A long-abandoned Nashville church tucked between a busy road and an interstate is finding new purpose as a creative center for veterans, and it all came together in the most “Music City” way possible.
Last year, the founder of CreatiVets, Richard Casper, was at the home of Grammy Award-winning singer Amy Grant. That day, Casper told her about his dream to buy an old abandoned church on the west side of Nashville. Unknown to him was that Grant knew exactly which church he was talking about. In fact, she had been praying that the building would find purpose.
“Amy told me ‘there’s a reason God brought you here today,’ and she offered to help us secure it,” Casper told The Daily Wire. “Only later did I learn that just a week before my visit, she had parked outside that same church and prayed out loud.”
Casper, a veteran himself, struggled after returning from war, where he saw friends and fellow soldiers killed in battle. He says art was what kept him going when times got tough, and he’s devoted his life to bringing it to other veterans through the organization. The 41-year-old Marine brought CreatiVets to Nashville for the arts scene, and had been working with songwriters and meeting influential people to share his mission.
Credit: CreatiVets
Casper said Grant told him she stopped in the parking lot and prayed that the church building would be used for something good.
“I don’t know what’s coming here, but I want to be a part of it.”
It’s a promise Grant has kept. The Daily Wire joined Grant on a trip to see the soon-to-be home for CreatiVets and assess the progress as the old church becomes a center filled with rooms for veterans to heal through art and music.
“I see how much is possible when a lot of people chip in,” Grant told The Daily Wire. “Richard cooperates with a kind of trust in his fellow man, and that makes you want to be a part of whatever he’s doing. I think he trusts the capacity of veterans to heal and everybody wants to be a part of that.”
Dozens gathered to help paint the outside of the church and the sanctuary, which will be used as an auditorium for performances. The parking lot was full of volunteers, food trucks, and coffee pop-ups. Veterans were among those who poured into this church so others could heal. Comedian and singer Hannah Dasher was among those working on the church so it could serve those who served.
“As a nonprofit, having people show up and put that kind of effort behind our mission means so much,” Casper said.
Credit: CreatiVets
“This is a creative town,” Dasher told The Daily Wire. “We’ve got art rooms that are going up. We’ve got songwriters rooms that are coming in here. So many writers’ rooms. We’ve got a sanctuary, that’s going to be a venue and a place of worship and a house of prayer.”
“It’s a 19,000-square-foot therapy building. A healing house.”
This Veterans Day marks one year since actor Gary Sinise donated $1 million to CreatiVets through the Gary Sinise Foundation to help Casper reach the $3 million needed to secure the property. Without that gift and two generous anonymous donations, the deal wouldn’t have gone through. Casper and his supporters, including Dasher, called it a “miracle.”
“Naturally I want to be attached to something that’s obviously, divinely backed and what a great way to provide an outlet for veterans,” Dasher said.
The plan is for the center to open in March. A lot of progress has been made, but there is still much to do to turn this church into a 24-hour creative center. Plus, the project has seen its fair share of setbacks, including two burglaries in which copper and other items were stolen.
Still, Casper is focusing on the blessings CreatiVets has experienced over the last year, and he has this message of hope for his fellow veterans this Veterans Day.
“To my fellow veterans: your service will always be part of your story, but there is still so much story left to write. I want you to know that art is an option for healing. You don’t have to call yourself an artist or a musician to get started. Sometimes creating something helps you express what you haven’t been able to say. This Veterans Day, know that you matter, you belong, and you don’t have to figure out what comes next alone.”
