Pastor Scott MacLeod Shares the Vision Behind the 24 Hour Worship Livestream Event “Pure River at the Ryman”

In response to the chaos and turbulence seen across our nation, Harvest Sound International announced their 24 hour livestream event "Pure River at the Ryman". The 24 hour event will be livestreamed live from the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville over the course of 2 days, September 21-22, 2020.
 
Pure River at the Ryman will feature leading artists from across a wide range of music, including Ricky Skaggs, Loretta Lynn, Alison Krauss, Michael W. Smith, The Katinas, Danny Gokey, Phil Keaggy, Jason Crabb, Rhonda Vincent, Eddie James, Beckah Shae, Jason Upton, and more. The worship event will be livestreamed live from the Ryman Auditorium throughout the two days of the event. 

We are honored to catch up with the founder of the event, Pastor Scott MacLeod, for this exclusive interview.

Q: Pastor Scott, thanks for doing this interview with us. Let's start with yourself: tell us about yourself and your ministry with Harvest Sound International.

I'm from Canada and moved to Nashville in 1986. I worked in the Christian music industry as a drummer and producer for many years, but there was something missing. My friends and I searched out the words of Jesus in Matthew 25, where he says "whatever you've done unto the least of these, you've done unto me." Through this, we found what was missing: serving the poor and forgotten. God brought us to an inner-city community full of drugs, prostitution and fatherless homes, and we began to serve children, single moms, drug dealers through compassion and creativity. This began our non-profit/church, Harvest Sound International. We are passionate about combining the two forces of creativity and compassion to bring transformation to individuals, communities, and culture.

Q: What is the "24 Hour Worship Livestream Event" about? When will it be happening?

In 2 Chronicles 20:21-22, Israel was surrounded by enemies, and the strategy was to send the musicians to the head of the army in battle. When they began to sing "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever," the Lord sent ambushes on the enemy, and Israel gained the victory! With all the turmoil and "war", in a sense, happening in our nation, only God can intervene and bring change. Pure River is about releasing worship and prayer believing that He will bring intervention in our nation. We believe Pure River will change the tide in our nation through the sound of pure worship.

Pure River takes place on September 21st and 22nd from noon to midnight. It will be broadcasted live on harvestsound.com.

Q: How was the idea of this event birthed?

My son, Daniel, received a vision from God on January 10, 2020. He saw a polluted river flowing through downtown Nashville, and the name of the river was "false fulfillment". God showed him that this river would dry up, and downtown Nashville would become a ghost town. We all thought this vision was pretty unlikely, but low and behold... it happened! With all the pandemic shut-downs, Nashville literally became a ghost town. That same night on January 10th Daniel's friend, Seth, saw another vision. He saw a Pure River from heaven flowing from downtown Nashville. The river was Jesus, people drank from Him and would never thirst again. We knew by the shutdown, that these two visions were truly from God and they were a strategy to bringing a shift to our city, and even our nation.

Q: Why is the event called "Pure River at the Ryman"?

I asked God how this new river will come about. The Lord said, "Go back to the roots of the Ryman Auditorium," which was originally called the Union Gospel Tabernacle and was the epicenter for spiritual revival in Tennessee. God said, "The Ryman is the fountain of the pure river." Thus the name became, Pure River at the Ryman. Q: You have quite a diverse of artists who will be performing, some from the genre of CCM, country, bluegrass, and Gospel. Why is it important for you to include artists from various genres? Was it difficult to get these artists to participate? We believe it's important to God that every stream be represented, as we believe He wants to use every genre for His glory. We've found that artists have been very willing and really excited to jump on board to be a part of this! It seems that many people have been longing for the same thing.

Q: How will this event encourage those of us who will watching it?

We believe Pure River will be a great source of encouragement for all who watch! Most Americans undergo a barrage of fear, stress and confusion that is fueled by the media. In such tumultuous times, we must "rise above" through worship and remember that God is on the throne! As 2 Chronicles 20:12 says, "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You." The only way we can receive peace and encouragement in these times is to lift our vision higher and focus on Jesus.

Q: Do you have more of such streaming events coming in the near future?

Not as of right now, but be sure to follow Harvest Sound on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube and visit our website, harvestsound.com for updates! 

Pure River at the Ryman will feature a wide collection of artists spanning across genres. Every half hour, on the historic Ryman stage, bands (semi-unplugged) will perform via the Live Stream. As a part of the event's efforts to return to the Ryman's spiritual roots, each artist has been asked to prepare one hymn that has guided their life as part of their worship set.
 
Find out more about Pure River at the Ryman online at
harvestsoundinternational.com/pureriver. 

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