families, love for our brothers (no violence) and love for our sisters (no sex without marriage, no STDs, etc). If enough people in this community hear this gospel and believe this gospel, this community will be changed. He is the hope for the Tre.”

Ngwolo said he selected the event’s rap roster (which also includes artists from Houston) based on their authenticity and passion for ministry.

“Thi'sl has a genuine, gritty sound that appeals to the streets and to who we are ultimately trying to reach. His music has a rawness that most artists do not allow to come out in their songs,” Ngwolo said. “But that alone would not have been enough. Being real without connecting people to Jesus is a fail, and we think that both PRo and Thi'sl successfully do this. They build bridges for people to cross from the messiness of the culture to the perfection of Christ.”

For more details and ticket information visit Good Hope’s website.