This weekend, Memorial Baptist Church proved Saturday night concerts aren't just for barflies and music aficionados.

The Memorial Baptist Church Praise Team played uplifting songs in front of a stained glass backdrop to nearly 80 of their fellow parishioners. From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the band played Christian songs to an audience seated in the pews. 

And the event was a charitable one.

The concert generated $446.75 along with heaping piles of clothes and home goods lining the lobby to be donated to the less fortunate sects of the South Providence Neighborhood Ministries (SPNM).

Organizers were happy with the turn-out.

"I think the event was awesome and well attended," said Amy Thomas, 43, the youth coordinator for SPNM.

SPNM is one of 10 non-profit organizations the Memorial Baptist Church aids annually. Each fall the church performs a concert for one of those organizations. Last year the event supported Doorways.

"We didn't do anything. Julie [Robinson], the singer - she contacted us," said Thomas regarding their first experience working with MBC.

Outreach and community is the church's larger message.

"You're not going to find a more caring community anywhere else. We're second to none," said Rev. Del Demosthenes.

Rev. Demosthenes, 36, has been the Religious Instructor for MBC for two years, and was welcomed by the parishioners with open arms and with a similar goal in mind: less pontificating and more participating.

"We realize within a mix there are diversities in people's religious journeys; they're in different places. We celebrate the things we have in common and minimize the differences. . . At the core we all like to care for one another. That transcends," said the pastor.

As a trained social worker the reverend recognizes people's immediate needs. He and his church of 200 members strive to be locally active to help less fortunate neighbors.

While the chords to "Amazing Grace" resonated within the church, the Rev. Demonsthenes paraphrased from Matthew 25:31, the reading which focuses on fulfilling the needs of others and drives his church's mission.

Lending the reading to practical application, Rev. Demosthenes correlated the teachings with the benefit concert.

"With the money brought in, a portion is allocated internally, but a significant portion is for neighborhood organizations we're about such as Crossroads and the Food Patriots," said Rev. Demosthenes.

The MBC's charity events are always a big hit.

"[The concert] was very, very successful," said Financial Secretary, Nancy Smutek, 76, flanked by the car loads' worth of donated items.

The church planned to extend donations through Sunday, Nov. 7, and deliver the goods to SPNM at the beginning of the following week.