Posted: April 16, 2023, 5:00 PM | Category:General Artist Tags: Rich Mullins Source: UTR Media
An unknown video recording of Rich Mullins has surfaced and is debuting at the non-profit website utrmedia.org. On June 18, 1995, Mullins and his tour-mate Beaker made a surprise appearance for the people of First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City--one of the churches that was damaged in the tragic bombing that took place only eight weeks prior.
The 34-minute video shows Rich leading the congregation in some camp-style singalongs as well as sharing five original songs, including his most well-known anthem, "Awesome God."
"It's an incredible joy to share this video and hopefully encourage lives," stated Jamie Russell, Executive Producer of the Relational Grace Podcast. "My father was the pastor of First United Methodist Church. After he passed away in 2020, we began rummaging through old Hi-8 videotapes of sermons. I was a senior in high school the day Rich came to our church--a day I'll never forget. I was elated to find a tape with a handwritten label that just said 'Rich Mullins.'"
Russell and his friend Jared Ranum digitized the footage and are now ready to share it with the world. "Rich and Beaker came to our church to be a gift and a blessing to our community," Russell continues. "Now we hope this video is a gift and blessing to all who view it."
One surprise in the video is an introduction from a young Pastor Craig Groeschel, founding pastor of Life.Church, who was then serving as Associate Pastor of First United Methodist Church.
This never-before-seen video is debuting now exclusively at UTR Media, a non-profit website that has championed the legacy of Rich Mullins, including being part of the creative team behind the 2022 tribute album Bellsburg... The Songs of Rich Mullins.
On April 19, the 28th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the video will be publicly available on YouTube. Additional stories and reflections about Rich's 1995 visit to Oklahoma City will be shared on Episode #100 of the Relational Grace Podcast, publishing on April 18.
