Guiller Contreras is heading back to Rimbey for the 'One Heart Youth Concert' - set to run on May 30 at the Peter Lougheed Community Centre.
Under the band and ministry name of 'Long Live the King', Contreras promises an evening packed with superb tunes, worship. testimonies, prizes and lots of fun.
And it's not just for youth - it's essentially an 'all ages' event with something for pretty much everyone, said Contreras, who live in Kneehill County near Three Hills. "It's a free event, and I promise everyone is going to have a good time.
"I have been playing music since I was four years old," he said during a recent interview. "I first started playing drums, and then guitar. And now I'm almost 35 - this is all I have done, and honestly it's kind of a blur. It's also become a career over the past 12 years - 10 years full-time.
"It's come so far from where it started, which is awesome. It's my childhood dream, and I don't take any of it for granted."
For Contreras, who is originally from Colombia, his ministry is not about religion - it's about relationship, he explained.
"I'm simply preaching God's unconditional love that completely saved and changed my life, and which I couldn't live without."
His family came to Canada when he was 10, and they originally settled in Calgary. "We moved here in 2001, and it was a good opportunity we had as a family to move from Colombia - at the time it was quite dangerous, and there wasn't a lot of opportunity," he said.
Over the years, music has taken him all over the world.
"We are a 'live event' ministry - and we always have two goals. Number one is to present the love of Christ and the gospel message to people who would not normally set foot inside a church. We have an edgy platform, which brings in people from all over the community.
"Our show is an experience with music, with video, with stories, with my testimony - we do both Christian and secular songs, rock and pop songs, drum solos - there is something in there for everybody of all ages, all backgrounds, and all beliefs," he said.
"The other goal is we have it about bringing Christians back to Christ. I was raised in a Christian home, and was doing 'Christian' things my whole life. But there was a point when I was far away from Jesus. You can do all of these Christian things, and it doesn't mean you have a personal relationship with Christ."
Again, he emphasized that while the concerts serve as a tool for connecting with youth, they are open to all ages.
"All ages love it. So we are really looking forward to this - it's the second time we will be doing this event in Rimbey. We were here last year, and it was a really unique experience. I reached out to (Rimbey New Life Fellowship), and they rented out the hockey arena.
"I was like, oh boy. I have done so many events where I love people's enthusiasm, but they get a bit ahead of themselves and I'm thinking it's going to be empty - maybe 30 or 40 people there," he said with a laugh.
"But these guys worked so hard - they completely proved me wrong! They set up 200 chairs, and we found we didn't have enough chairs for the people that came out. It was awesome - a very memorable show.
"So this time, hopefully we get even more people. We've also built up the event, too - we have other artists with us, and we are making it a bit longer," he said, adding he's grateful for the efforts of New Life Fellowship in hosting the event and working to spread the word.
When not on the road, Contreras is also busy recording music, too. Currently, his latest tune, Extraordinary, has just been launched to Christian radio.
"Another one that has been rotating on radio for about a year now, that has done really well, is a song called Closer."
For Pastor Rick Williams of New Life Fellowship, seeing Contreras return to town for another concert is a joy.
"It's from that group of kids that our kids can make friendships that will last forever," said Williams. "They will also be able to take that next step in their faith walk.
"Ultimately, we want to make this a yearly event that reaches out into the Central Alberta area, and have it non-denominational - just open wide."
For more about Guiller Contreras's music and ministry, head to www.longlivetheking.ca.
