Building 429 at Work

Word Records' popular rock act, Building 429, finished out 2006 with a trip to Germany with ministry to American soldiers on German military bases.

In December, Building 429 was featured at the 27th annual Christian Rock Night in Ennepetal, Germany along with Tree 63, Thousand Foot Krutch, RED, Decyfer Down and local bands such as Saphena, Crushead and Allee der Kosmonauten. The band also performed at the Heidelberg, Hanau and Baumholder US Army installations. The performances ranged from a Sunday morning worship service to a welcome home event in Baumholder for over 4,500 troops returning from Iraq. Building 429 was also invited to spend time with the troops and their families while in Germany.

"We have never been more sure of the presence of the Lord than we were as we stood on the stages in Germany and played for our heroes ... the ARMY," says lead vocalist, Jason Roy. "Every conversation that we had, and every soldier that we spoke with reminded us of just how BIG our God is. The Lord's presence was tangible on the Army bases and in the cities that we visited while in Germany, and we have returned home changed men."

While in Germany, the band also had the opportunity to use the city of Heidelberg as a backdrop for a photo shoot in support of their upcoming album, Iris to Iris. The album, which is set to release May 1, 2007, is currently receiving final touches with esteemed producer Brown Bannister. A spring tour with TobyMac is set to begin mid-March.

In addition to their travels and touring, Building 429 is also currently the featured artist on Big Shiny Planet, an innovative, video-driven Bible study for teens, led by popular Christian artists. Each featured artist presents a Bible lesson based on one of their songs. Building 429's study, "Buck Up!" is based around the popular track, "Fearless," from the group's latest album, Rise. The study focuses on battling fear with what we know to be true about God, with the foundation of the message coming from Joshua 6.

Lead singer Jason Roy says, "We're very excited to be a part of Big Shiny Planet Bible studies and believe that music is a great way to communicate God's Word." In addition to participating in the Bible study, teens have an opportunity to enter the Big Shiny Planet contest for a chance to win an autographed Building 429 CD (one given away weekly), or a grand prize consisting of a Big Shiny Planet study and collection of CD's from Word Records. Big Shiny Planet is committed to meeting the media-driven, interactive needs of teenagers living in the 21st century. The Big Shiny Planet Bible studies allow teens to hear the Word, be encouraged and still engage in a relevant, musical and media-savvy study experience.