 Jennifer Grassman was raised in the reformed Christian church. She began playing piano for a Children’s Sunday School Music Program at the age of 11. Her mother, Lori Grassman, taught the children hymns and Judy Rogers’ songs at Providence Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Jennifer’s earliest musical influences include Second Chapter of Acts, Point of Grace and Steve Green.RIGHT: Five year old Jennifer and her younger sister Kaitlin. While Jennifer did benefit from the love and guidance of a Christian mother, her father declined into a downward spiral of domestic violence, pornography addiction and emotional abuse. From a very young age Jennifer witnessed and experienced the slow, toxic effects of her father’s unrepentant sin on her family and her childhood. At the age of 13, Jennifer “made a deal with God.” She realized that her earthly father did not love her, so she asked God the Father to adopt her – to be her Abba – her “real daddy.” (Romans 8:14) “I suddenly came to recognize that this man who I was afraid of was just my biological father. Yes, I loved him, but I also knew that he was incapable of nurturing and protecting me spiritually. Somehow, even at that young age, I understood that I needed a father who loved me no-strings-attached. I found that Father when I asked God to call me his daughter.” – Jennifer Grassman
Jennifer escaped the entropic cycle of abuse at the age of 21 when she married Jason Greenberg. Since then, she has experienced an extraordinary amount of grace – often painful, but always healing. While the process of recovery was initially difficult and frightening, Jennifer feels that she has arrived at a place of peace, and is dedicated to providing a voice against abuse, sexism and violence. Jennifer often performs concerts benefitting local women’s shelters, pro-family organizations and victim advocacy groups. If you would like Jennifer to speak or perform at your church or event, please contact us.  Church Concert MinistryJennifer and her husband, Jason Greenberg, are currently members at Spring Cypress Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Spring, Texas. Here, Jennifer hosts a concert series entitled Concerts at Spring Cypress, which features a broad range of musical talent from classical and jazz to rock, folk and world music. It is Jennifer’s dream to extend this ministry beyond the walls of Spring Cypress PCA and begin touring churches that see ministerial potential in reaching out to their communities in a creative, family-friendly and broadly accessible manner. Psalm 57:7-11 “My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”  Your Church: Advancing God’s Kingdom through Concerts
 Why Can’t Our Worship Band Finagle This?While Jennifer’s music is written from an overtly Christian worldview, it is not traditional worship or Gospel music, in that it is accessible to a broad secular audience. Her songs have been enjoyed by atheists, agnostics, and a wide variety of religious and culturally diverse listeners. By inviting every tribe, tongue and nation to participate in the celebration of God’s creation of music, you can make your church sanctuary a safe haven for a diverse audience of souls who might otherwise never pull into the church parking lot, let alone enter its doors. LEFT: Jennifer performed on Houston talk show Great Day Houston with host Deborah Duncan Revelation 14:6 “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.”  Why Is Jennifer Doing This? Jennifer believes that before the beginning of time God planned to bless her with the gift of music. It was in His sovereign plan for her life, and ultimately His plan for the world. That does not set her apart: God blesses each of us with unique gifts, partly so that He might work in our own individual hearts, but also so that through us He might advance His message of salvation to a lost world. Jennifer believes that by using her gifts in a ministerial capacity, she is honoring God and fulfilling her promise as a Christian to continually seek His face. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” What Does It Cost & Where Does The Money Go?  Typically, Jennifer performs her concerts for free and accepts a thank offering or donation collection. Sometimes however, travel expenses hinder Jennifer’s ability to accept a concert. In such cases, advance payment of some kind may be requested. Some churches also prefer to bypass the thank offering collection, in which case, Jennifer usually charges $500 plus travel expenses. This covers the performance, and Jennifer’s assistance promoting your event through local media outlets (radio, television and printed) and social networks.Proceeds from all Jennifer’s concerts are faithfully invested to fund and facilitate her ministry, from covering website hosting expenses to recording new albums and coordinating charitable and ministerial events and projects. 1 Timothy 1:12-17 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hymn Preservation Ministry  “Modern praise music, while a wonderful gift, has unfortunately contributed to the decline of the great old hymns. Many of these masterpieces are so packed with Biblical doctrines that a month of devotions could be derived solely from their verses. I find it tragic that many new Christians, and even kids that have grown up in the church, are unfamiliar with songs like And Can It Be That I Should Gain, or Be Thou My Vision. It is as if a whole world of worship and spiritual endowment has been lost in the pages of a dusty old hymnal.“These songs are not only staples of church history, but the words and witness of some of our greatest forbearers, who wrote these lyrics and composed these melodies so that we would know that they have gone before us, that they rested in Christ through bitter trials, and that they were triumphant. It is vital that we do not forget their legacy; our heritage.” – Jennifer Grassman
It was hymns that guided Jennifer through the darkest period of her life. When the painful wounds of domestic violence and child abuse were their most caustic to her soul; when promises of peace in the Bible seemed unattainable and her prayers futile, Jennifer turned to hymns for hope and comfort – and she found it. These old songs are monuments of the faith, trials and prayers of the martyrs of history, from Charles Wesley and Martin Luther to Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel.
In the future, Jennifer hopes to record selections of these striking musical declarations of conviction and so preserve them in their full power and magnificence for the world to treasure for centuries. Meanwhile, concerts and hymnsongs can be arranged by contacting booking[at]jennifergrassman[dot]com. |
