The story about my finding music and ministry as a life path is very long and involved, but I will say that I grew up in a home where music was always an important part of our family life. We all sang at holiday celebrations, and when we gathered with our extended family, my brother and sister and I were expected to play our instruments, and lead in singing and making music.
As a 15-year-old, I was invited to play guitar in a youth choir as they were preparing for a tour to New Orleans. Later, I was asked to sing with the tenors and eventually to sing a solo. Though I loved playing and singing with a group, I was convinced that I could not sing alone (a long side story), but I finally agreed to sing in a duet and accompany us on guitar.
The truth was, I did not want to be a part of the choir—I just wanted to get to New Orleans. I had plans to meet with a high school classmate who spent his summers with his father there, and he was going to show me the seedier side of the city. However, along the way, I had an amazing spiritual awakening and discovered that Christ was not only real but wanted to have a relationship with me!
After sharing that with my family and my church, and being baptized, I was happy but restless. I never felt comfortable, always looking for something else. I became convinced this feeling was a desire to spend my life serving God. With much counseling, I came to believe that, having found my way to Christ through music, I wanted to provide others with the opportunity to discover God as I had—through music.
I started my first church “gig” in 1972—46 years later, I’m still here.
Jubilate has been one of the most rewarding ministries in which I’ve ever been involved. I have worked harder for this group than any other church or choir. It has been always a challenge, but always a joy!
