ALTON - Choices Ministry will host its second annual Music in the Park event with a special guest, “miracle girl” Stella Schultz.
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From 3–5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, at Haskell Park in Alton, community members can enjoy a free contemporary Christian music concert. Karrie Schultz, Stella’s mother, will also give a testimony and share the “A Heart for Stella” story. Stella spent eight months at Children’s Hospital waiting for a heart transplant, which she received about a month ago.
“We’re about sharing the love of God through music and life experiences,” said Sheldon Rushing with Choices Ministry. “Choices is a ministry committed to sharing the love of God through music and life experiences and Biblical truth.”
Rushing explained that he was deeply moved by the Schultz family’s story. Choices Ministry raised $5,000 for Stella during a fundraiser concert two months ago, and Rushing said it’s “crazy” that Stella’s situation is so different now from what it was back then.
“It’s amazing to see that little girl,” he said. “Three weeks after having a heart transplant, I saw her, and she’s running around the driveway, riding a bicycle, jumping on a trampoline, swinging on a swingset. That’s God. That is so God.”
He looks forward to seeing “the miracle girl herself” and her mother, who will give a testimony during the Music in the Park event. Karrie will speak about how the family relied on their faith throughout Stella’s experience.
Rushing noted that while attendees might not relate to the specifics of Stella’s story, Karrie’s “powerful” testimony will likely resonate with a lot of people. Choices Ministry tries to bring in speakers who will relate to people in the audience, and Rushing knows that Karrie’s faith will bring hope to those who need it.
“Karrie is going to testify on what that was like to be a mother standing in faith and just waiting for God to deliver a miracle that hundreds and thousands of people were praying for,” Rushing explained. “I’m sure there’s a lot of people right now who are maybe not in that same situation, but they’re in a situation of a time of need and desperate for God and praying and waiting on God to respond. Sometimes that’s really hard.”
Rushing hopes to see many community members at the free concert on Oct. 12, 2024. He explained that Choices Ministry doesn’t preach at these events, but the organization aims to share God’s love with attendees.
He encouraged people to visit the official Choices Ministry Facebook page for more information about the event and the organization.
“We share the love of Christ. We share the role that God plays in our lives and the power of prayer,” he added. “It’s bringing people out to share and let them worship God with our praise and worship. But it’s also to hear people who are going through difficult times and difficult situations where they can relate, and it gives them hope and it gives them courage. It gives them strength to continue to fight and to stand in their faith and to wait and persevere.”
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