Hopewell Church will host a community music night on Saturday, June 6, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the church, 2286 Hopewell Road, Elverson.

The night will feature open-mic style performances from people of all ages. The first hour will be a youth showcase, followed by two hours of more experienced talented local musicians. Following that point, a local group that meets for "jam sessions" monthly at the Village Library of Morgantown will close the show. Those in attendance are welcome to join the latter group.

The event is a fundraiser for Living Love Ministries (LLM), a locally headquartered religious nonprofit that operates a children's home in Ol Kolau, Kenya. More specifically, the event will help a group of 13 locals who plan to embark on a mission trip to the home.

There will be a silent auction at the event that will feature handcrafted items from local artists, gift cards to restaurants and local businesses, gym memberships and event tickets.

"A lot of local businesses have contributed," said Ginny Thorpe, an organizer for the event. "They've been very generous."

Food will also be available for purchase, ranging from hot dogs to barbecue, along with hoagies, sides, desserts and drinks. There will also be a "Kenya booth," which will provide hands-on learning for kids, along with face painting and yard games, weather permitting.

"They'll go around to different stations and just learn about Kenya and especially Living Love Ministries," Thorpe said. "If the weather's nice, there'll also be lots of yard games. We'll have nine square in the air, cross net, spike ball, KanJam, Jenga ... if we have room, we might set up volleyball, too."

LLM operates two orphanage-style homes in Kenya.

"Kenya is not a very wealthy country," said Rick Taylor, a pastor at Hopewell Church who is the head of LLM's U.S. board of directors. "It's not uncommon if a mother and a father pass away that the family will not take in their children because of the expense, which is very, very sad and blows us all away."

The country lacks a formal foster system, although Taylor noted that one is in development. In the meantime, LLM has been working to find ways to fill the gaps. The ministry has even considered building a school that will aid its mission of helping the country's children while teaching them valuable, employable skills.

"The big goal of our teams, when we go, is just to connect with the kids," Taylor said. "We have done construction projects, we've painted things, we do the work that is common with a lot of missions trips, but that's not really our goal. Our goal is that when we leave, that each of these kids knows that they are loved - that they're loved by Jesus and that they're loved by us.

"There are 13 people going, and this is kind of the last-push fundraiser to get us over the hump so that we can get everybody there," Taylor added.