Newsletter/ July 13th
Hello and a great day to everybody!
I hope each of you is having a great day whether you’re reading this in the morning, at noon, in the evening or at night. The Bible tells us this is the day the Lord made, and we are to rejoice in it. I hope you can rejoice with great joy.
It’s been awhile since I’ve written, so let’s get caught up on the latest happenings.
The Outdoor…UMMM…Better Make That Indoor…Block Party
June 19th found us singing at Union Baptist Church in Mexico, MO. We sang there last July for a fish fry, and they asked us back again this year for their block party. This was an outdoor event with lots of games for kids, snow cones, popcorn, grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and lots of carry-in dishes. When I arrived to set the sound equipment up on the flat bed trailer there was not a cloud in the sunny hot sky. We got everything set up and our sound checks done, and we were ready to go. It was still sunny on the east side of the church when I went inside to change clothes.
Before I made it to the changing room, the pastor stopped me and said his phone showed a large thunderstorm headed our way. He said it appeared to be about two hours away and asked what we wanted to do. When we walked outside, we noticed the wind had started blowing pretty hard. When we looked to the west it was as black as night, and the sky was full of lightning. We determined this storm was more like fifteen minutes away! In a mad dash, we tore down the sound equipment and got the last component inside just as the heavens opened up and poured. I don’t know that we’ve ever torn down our equipment that fast before! A huge thanks goes out to all those who helped lug the equipment inside. Without their help, we wouldn’t have made it.
We set the sound up in the sanctuary and ended up singing indoors after the meal. It worked out well because some of the ladies who were working in the kitchen before the meal got to come in and hear us sing. If we had been outside, they would have missed it. Thanks to Pastor Matt Simpson, his wife Tiffany, and Carolyn Crum for having us again this year. Thanks, also, to Ronnie for all his help with the sound equipment, both before and after the rain.
Another Festival
On June 26th, Prairie Grove Baptist Church had their 8th Community Festival. This is a day of bounce houses, bungee runs, mazes, carnival-style games, prizes, food, gospel music, fire trucks and caring people. All of it is provided to the community for free. The people of Prairie Grove work hard to get everything ready so they can show the love of Christ to the neighborhood they are located in. It was a wonderful day (no rain, but hot in the afternoon), and there was some great music. The lineup included: Out of the Valley, Cathy Bertel, Forever His, Matt Carroll and us. I think everyone had a great time and were blessed by being a part of the day.
I admire all the hard work and dedication that the Prairie Grove congregation exhibits when they put on the festival. It is tremendously labor intensive (putting up and tearing down the big carnival tent and various inflatables, setting up and manning the carnival games, preparing all the food, etc.). Thanks go out to Grant Timbrook and the whole Prairie Grove family for all their hard work and dedication to the people of their community.
Chicago, Chicago….
Well, it wasn’t really Chicago, but it was close! For the 4th of July, we were in Limestone Township, IL, which is about eight miles west of Kankakee, which is just south of Chicago. (So, maybe it’s a little bit of a stretch to say we sang in Chicago.) Pastor Phil Dorries and the Limestone Community Church of the Nazarene invited us to sing during their morning service and again under the tent after the lunch they offered the community of Limestone. Just like Union Baptist and Prairie Grove they had lots of activities. (An inflatable water slide, water balloons, fire trucks and games for kids.) They also had a washers game and a bean bag tournament (which I signed up for). Sadly, my partner Jeff and I went down to defeat in the first round. All in all, it was a great day, even with the bean bag defeat.
We want to thank everyone at Limestone for making us feel welcome at their church. (This was amazing, since I was a St. Louis Cardinal fan wandering into Chicago Cub territory!) It is proof once again how strong the bond of Christ’s Church is. It’s even stronger than ties to your favorite baseball team! Pastor Dorries is a great guy, and he made it clear to us when we got there he is a big God and country man. That made us happy since we are also big God and country people. He got up early the morning of the 4th to line the driveway of the church with flags. They looked great! Limestone Church also has a heart for their community, which is evidenced by their name change to Limestone Community Church.
We also want to send a big thank you to Dave and Vera Barnhart for housing us on Saturday night the 3rd. This not only saved us a motel bill but let us meet some wonderful new friends. Dave and Vera truly have servant’s hearts and we appreciate all they did to accommodate us during our stay. We enjoyed sitting outside in their beautiful yard enjoying the nice evening the Lord gave us. We also enjoyed ice cream and cobbler, the chance to practice our songs, a good night’s sleep, breakfast, and a jump start of the van when it wouldn’t start the next morning! They were gracious and giving hosts. Check out some of Vera’s beautiful flowers in the Limestone gallery of the Photo Album of our website.
Coming Up
This coming Sunday, the 18th, we sing in the morning service at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church near California, MO. This is our second time to sing at Pastor Dave Griffith’s church, and we are looking forward to it.
Saturday the 24th finds us in Lee’s Summit, MO, at a benefit concert at the V.F.W. Hall. This concert is to raise funds for two brothers afflicted with Niemann Pick’s disease, which is childhood Alzheimer’s. The Liberty Belles will also be a part of this benefit. In fact, Bob Worley will be running the sound for the concert. Please be in prayer for these two boys and their family. Also pray that the benefit will raise a substantial amount of money to help with their many needs.
Saturday, the 31st, we sing at Shiloh Baptist Church in Moberly, MO. This will be our first time there, and we are excited about the opportunity. We want to thank Mark Lowery (the auto mechanic, not the comedian!) for arranging for us to come and sing. The only trouble is he arranged it for the Saturday his family has a reunion. He’s not even going to get to be at the concert! (Hmm, did he do that on purpose????)
Sunday, August 1st, we will be at the Assembly of God church in Centralia, MO. We once again get to be with Pastor David Hartgrove and his congregation. I can’t remember how many times we have sung there over the years. Pastor Hartgrove is the first pastor who invited us to sing after we became a duet. We look forward to seeing old friends and enjoying a great time in Centralia.
After that we leave for a trip up into Iowa for several dates. I promise I will get another letter written before we leave.
Please pray that God will fill up our schedule according to his will. We’ve had two concerts cancelled this month. That brings the total to four or five for the year. Some of the cancellations have been on very short notice, which makes it nearly impossible to find a replacement concert. This does have an affect our income. We know God is in control. He has in the past, and will always in the future, meet our needs, but since we are imperfect human beings, we do tend to get discouraged at times when these things happen. We know God has reasons why we were not allowed to sing in these places, and we know He knows best. It is our prayer that He will replace these concerts with opportunities He wants us to have that serve His purposes.
In closing, we thank you again for all your prayer support. That is the greatest thing any of you can do for us. We truly want to be used by God for His honor and His glory. If you want to see some new pictures of where we have recently been, go to www.ambassadorsofgrace.com and look in the Photo Gallery.
Because of Christ,
Dennis and Cheryl
P.S. Would you please also pray for our friend C.H. Cassil? We just found out he has Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, which is a disease of the liver bile ducts. This disease has left him very fatigued and only able to “piddle around” instead of being the active, hard working person he has always been. A specialist has not given him much hope of getting better and has told him to adjust to a “new normal.” C.H. and his wife, Cheryl, are the organizers of the Jamestown, MO, Labor Day Celebration Gospel Tent. I know they would both covet your prayers during this time, not only for God’s touch on C.H., but for His will for their lives and blessings on the Labor Day sing. Thank you so much for your prayers.
P.S.S Please continue to pray that we will sell our van!!