By Sharon Sheridan
“I go to Redeemer, and Redeemer is always reaching out,” says Jeff Jones of Cedar Grove.
- Jason and deMarco to perform at Church of the Redeemer, Morristown, Sunday, Oct. 16, at 7 pm. Freewill offering to benefit S.A.F.E.
This Sunday, Jones is helping the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown extend its reach to help foster and homeless youth and young adults by sponsoring a benefit concert featuring pop duo Jason and deMarco.
Artists and songwriters Jason Warner and deMarco DeCiccio tour the United States and abroad, speaking out about the seriousness of gay teen suicide and the need to provide increased support and resources for gay youth.
Their music and message have been showcased in People magazine and the SHOWTIME documentary We’re All Angels.
The free concert begins at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the church at 36 South St. Donations will benefit SAFE (Safe Affirming Family Environment), a Houston-based service organization helping foster children and young adults find jobs and transition to independent living. Jones first heard about SAFE at a Jason and deMarco concert.
Among other initiatives, SAFE runs a Safe House Program to help gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender young adults older than 18 who are displaced or need housing, and to aid younger GLBT or questioning youth in the foster-care system.
SAFE cites various studies reporting that the 20,000 adolescents who “age out” of foster care annually often have significant trouble transitioning to living independently:
- 42 percent of the estimated 1.6 million homeless American youth and young adults identify as GLBTQ;
- 26 percent of gay teens who told their parents or guardians about their sexual orientation were told they must leave home;
- more than 30 percent of GLBTQ youth reported suffering physical violence by a family member after coming out;
- 78 percent of GLBTQ youth were removed or ran away from foster placements because of hostility toward their sexual orientation or gender identity;
- and 56 percent interviewed about foster care said they spent time living on the streets because they felt “safer” there than in their foster placements.
Those statistics and news stories about gay youth such as Tyler Clementi who commit suicide are “so disturbing,” Jones said. He thought about the words of some of Jason and deMarco’s songs: “Be the light, make a difference in someone’s life” and “Just in time, you reached me just in time.”
“Hearing these statistics, knowing their music, I thought: ‘I really want to do something,’” Jones recounted. He decided to spend $2,500 to bring the musicians to Redeemer to try to raise funds through donations for SAFE, which hopes to expand nationwide. The concert also is a way to introduce more people to the duo’s music, which he describes as contemporary Christian.
“I love their music.”
Jones, who is gay, said he never was subjected to the treatment of the young people SAFE helps.
“But I do know that I was fearful of ever coming out,” said Jones, who grew up in a conservative Christian home. “Also, it took me awhile to get comfortable with my orientation and Christianity.”
“I can identify with the hostility. I can identify with the fear. … You want to do what you can to help people.”
