Jackson Heights in concert at Pearson Park in Kinston in 2018. Photo courtesy of Jackson Heights

A concert in Kinston this weekend will give attendees the opportunity to support a local ministry while enjoying an evening of country music. 

Tanglewood Church of God, located at 2103 Rouse Rd. in Kinston, will host a benefit concert Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:00 p.m., featuring the band Jackson Heights. The concert is intended to benefit the Kinston-based ministry Hope Restorations. 

According to the Hope Restorations website, the ministry purchases “homes needing restoration and [hires] people who are seeking recovery from addiction, training and employing them to help make these repairs.” 

The band Jackson Heights is based in Nashville, TN, but it takes its name from the Lenoir County community of the same name, where all of its members once lived. Originally an offshoot of the Dixie Melody Boys, Jackson Heights plays a Christian country style of music. 

Allen O’Neal, vocalist and guitarist for Jackson Heights, and the only member of the band who still lives in Kinston, said he has been looking for an opportunity to give back to the community.

“The community has been so good to us,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal said his friendship with Hope Restorations founder Chris Jenkins led him to look deeper into the organization. Their mission inspired him, O’Neal said. 

“I like the way they take people who are down on their luck and help them get back into society,” O’Neal said.

The concert Saturday night is free, O’Neal said, but there will be a “love offering” taken up during the show that will go directly to supporting Hope Restorations.

Jenkins said he is very excited for the concert and thankful for the recognition of the ministry’s work in restoring both homes and lives. 

“It means a lot. It shows that there are caring people in the world and that they have faith and confidence in the work we are trying to do,” Jenkins said. 

Admission is free, but an offering in support of Hope Restorations will be taken up during the concert. 

Learn more about Jackson Heights by visiting their website here. 
Learn more about Hope Restorations and its mission at their website here, or by calling (252) 560-7507.