Local citizens got a chance to spend a spectacularly beautiful Saturday afternoon playing, picnicking and enjoying Christian rock with an international edge.

Song of Ascents, an Atlanta-based group made up of young musicians whose families all hail from the same region of India, performed outdoors at LifeLine Church in Greenville.

The church’s worship leader, Brent Crawford, accompanied himself on the guitar, singing several gospel songs before Song of Ascents took the stage.

“I used to play in places a lot different than this. Places where I was pretty sure all they wanted me to do was quit singing,” Crawford told the crowd, adding, “Believe me, church is a lot better place to play.”

In addition to the free concert, LifeLine also had a couple of bouncy castles and big slide to keep the younger set entertained. Everyone was welcome to calm any hunger pangs at Aunt Bobo’s food wagon before Song of Ascents provided food for the spirit.

One of the band members, Sandeep Solomon, is a former member of LifeLine. He attended the church while he was a student at Auburn University at Montgomery. A number of family and friends of Solomon and his band mates came to support the young musicians, who performed in a tour of India last year.

As a special treat for their Greenville audience, the band performed the southern rock favorite, “Sweet Home Alabama,” along with anthemic praise songs and hard-driving rock numbers to uplift and inspire those listening.

The group also led the Sunday morning worship service at LifeLine.

“I think we particularly needed this event on this beautiful day . . . so much is going on with these hurricanes . . . we need to be reminded who we can always look to no matter what the situation,” said Lifeline’s pastor, Eric Jackson, who also lead the crowd in a special prayer for hurricane evacuees.