Barclay Martin's New Mission

Good Works and Good Music in the Philippines

Story by Pete Dulin. Photography by John Nosack.

Published: Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Who would travel 16,000 miles round-trip for the sake of performing in one concert? Wait, there’s more. The concert is dependent on the cooperation and participation of Muslims and Christians in the Philippines. Barclay Martin has already made this arduous journey once from Kansas City to Zamboanga, Philippines to prepare logistics for this undertaking. He departed again for a second two-week trip in late April 2007, another trip in September, and intends to return again early next year.

Make no mistake, Martin is a musician with a mission, but he is no missionary in the traditional religious sense. In order to achieve significant goals, he agreed to work with The Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA), an international organization that provides educational, medical, spiritual, and nutritional support for the impoverished. To share CFCA’s message and to increase awareness of their mission, Martin and filmmaker John Nosack were invited to undertake and document an unusual effort: to write, create, choreograph, and produce a concert with and for the people of Zamboanga. Creating a concert from scratch in a third-world country under harsh conditions is a mighty challenge. To make matters more complex and potentially more rewarding, Martin and Nosack were asked to embrace the entire community in the concert by including Muslims, Christians, indigenous people, and foreigners. After returning from the initial trip, Martin shared details and personal insight into his experiences and plans.

Faraway Land
Zamboanga, known as the City of Flowers, is one of many places that Martin visited during the initial trip after arriving in Manila. “Zamboanga is a little peninsula that sticks out really far to the south,” says Martin. The city’s only port is a “home to schemers, travelers, and street peddlers of all kinds.”

Besides the beautiful seaside view, the city serves as a key base of operations for both CFCA and Martin. Twenty-five years ago, CFCA established facilities and programs in the Philippines that have since grown to encompass five major projects and 212 small-scale projects. The organization launched one project in Zamboanga where more than 3500 youth have been enrolled in elementary school, high school, college, and vocational training. CFCA offers monthly catechism classes and annual activities such as summer camp, a sports festival, and retreats. The one-to-one sponsorship program aids persons by providing them with food, monthly vitamins, and social activities. CFCA’s presence and network within the community enables Martin to rely on available resources and established relationships.

“The objective for the first trip was to become acquainted with the project, communicate the purpose of the project within the community, and start taking trips into the various Christian, Muslim, and indigenous communities” says Martin. “Essentially, I have to open up the conversation and make sure they are comfortable with my presence there.”