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Behind The Porchlight: Bringing Community Home with Emily Marschner

Abbey Sitterley | July 17, 2024 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

For Emily Marschner, summer camp is life.

For about twenty years, Emily and her family have lived and worked year-round at Hume Christian Camps, a youth camp in the middle of the Sequoia National Forest. While summer is their big event season, the camp hosts off-season retreats for adults, as well as science camps and winter getaways.

Photo from the Hume Lake Christian Camps website.

This wasn’t always the plan, though. “I’ve been up here for about 20 years,” Emily explained “I moved up here after college as an in-between until I start real life. And then…”

Behind the Porchlight with Steve Chab: Committing to Art and Community

Abbey Sitterley | May 21, 2024 | Behind the Porchlight | 1 comment

“I guess I’m more like a noisy prophet.”

A poet, a musician, a songwriter, and coder, Steve and his family hail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Equal to his passion to create is his desire to support creators. From a young age, Steve has been involved in DIY communities and arts events, driven by a desire to see artists thrive.

It all began at the age of fourteen, when Steve traded his trumpet for a guitar. Brought up on rock and roll, Steve started a bunch of metal bands in high school, soon switching to drums when drummers were scarce.

“God used my drummer dilemma to draw me to Him,” he explained. “I eventually started dating the woman who’s now my wife. She wanted to go to a church so we went to church. There’s more to this story, but I started drumming in this church before I even believed in God. Eventually, I did start believing. And so there’s no turning back now.”

Behind the Porchlight with Trailand Eltzroth: Creating Shared Stories

Abbey Sitterley | April 23, 2024 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Trailand Eltzroth is no stranger to the artist’s life on the road. Born to a singer-songwriter and a dance teacher, Trailand grew up traveling around the country with his parents as they showcased their art. From churches to college campuses, the Eltzroths served the Church with performances and workshops on Christian artistry. It was this environment that engendered Trailand’s love for songwriting and community.

“In a simple way to put it, I was like an unfocused youth, and I think music really grounded me,” he shared. “It was the thing that I grasped onto.”

Huge Matching Gift Opportunity for 2024

Justus Stout | March 21, 2024 | News | 0 comments

We’re not even three months into 2024, and already we’ve been blown away with Katy Martin as our new President of Renew the Arts. Since her appointment in January, Katy has been diligent in meeting with hosts, booking Porchlight events, and working with the team to organize all of our systems. Her passion for this work, her administrative gifts, and her strong interpersonal skills are positioning Renew the Arts for success.

The best part? Her efforts have already inspired one of our board members to pledge a matching donation for any new recurring pledges in 2024 up to a total of $10,000 out of an abundance of confidence in how things are moving forward. How exciting is that?!

This means anyone who starts a new monthly donation to support Renew the Arts of $10 a month or more will be matched dollar for dollar (up to a total of $10,000) for the remainder of 2024! Thanks to this generous donor, your recurring donation will have double the impact for the rest of this year. If you are able and willing, your participation in regular monthly giving to RTA will accelerate our growth in helping equip others to become art patrons through conversations on the podcast, providing practical hospitality opportunities through Porchlight, and modeling patronage through project sponsorships.

New Year, New Leadership

Justus Stout | January 10, 2024 | News | 0 comments

Dear family and friends who have come alongside my work at Renew the Arts,

On January 2nd, I joyfully stepped into the role of Chairman of the Board of Renew the Arts, and Katy Martin has stepped into my previous role of leadership as President and CEO of Renew the Arts.

Looking back on my many years in that role, I am most proud of the work we’ve done with Porchlight, and the sponsorships we’ve managed to provide artists over time. I think so fondly of the projects, artists, podcast episodes, and beautiful cultural artifacts I’ve had the privilege to be a part of over the last nine years (if you include my tenure at the Nehemiah Foundation for Cultural Renewal).

Why We’re Leaving Social Media

Justus Stout | May 23, 2023 | News | 0 comments

Recently, Porchlight posted the last (planned) social media content for the foreseeable future. Since you’ll hear and see less from us there, we wanted to explain ourselves a bit, and invite you into some better ways to connect with Porchlight.

First off, we recognize some productive uses for social media platforms. Lots of the artists we work to support have robust social media presences. Since most all of us use these various platforms, we probably don’t have to argue too much for their potential benefit.

Nonetheless, we’ve decided that, for our organization and work, social media conflicts almost centrally with our mission at Porchlight. I’d like to explain why.

Behind the Porchlight with the McMannis Family: Come Through, Don’t Fly Over

Abbey Sitterley | January 19, 2023 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Norman, Oklahoma is big on college football. Home of the Oklahoma Sooners, Norman is about three hours north of Dallas, a halfway point from Oklahoma to Tennessee. Norman is home to the McMannis family (arguably more soccer people than football people), transplants from California who appreciate just what a hub of connectivity their city is.

“Norman, Oklahoma can be really overlooked in terms of location,” Raeanna McMannis explained. “A lot of times, when people hear ‘Oklahoma,’ it’s kind of wrapped into the flyover states. There’s a lot of rich tradition in our town and it’s also really good thoroughfare for musicians from Tenessee that are dropping down into Dallas.”

Hosting Before Porchlight

Taking note of their prime location for touring musicians and having their interests peaked by Carly Bannister’s then-upcoming “Technically a Texas Tour” consisting of some house concerts alongside Jac Thompson and S. Grant Parker, the McMannis family fell into hosting.

Behind the Porchlight: Ghost of Christmas Present

Abbey Sitterley | December 15, 2022 | Behind the Porchlight | 1 comment

“Come in and know me better, man!” Thus, the ghost of Christmas Present greets Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge in the timeless classic A Christmas Carol. The ghost of Christmas Present, characterized by abundance, warmth, mirth, and welcome, reminds us of our best Christmases. These things about Christmas that we love most can all find fulfillment in art and hospitality. So, it follows that Christmas house concerts fit in this Christmas season like the star atop the tree.

Porchlight Christmas Show Season

This month, across the country—from Rochester, NY down to Richmond, TX, back up to San Diego, CA, and many places in between—Porchlight hosts are holding Porchlight Christmas concerts. For some, this represents the first event of the Christmas season. For others, a welcome respite from the hubbub of holiday shopping and planning. The temptation to lose oneself in either isolation or consumerism tightens its grip each passing year, with its highest potency felt during the holidays.

Behind The Porchlight: The Local Hang-Ups On Being Hosts and Artists

Abbey Sitterley | May 11, 2022 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Behind “Behind the Porchlight”

In my work with Porchlight, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to hosts around the country for this blog series. Mostly we talk about their hosting experience: the initial planning, their home and setup, interactions with the artists, and what they learned from the night. While each interview is unique, common threads spool them together. Of these, three are constant: a rooted love for God, a commitment to serve others, and the belief that music is an ordained catalyst for both.

Their stories have served to strengthen my faith. In these polarizing and isolating times, it’s life-giving to hear how others are welcoming the stranger and feeding the hungry (both physically and creatively) with the first fruits of what they have: their homes, kitchens, friend groups, sound equipment, stages, and most valuably—their vulnerability and time. They offer whatever they have, as they are.

Behind The Porchlight: Curating Community with the DuBois

Abbey Sitterley | April 13, 2022 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Just outside Asheville city limits, you can find the home of Bryan and Karen DuBois. The large picture window that graces the front of their house mirrors a twin piece of glass looking out into their backyard—a symbol of their home’s openness to community.

When the DuBois hosted artists Zane Vickery and Carly Taich a couple of months ago, it was their first experience like this. It has served as a new chapter in an already storied history of hospitality. “I think it starts back with family, at least for me,” Karen shared. “I come from a big family so I like to have a lot of people around. My mom wasn’t necessarily the best cook, but she could put out a big pot of food. And if the neighbor kid was over and it was dinner time, that was okay. There was a plate for the neighbor kid. It was ‘If you want to stay, you’re welcome to.’ I kind of grew up like that. And we always wanted our kids to have their friends come over when they wanted.”