Sister Erin Roach, a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has reached thousands of people online through her music. Roach, currently serving in the Germany Berlin Mission, regularly posts covers of music centered on Jesus Christ on Facebook and puts on small street performances, but one of her most recent original songs has reached more than 21,000 views on social media.
Roach said she had difficulties learning German and felt like she wasn’t doing well at the beginning of her 18-month mission. The self-taught guitarist said she turned to songwriting to relieve that stress.
She said she received inspiration for an original song when she was praying and felt the need to read the Book of Mormon, a book considered scripture along with the Bible. “I read a scripture about Christ being the rock of our salvation, and at that moment, inspired words filled my head. I immediately got out a piece of paper, a writing utensil, and began writing these words. 5 minutes later the song was done,” she said in a Facebook post.
Roach then composed the music and performed it at a Church gathering. One of the listeners approached her after the performance and offered to record the song professionally. They created the following music video:
In the short span of four months, the video has reached 5,000 views on Facebook and more than 16,000 views on YouTube. Roach said she has received a lot of positive responses. She recounted that a young member of the Church messaged her on Facebook and told her he was unsure if he was going to serve a mission, but, after hearing her song, he knew that he needed to go. “I never thought I could make an impact on people like that,” said Roach.
With the unexpected outcome, Roach says she is always trying to write new songs centered on Jesus Christ. She said her goal with music is “the missionary theme: inviting others to come unto Christ.”
Roach and her missionary companion work with local members of the Church to post covers of Church music every Monday on Facebook. The page is titled “Musikalischer Montag”