Adam Cates
By Suzanne O'Keeffe, 700 Club Interactive
CBN.com –Adam grew up in a Christian home with his parents in ministry and his father a pastor. He said it was a great upbringing and a good home life. In the 80's when he was 7, he experienced a life-shattering trauma. There was a male teen that lived across the street and Adam was molested by him. He described it as a "defining moment" in his life. The teen threatened him with a knife saying he would use it on Adam if he ever told anyone. Since he was young and a preacher's kid, he had no context for this event never having been exposed to anything like that. He kept it to himself and never told his parents. Fear made its entrance and tormented Adam. For example, while riding his bike he would pedal home as fast as he could as if something were chasing him. At night he would have to sleep with the light on.
When Adam was 12 years old, he attended a youth group and told one of his friends he had been molested. This young man told his parents who in turn informed Adam's parents. Adam continued to learn to live with the fear, finding no comfort but all the while living in a loving home. When he was 15, his mother took him to a youth conference called Acquire the Fire. During the conference Adam felt the presence of the Lord in his life for the first time. He had always been aware that something was always missing in his life, and he surrendered to the Lord. While he attended public school he experienced battles and conflicts which were only magnified since he had never confronted the violation committed against him. Adam was in his teens when he was introduced to a male mentor who he felt comfortable with and shared his struggles. Through months of prayer the Lord began healing and bringing deliverance as fragments of his life were brought into wholeness.
THE SOUND OF WORSHIP
As a young boy, Adam had an interest in music and singing. During his teen years he went on a mission's trip to Mongolia. During the trip he was given access to an acoustic guitar and he learned three chords that he played over and over. When he returned home his father bought him his own guitar. As time passed he began to lead worship and he felt a real connection to the presence of God. As he played and spent time worshipping, his music and song developed into a freedom of expression; barring his soul to the Lord with a divine exchange between them. When he was 19, he met musician Jason Upton and together they wrote music and led worship around town. Adam never looked back. Ministry and worship was a perfect fit.
Today Adam is founder and pastor of Big House Church. His desire is to see artists find their identity in Christ and not in their music or opinions of "listeners." He said that Big House is like an incubator for musicians and other artists as they came from all over being "un-churched" and "prodigals". The common denominator is worship and worship until the presence of the Lord comes. Experiencing the love of the Father brings people out of the cycle of unhealthy relationships all the while defining people who they are in Christ. Adam loves seeing people have a new sense of wholeness that can only come from being with the Lord. His heart is to have individuals "taste and see that the Lord is good" and that they develop visionary eyes for what the Lord has planned for them. Big House accepts people where they are, introducing them to a "seeking Him sensitive" atmosphere that takes them to a deep encounter with the Lord.