Showbread has been a band for twelve years. We have played upwards of 2,000 shows, traveled to numerous countries, met thousands of people and experienced more than any of us can cram into our memories. During that time our goal as a band has remained constant: Use Showbread to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ with every available resource, specifically using our uninhibited God-given creativity. This has included the utilization of our musical as an instrument to preach as well as worship, reaching out to make personal connections with our fans, friends and other bands, and to work to dispel misconceptions about following Jesus in a young culture that has often been misled. Tremendously flawed as we may be, Showbread has remained steadfast in our vision that we exist as a band for one purpose only: to proclaim the name of Jesus.

For a large part of Showbread’s “career” we have existed as a part of the musical industry. The more our band excelled, the more we realized the challenge of pursuing our calling as a ministry while navigating the professional waters of the industry. We have experienced many ups and downs: wonderful record sales, poor record sales, sold out concerts, and concerts with only seven audience members. Through it all we have always fought to embrace our trials as well as our blessings and trust that as long as God has ordained our art and ministry He will certainly continue to use it as a tool to do His work. We acknowledged and accepted that Jesus would provide for our needs whether we were “successful” within the industry or not. This mentality creates a paradox within the “business” of music. It can be difficult to convince record labels, managers, radio stations, etc. to believe in and support your artistic vision when your ultimatum as a band is not making money or selling records, but rather doing the will of Christ even if it means changing only a single heart with a single record.

Add to this complicated formula Showbread’s notoriously unpredictable and obstinate artistic vision. Throughout our band’s timeline we have consistently refused to honor any musical rules or expectations and in doing so we’ve often frustrated those we work with on a professional level as well as fans of our music. We decided early on to consider only God’s call on our music and the creative freedom He grants us to accomplish His goals, using the gifts He so generously gives. Once again, it often presents an interesting situation when you explain to someone whose job is to sell your album that you honestly don’t care if anyone buys it, as long as you have honored your artistic/evangelistic calling.

God has provided an amazing opportunity for Showbread with Come&Live! Through a community of like-minded individuals striving to equip ministry oriented bands to live out the great commission, encourage and develop musicianaries and work to enable them to offer their music as a free gift. At this point in our lives as Showbread, we have decided to withdraw from many elements of the industry that have been a part of our band for years, sign with Come&Live! and trust God to provide ways for us to offer our music and our performances as free gifts in order to expand the scope of our ministry. By offering our music as a gift with no charge and embracing Christ’s call to give generously we will open our ministry to anyone and everyone who will take any note of it, not just those willing to pay for it. It is our hope to make Showbread more like the work of missionaries than the work of a professional rock and roll band.

Sharing the Heart of Come&Live! from Come&Live! on Vimeo.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME, THE LISTENER? Showbread will be releasing its next album in a variety of formats including a completely free high quality download through comeandlive.com. We are also pursuing methods to make our performances free as well, which may be an experimental process that takes a while to perfect.

HOW CAN I HELP? To begin with, prayer is greatly appreciated during this transitional period as we begin a challenging new method of operation. Please add Showbread to your list of daily prayer points and remember our specific needs and us when you talk to God. Check our list of needs often to be able to pray for specifics or contribute to a specific need. After prayer and petition, donate as you feel led to one of our funds or to our overall ministry. Pray about supporting Showbread and Come&Live! Monthly or on an ongoing basis through a partial tithe. Please share our story with like-minded friends and family who might not follow the band as musical fans, but support our mission.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPPORTING SHOWBREAD’S MINISTRY. We are currently raising funds for our next album and offering a special edition package as a gift for certain donations.

For more info on Showbread, visit the JFH Artists Database.