If you knew Adrian Jones several years ago, chances are you might not recognise him today.

The 24-year-old had a transformational experience with God five years ago. These days he’s a praise and worship leader at New Creation Worship Centre and focused on helping people from all walks of life experience the same joy and freedom in their faith.

One way he plans to do that is through Release, a gospel concert at St Paul AME Centennial Hall next Friday at 7pm.

“Ever since I was saved and I invited Jesus Christ into my life He has taken me from A to Z,” Mr Jones said.

“I was something totally different from what I am now and I want people to have the capability to do that and provide them with the platform to experience what I did. Because I know where I came from and where I am now.

“It’s only by God’s grace and His mercy that I was able to do this. If you ask my friends who I was, many of them still can’t believe it — and it’s been years.”

Mr Jones walked into a service at New Creation Worship Centre one day at age 19 — and walked out with a new lease on life.

“I was sitting there and it was like every single word was directed at me,” he said. “I was connecting to everything the preacher was saying and it convinced me. I went home that day and said, ‘Momma, I just got saved and gave my heart to the Lord’.

“That was the turning point. It wasn’t like I had a bad life. I was enjoying my time, but I knew there was more I could be doing with the gift God had given me.”

He continued: “So if He can fix someone like me there’s no limit to what God can do in your life.

“We like to put God in a box and put our problems above his capabilities. But I serve a God who created the heavens and the earth and everyone in it. Why do we think He can’t move in our lives and circumstances as well.”

He started to bend his life to God’s will.

It’s the best decision he ever made, Mr Jones said.

He realised he had a gift for singing at age five. He sang with various church and school choirs and even directed a choir as a teenager.

He took his skills a step further when he enrolled at Valor Christian College in Columbus, Ohio.

“I left with a certificate in music ministry in May 2014,” he said. “So now I’m back at New Creation Worship Centre as the worship leader there and I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s definitely my passion.”

He came up with the idea for next week’s concert only a few months after he completed his studies.

“The concert came about one day. I can’t remember what I was doing. I was home and the word I got was ‘Release’. It just came into my head and I knew God had given it to me,” he said.

“I wrote it down. I didn’t know what to do with it — whether He wanted me to write a song or preach a message based on the word.

“So what I do in a situation like that is wait, pray and listen. As I did that God began to draw and lead me to different things. He started giving me different ways for how to approach and define the word and over time it became this event.”

He approached Gina Spence Productions in Christ for their support in bringing the concert to life.

Mr Jones said he wants the concert to be a safe space where people can “release” their fears, doubts, worries and constraints and give them over to God.

“My ultimate goal is to accommodate people from all denominations — both churched and unchurched people,” he said.

“I want people to come out even if they don’t know what it’s about, but just come out and witness for themselves what it is. It’s a place where you can come to be free and worship God without any restraint and without holding anything back.

“If you feel you need a place to go to just let it all out and scream, shout, run or jump or do a cartwheel — whatever you want to do to release to God. This is the place to do it.”

He said a lot of times people are curious about spirituality, but intimidated by the atmosphere.

“A lot of times people shy away from really churchy events if they are not from the church,” Mr Jones said. “They think of the pews and the pipe organs and that’s all fine, but this event is for people who are looking for a more contemporary side to worship.

“We will have some traditional songs and regular praise music, but there will also be rap and spoken word. I’ve planned to incorporate a lot into one night and you don’t want to miss this.”

Gina Spence believes Mr Jones is part of a wave of young Christians making a huge impact for the Kingdom of God. “I believe this is the time and season for people like Adrian who have a gifting or a calling to really shine,” she said. “We hear all the time about young men caught up in antisocial behaviours; they are in his age bracket and they say it’s great that they can look and find someone and see and hear his story and see how God has changed his life.”

Release will also feature local gospel artists Tricray, Tristin, Shayla Woods and Septimus.

Tickets, $25 in advance, $30 at the door and $50 for patrons, are available at Mystiques. The dress code is urban/smart casual.