NIU’s Campus Crusade for Christ is holding a Music Benefit Gospel Concert to raise money to send its members to Daytona Beach over Spring Break.

Featured in Saturday’s performance will be Master of Ceremonies Laverne Day, along with gospel singing by Les Funderburg and the River Valley Boys from Rock Falls. Also performing is a group called Surrender.

The benefit will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the GE Union Hall in DeKalb, on the corner of 14th and State streets. Admission is by donation.

“NIU students will enjoy the gospel music and singing,” said Gary Mullis, coordinator of the benefit.

The Campus Crusade for Christ also will hold an auction at the music concert. “If anyone has anything they could donate to be auctioned off, please bring it to the concert or contact me ahead of time,” Mullis said.

Mullis has worked on campus for 26 years as a food service consultant and although he is not an NIU student, he still plays an active part in the Campus Crusade for Christ.

This is the first time the organization has held a gospel music benefit. “I like music, and I do a benefit drive for toys for the Salvation Army every year so I decided to put this together,” Mullis said.

The purpose of the benefit is to raise money to send 10 to 15 members of the NIU Campus Crusade for Christ to Daytona Beach over spring break to share and distribute a booklet called “The Four Spiritual Walls.”

“These booklets tell how to have a personal relationship with Jesus,” Mullis said. “We talk to people from broken homes or on drugs. A lot of people down there need our help; people everywhere do.”

This is the third year NIU Campus Crusade for Christ students have embarked on their Spring Break mission.

“The week is a time of growing and spreading God’s word, and to get in some Bible teaching at the same time,” Mullis said.

The organization’s goal during Spring Break is to “spread the word,” but also to give the students some time relaxing.

“It’s fun. A couple of times we get together as a whole campus group and go out to eat for pizza. That’s a lot of fun for the fellowship,” Mullis said.

Mullis said the crusade south has proved worthwhile in past years.

“I heard that a Campus Crusade group talked to the same guy every year on the beach. One year he finally turned his life over to the Lord. It’s very encouraging,” Mullis said.

NIU’s Campus Crusade for Christ meets at 8 p.m. every Thursday night n the Gabel Hall Auditorium.

For more information about the benefit concert, where to drop off donations or for more information on the trip, contact Mullis at 756-5524.