Newsong News

Fans of Christian pop music will have plenty of opportunities to hear their favorite bands live in Springfield in the coming weeks.

I drove for over five hours southwest to Columbus, Ohio, for Winter Jam 2012. My friend Garrett accompanied me, and he was even more psyched to see Skillet than I was.

At first glance, you might have mistaken the scene at the Bryce Jordan Center for the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Marathon Weekend on Friday night.

In the song "Faster and Louder" from his solo album "On Fire," Christian singer- songwriter Peter Furler writes that "my soul longs for fast songs." It is a reference to a discovery he made about his own life, a discovery he felt compelled to share with others.

"We're a very spiritual band and very positive, but we still sing about the negative things in the world," says John Cooper of the Christian-rock quartet Skillet.

Building 429 includes, from left, Jesse Garcia, Jason Roy, Aaron Branch and Michael Anderson.

What: WinterJam Christian music concert, featuring NewSong, Skillet, Sanctus Real, Peter Furler , Building 429, Group 1 Crew and Kari Jobe.

Five churches from St. Louis County and St. Louis City, along with two artists, collaborated at Webster Groves Christian Church A in Glendale to remember Martin Luther King Jr.