Promoting A Concert

This is going to be a bit of a two-pronged blog post. If you've been following me at all here at Trust-Worthy News, you'll know that I obviously post about things that are going on with our group, Trust Quartet. You'll also have noticed that I blog quite often about a concert that I have attended. Today though, I want to have you consider the importance of promoting your concerts well.

There are a number of inexpensive or even FREE ways to promote a concert that you are hosting. By all means, word of mouth is FREE! Have people in your church tell other people who are not in your church about your concert event. The absolute best way to get anyone to come is to invite them. (Incidentally, that's true about your church services or your relationship with Christ, too!)

Most groups will send to you, or make available to you online, a poster that you can put the time/date/place information on to place in your facility or around town. The more of these you can place in public places, the better you are. Again, this is FREE promotion. It just may take a little time and effort on your part.

Also, the more concerts you host, the more successful you will be at promoting them. Here's a couple of examples. Trust Quartet regularly sings at The Red Barn in Clewiston, FL. Before we started doing those, Billy and Judy would only have a handful of people to show up and were on the fringes of quitting. We encouraged them to keep on keepin' on and to continue to have quality groups come to their place. Now, very few concerts have less than 100 people there and it has grown to be a thriving place to have a concert event. The groups I'm familiar with love going there, and as we watch the ones who attend the concerts, they like 'em, too!

Another prime example is the Faith Baptist Church in Vero Beach, FL. Trust Quartet sang there several years ago, before I had even heard of Trust Quartet. But every year now, between November and April, usually a couple of Friday nights per month, there's going to be a concert. They have used the longevity and consistency of providing Southern Gospel music to an area that doesn't get a lot of it to their advantage. There is no radio station that plays exclusively Southern Gospel music in our listening area. Yet, because this church has been consistent with providing the area with this genre of music, if you want a seat at a concert, take my advice and GET THERE EARLY! I've seen personal friends who've driven almost 3 hours to get to a concert get turned away because there were no seats available.

The way I learned of this venue and attend as many concerts as I do is their church sign. If you've already put up a church sign with a changeable message, this is now another FREE way to promote your concert. Here comes the second prong to this blog. Notice, too, this is advertised fully two weeks ahead of the concert in this manner. If you have a concert coming up, go ahead and let folks in your community know about it so they can plan to attend it!

Signs like this in visible places do wonders to promote your concert!

While driving home this past Friday, I passed the church and had to turn around. I've known about and looked forward to this concert for several months! When I saw their sign I had to turn around and go back to take a picture ~ specifically for this blog post. The Nelons are among my favorite groups in the Southern Gospel industry. I followed them from the very beginning when they were the Rex Nelon Singers. In fact, I was at a concert in Thomasville, GA right after Amber was born. It was one of her first ever appearances, and now she's singing soprano with the group and does a phenomenal job! It will be well worth your investment to hear her sing More Than Wonderful. Or the Hallelujah Chorus. Or I Stand Amazed ~ you get the idea.

The Nelons are one of the more personable groups you'll ever be around. Because I've been involved in some form of Southern Gospel, whether radio or singing it, for the better part of the last 30 years, I've had the privilege of being around quite a few of the artists from time to time. Please understand, very few of them know me or would remember the contact that I've had with them. But I'm excited to tell you of a group who is who they claim to be. In speaking with a person in Nashville who does know many of the groups on a personal level, I asked him (without hinting why) what he thought of the Nelons. He couldn't say enough good things about this family. He emphasized they are the real deal.

And so, Jason, Kelly, Amber, Autumn, and even Stacy Newbern the bus driver ~~ we are looking forward to seeing you guys in Vero Beach! Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Sam and Buddy, too! Friends, if you're in the Vero Beach area on Friday, February 7, come to Faith Baptist Church to hear this group sing. You will not be disappointed ~ I guarantee it. But the concert starts at 7; GET THERE EARLY!!

Twentieth Anniversary Concert - A Recap

Wow! What a day! Trust Quartet got to the church about 11 AM and did some rehearsing before Gulf State and Simple Faith arrived about 1:30. After they got their equipment moved in and set up, we had a fantastic lunch at 2:30.

Let me give a shout out right now to Maggie Williams, Jimmy and Sue Kemp, as well as some outstanding servers, Kelsi, Christian, and Abby - members and three of the youth from Okeechobee Church of God. The first three did a lot of cooking, and the latter three did a lot of serving! There were some additional students who came and served during the after-concert fellowship time, and I apologize for not having your names. You did great, too!

After lunch, we had a brief meeting with all the groups to finalize some plans. We enjoyed some much needed down time for about an hour before we were back for our pre-service prayer time. That few minutes is always so special - and VITAL! Spending time with the Father usually ends with singing some songs; just a capella, spur-of-the-moment type things.

We were fortunate to have enough time this year to be able to spend some quality time greeting our friends who had come to help us celebrate. We are thankful for all our friends, and especially are grateful to the ones who came and shared this momentous occasion with us this year.

The concert started at 6 o'clock and from there was wall to wall music! There was a little bit of POPCORN concert that even broke out. Trust sang nine songs during the evening - all from our new album, Going Home. Both Gulf State and Simple Faith have new projects, so they sang some newer songs as well.

We were able to keep a surprise from Buzz and Beverly! We were able to have some gifts for them and they

didn't even have a clue! In fact, Buzz was almost speechless! We gave them roses, a plaque and a huge framed piece containing all ten of the Trust Quartet CDs. A big thank you to Tom Ridley and his staff at Ridley's Custom Frames in Palm Bay for putting that together for us!

Six people went home with new CDs that they didn't have to pay for. Each group gave away a couple of CDs and we're thankful for their generosity.

When the music ended, the fellowship kept right on. There were beans and cornbread, cake and ice cream for any who wanted to stay and enjoy it with us. It was so good to sit and fellowship with new friends and renew acquaintances with some we've known a while.

By the time we got our equipment loaded back on the bus and headed out, it was midnight when I got home. It was a long day, but one that is worth it every year. Honestly, we look forward to our anniversary concerts. Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, we get tired. Yes, its a labor of love. Thank you for celebrating with us!

Trust Quartet Is In Celebration Mode!

The Original Trust Quartet 1994

It was during a Wednesday night prayer meeting in March of 1994 in an Okeechobee church that the name Trust was confirmed for a new quartet. The pastor of the church was speaking from Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding..." There have been many who have passed through the 'Halls of Trust Quartet' since then, but through it all Buzz and Beverly Beasley have remained focused and committed to spreading the Gospel through music.

That was 20 years ago! Back then, the average cost of a new house was just over $119,000 and the average annual income was $37,000. A loaf of bread was $1.59 and a dozen eggs were 86 cents. A gallon of gas was ~ wait for it ~ $1.09! Bill Clinton was President of the U.S, and in the hot news / political arena: NAFTA and the Whitewater scandal investigations began. It was 1994 when America watched the pursuit of the white bronco being driven by O. J. Simpson in Los Angeles. What movies did you see? You might have watched The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, or The Lion King on the big screen.

In the world of Southern Gospel music, odds are, you listened to the Cathedrals Quartet. They were voted America's favorites then. In fact, not only were they voted the Singing News Favorite Artist, all five members of that group won the Singing News Fan Award for their respective parts: Ernie Haas, tenor; Glen Payne, lead; Scott Fowler, baritone; George Younce, bass; and Roger Bennett, pianist. Gold City did take the favorite album (Pillars of Faith) that year and the McKameys came away with the favorite song (Arise).

We all know what Buzz and Beverly were doing in 1994. They were busy trying to get this quartet off the ground. I asked Spence and Rhonda what they remember doing in 1994. During the early part of the year, Spence, his wife, Karen, and their daughter Elaine and her husband, Bobby were on the evangelistic field full time. They were traveling across the country singing and preaching to anyone who would listen. It was later that year they decided to get back into local church ministry and Spence began work in New Smyrna Beach, FL as Associate Pastor of a Assembly of God church.

Rhonda tells me she was waiting tables at a local Okeechobee restaurant while chasing three kids under 10 years old.

As for me, I was involved in my first pastorate just outside Nashville, Tennessee. My youngest daughter, Abby, joined our family in 1994, so we were making lots of transitions.

Trust Quartet gathering for our Going Home photo shoot

But today, we are all together ~ and in Celebration Mode! Saturday night, we'll celebrate Twenty Years of Trust Quartet! I hope you're making plans to be with us at the Okeechobee Church of God on 4th Street behind McDonald's. We'll start the celebration at 6:00 PM. Come early for a good parking place and a seat!

Trust Quartet Celebrating Twenty Years

I  hope you're planning to be with us Saturday night at 6:00 o'clock. Buzz says we're gonna have a hoot! Seriously, you'll enjoy the night and we would be so honored to have you with us.

The Lesters In Concert

The Lesters in concert: Justin Wells, Jon Lester, Brian Lester

I remember growing up, gathering around the piano and singing with my dad and sister. Some of my fondest memories were singing with them. On Sunday mornings, without fail, while getting ready for church we'd watch the Gospel Jubilee on television. The Goodmans and Speers were always a part of our Sunday morning routine. There is just something about family harmony that is special.

One group that has carried on a family legacy of gospel music is the Lesters from St. Louis, MO. For nearly 90 years, this family has been a beacon of Jesus Christ in sharing through music. This past Saturday night, the Lesters carried that message of hope to the First Nazarene Church in Okeechobee. Trust Quartet got together and sat front and center in the auditorium and shared a worship experience that we all needed.

As I've followed the Lesters over the years, from playing their music on radio back in the 80s, to being able to meet them in person a few years ago in Vero Beach, I've appreciated their heart for ministry. They, like all groups, have had several different personalities down through the years. Brian Lester readily acknowledged he is not an original member! They currently put the third and fourth generations of Lesters on stage full time. Brian, his son, Jon are joined by Justin Wells to make up the current group. It was mentioned during the concert, this is the first time in the long history of this group that there has not been a female to grace the stage with them.

The Lesters are full of energy from the first note to the last. Their smiles are infectious and before we left the building, everyone had shared a laugh or three. As entertaining as they are, and as much fun as we shared, there was also definitely a time for thought-provoking, heart-searching ministry. We were challenged by the Holy Spirit as much as we were encouraged. 

Another thing I really liked was their song selection. As much as I love songs that have a 'label' of southern gospel, I really love the hymns of the church. The Lesters sang songs like When We All Get To Heaven and Victory in Jesus. Two songs in particular that spoke to my heart were the Fannie Crosby hymn, My Savior First of All and Amazing Grace. To me, the congregation's response to Amazing Grace was legendary. As Jon introduced the song with the reminder of the Salvation Army's television commercial, the song went from an old standard to a personal reminder of God's grace to each of us. As they began to sing, the crowd stood to our feet. No applause, no whistling, no shouting. Some lifted hands in worship, but it was a reverence as we stood in awe of God's Amazing Grace to each of us. It was as if we were listening to the National Anthem ~ standing in respect to what we felt in our hearts.

The concert culminated with the Lesters' signature song, He Didn't Throw The Clay Away. What a message! That is one of those songs that never gets old. It's one that the Lesters no doubt have requested each time they take the stage to sing.

Truly, Trust Quartet was blessed and encouraged. Thank you Brian, Jon, and Justin for sharing with us this past week. If you have the opportunity to hear the Lesters, make plans to do it. You'll laugh, you may even shed a tear, but if you approach the time with an open heart, you will surely be blessed. I guarantee it!

Trust Quartet poses with The Lesters after the concert:
L to R: Spence, Buzz, Rhonda, Steve, Brian Lester, Jon Lester, Justin Wells