A sweet spirit of worship filled the auditorium of Cross Pointe Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC on Thursday, December 29th. Cross Pointe’s worship team began to minister before “The Hoppersâ€Â took the stage. As the praise team sang  “Beulah Land,” the Spirit of the Lord began to sweep over the packed auditorium. The band subsided to the praise team and congregation singing a cappella. You could feel the presence of the Lord moving in this place.  With hands lifted high, the worship team began to sing “What A Day That Will Be.”  Praise and worship doesn’t get any better than that.
The Hoppers took to the stage singing Stepping on the Clouds. The spirit was still thick in the air with fans soaking it all in, when all of a
sudden the power goes out on stage… sound system and all! Dean stepped to the end of the stage and said in a loud voice “have you enjoyed The Hoppers here tonight?†The audience burst into laughter. After a brief and fabulous piano solo by Josh Simpson, the power was back on.  There is one thing for certain; we never experienced a spiritual outage!
The Hoppers then began to sing Hope… should I say more! Kim is in the house! Audience is on their feet.  A favorite He Remembers to Forget written by Jim Brady is a beautiful reminder to Christians, that no matter how far away one may have strayed from the cross, “He remembers to forget, what mercy forgave.†Amen! Follow that with an astounding performance of Something’s Happening and once again the audience rose to their feet!
With the stage adorned in Christmas attire, it only seemed fitting for The Hoppers to mix in a few Christmas themed songs throughout the program. Yahweh, I Wanna Hear the Angels Sing and Beautiful Star of Bethlehem  we’re definite fan favorites.
Just before Connie begins to sing I’ve Come Too Far to Look Back, she tells the story of when they were at the airport waiting for their flight to Israel, a group of ladies speaking loudly started to witness to a gentleman sitting nearby. They began to speak of peace when the gentleman turned to Connie and asked “Do you have this peace they are speaking of?†Connie testified that she was so glad she could answer yes. I have that peace that passes all understanding. The Hoppers finished the first half with Yes I Am and with the Cross Pointe choir backing them up on the choruses of Jerusalem.
Dean started the second half of the concert off with a remarkable performance of I’ve Been To Heaven, Though I Never Left The Room. Also featured on the second half was Dean and Kim’s daughter, Karlye. What a beautiful rendition of Nobody’s Too Bad or To Good. As the night drew to a close Claude Hopper did the title cut off his solo project If I Can Help Somebody. The message for 2012 is one of hope and peace. Reach out and help somebody who is less fortunate. The Hoppers ended the concert with Shouting Time and had the people on their feet once again.
Special thanks to Angela Griffin for the Concert Review and Pictures!