As a sports fan, there is one thing I do not like to hear when it comes to my favorite teams. It is the phrase "you are what you are". You see, if you are in first place you generally hear "this team is tremendous or among the elite". When the sports broadcaster says "you are what you are" generally you are sitting somewhere in the lower half of the standings, mediocre to lousy. Unless something drastic changes the playoffs are out of the equation.
 
In recent years the overall quality of southern gospel music in the metroplex has risen several bars. Groups such as Southern Joy, Trusting Hymn, His Call, New Day, First Voice, Southern Charm, and Praise Inc are a few that immediately come to mind. These groups have done well to raise the bar as far as quality gospel music. This has resulted in some of the other local groups working to improve their overall quality.
 
As a result, we collectively have brought an awareness to area churches as to the quality of southern gospel music. What has NOT happened is the overall perception of southern gospel music in the area to others, especially those outside our area. We are perceived as groups that basically are using cover songs that national groups have already sung. If this trend continues then "we are what we are".
 
We have made a lot of talk among ourselves about moving to the next level. If the next level is to be realized we must begin to make the move toward original songs. It is my personal belief that Ransomed has done all Ransomed can do in this area. We have made great strides to improve what we do but unless we make a change, "we are what we are."
 
It is for this reason that Ransomed is beginning to take steps in moving toward original songs. If we are successful, our prayer is that we can begin to make further strides and go farther with our ministry. We are also hoping that other quality groups from the metroplex will continue to seek to find original music. One way is to write our own songs and work with musicians to come up with quality work. Another way is to find a producer not interested in simply making money but in looking out for the interest and integrity of the group and pay them to find original music for you. Ransomed is trying both. First, we will be going into studio with Jimmy Duty of His Call to work on a couple of songs written by Ransomed group members. Secondly, we are currently in the process of working with a top producer to be named later on a future project. He will be seeking new songs to go with our own material. 

This doesn't say that we will never do "cover songs". We are ministered to by these songs and that is part of our criteria in choosing our music. My point is to emphasize that the next step for Ransomed's ministry (and others who are doing this) is to add to the body of music that is out there and continue to use the gifts the Lord has given us.
 
By taking these steps we are hoping this will raise what we do yet another notch. Our hope is that other local groups will follow suit and collectively we all benefit by a raised standard of quality for southern gospel music in the metroplex.
 
Consider this: two local groups have had a national following, Southern Charm and Shiloh. Both have had a number of original songs on their projects along with a quality sound. Coincidence? I think not.
 
We can do one of two things: 1) continue to do what we do and enjoy our marginal success, wishing we could could get more and better bookings-expecting different results while we continue to do the same thing, or 2) we can change and raise the bar. Ransomed chooses to do the latter.

Each group must do this in their own way. This is the way we have chosen based on many prayers and advice.
 
I do not know how this is going to be received but I do know that as long as we settle to do cover songs, regardless of how well we do them, "we are what we are" and ever will be.

 

Hello, everyone.

Usually Lee writes the majority of the blogs for the site, but I have decided to be a guest blogger today. Lee will return later.

In my studies of late I have had to think about the meaning of words in our lives. The interpretation of some words has changed over the years but their meanings are still the same. The word tolerance is a good example. Josh McDowell has been saying for many years that our society has changed the meaning of this word in order to reflect the belief system that is most popular at the time. It is not a biblical view and he won't treat it as such.

I personally have noticed that the words forgiveness and grace have taken on a whole new meaning in many churches and among many Christians as well. In some churches and among some Christians, forgiveness and grace are given just as the Lord Jesus Christ intended it-freely, without malice, and to all who ask for it without question. In other churches and among other Christians, it is a matter of agreeing with them and doing as they expect. I am not sure this application of forgiveness and grace is the one that the Lord intended, but it is the one seeming to make the rounds of popularity.

But that is another blog for someone more knowledgeable than I.

The word that has jumped out at me lately is integral. According to Webster's one of the definitions of this word is "made up of parts, forming the whole." So I started thinking about the different parts of Ransomed that make up the whole.

We all know who is seen. Lee, Chris, and Steve are up front. When he isn't busy with his many other ventures Joe Gordon joins us as a guest singer. We affectionately call him Bonus because he is an added benefit when his schedule permits. We all appreciate him and are glad to have him with us when it does not interfere with his other commitments. Joe also ministers to our hearts personally, keeping us uplifted and laughing. We have "adopted" him, you could say, since my kids now call him "Uncle Joe" out of their pure affection for him.

There are many behind the scenes people in our ministry, however. The ones that are seen most of the time are the wives and Tresa Lynn. Anyone who has seen Ransomed in person knows that they will find a wife at the table or sound board, and anyone who knows us know that I have website and calendar updating duties.  And if you have followed or known Ransomed for very long you know Tresa Lynn. She is definitely an integral part of our ministry as she chooses her seat up front and then greets the people and tells them about "her daddy and uncles". To say she isn't a part that contributes to the formation of the whole of Ransomed's ministry, is not to know us.

But there are other persons that are behind the scenes, integral parts of the whole of Ransomed's ministry.

Starting with the music, there is Mark Hampton. Formerly of Shiloh, Mark is the music minister at a large Arlington church and also makes our background tracks and has produced our first three projects. Without Mark, the Ransomed sound would not be as defined as it is because he has given us an outside ear and sound advice and provided us with some of the best music tracks there are. I cannot fathom what the last 5 years of ministry would have been like if we had not established the relationship with Mark. Not only is he a blessing, he is an integral part of our ministry, another one of the parts that forms the whole.

Another couple that is behind the scenes, but very much a part that forms the whole, is Ron and Cyndi Livingston. Ron and Cyndi own Cornerstone Press and Ron is (to us) the Number one soundman in Southern Gospel. Most of our printing is done by Ron and Cyndi, our last project was reproduced by Ron and Cyndi and they have also recreated and reproduced our first one (and it is actually sharper looking than the original). Ron has also stepped in to run sound for us when I was ill last winter and whenever we are where he is going to be, I happily step aside for him to run the sound. (Some would say I beg him to). Ron and Cyndi are also personally uplifting and minister to us as friends, not just fellow SG people. They have hearts of gold and have spoiled us rotten on birthdays and other times. In my over 40 years of life, I cannot say that I have met two finer people than Ron and Cyndi Livingston. The hearts they have for the Lord stand out and they are such fun people. They are definitely parts that make up the whole of Ransomed's ministry.

Then there are the other groups who are gracious enough to share the stage with us. His Call, Trusting Hymn, Southern Joy, Crosspoint...the list goes on and on. These wonderful Christian people are not only fellow ministries, they are friends. We love and respect each and every one of them and enjoy their ministries very much. Each is unique and integral to Ransomed's ministry because they encourage us through their own ministries and friendships.

We also count the pastors and music ministers of the churches we are allowed to minister in as integral to our ministry. Without pastors and music ministers, Ransomed would have a very difficult time getting the message of the Gospel to people. Many of them have become friends and give wise advice and encouragement at various times. This one applies especially to the pastors and music ministers of our own churches. Steve's church-Amazing Grace Fellowship Baptist Church has Pastor Cliff and Lucinda Baugus, Associate Pastor Mike and Karen Ellis, and Music Minister Bill and Linda Black in the roles of encouragers for Steve and the rest of us. At Lee's church-Hillcrest Baptist Church-is Pastor Mike Simmons and Music Minister Donnie Page as the encouragers for Lee and the rest of us. At our church-First Baptist Church Forney-Pastor Jimmy Pritchard and Music Pastor Joe Daniels are encouragers of us and the rest of the group. While they may minister to us individually they are integral to Ransomed's ministry because each of them help us keep our focus on the purpose for our ministry. However, all pastors who open the doors of their church to groups such as ours are parts that make up the whole of Ransomed.

Another group of people who are integral to Ransomed's ministry is the congregations and attendees of our events. Without these people we would sing and minister to an empty room, large or small. There would be no one to hear and no one to be encouraged or saved. Without these people (some call them fans) there would be nothing to do and we would just end up staying home on the weekends.

I don't want to forget our parents or kids. While Tresa Lynn goes with us to almost every Ransomed event, Chris and I have four boys. We also have a niece who lives with us. For Chris and I, their support and encouragement in this has been essential. I don't know if we did everything right, but I can proudly say that two of our four boys have surrendered to the ministry in various capacities and I am excited to see what plans God has for them. In growing up, the guys parents encouraged their involvement in music and while they are no longer with us, they are still an encouragement and a part of the whole because of the foundation they laid. My parents were always encouragers as well, attending events when they could and buying cd's for themselves and others. In-laws are a part of the whole too, because they are called on to take younger children when we are going to events and such and that is a necessity at times.

Now I come to the One who is not only integral but is the whole, the Lord Jesus Christ. What would be the point of Ransomed's ministry or any ministry without Him? Even when there are people to sing to, friends to support and sing with us when schedules permit, pastors to encourage us, people to produce our projects, and all the other parts of the whole that I have mentioned; there is nothing without Jesus. That brings me to the other definition of integral (and it is really the first one)-"necessary for completeness, essential".  While the parts that make up the whole are essential INGREDIENTS in our ministry as they are needed or available, the Lord Jesus Christ is the One necessary for our ministry to be complete.

As Lee has said lately "It is only because of the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace in teaching us to trust Him more each day, regardless of the circumstances or the personality differences that may get in the way." We in and of ourselves could not do it, only through Him.

Rhonda

II get asked a lot during our concerts two questions. How did Ransomed get started and how long have you brothers sung together? I am going to answer both of those questions by giving you a history on Ransomed.
 
On the first question, most of you do not realize that Chris and Steve have not always been a part of Ransomed. About eleven years ago or so, as a music minister I had a thriving love for quality southern gospel music. I loved groups such as the Bishops, Brian Free and Assurance, Poet Voices among others. I went to the concerts and took some people with me. I longed for my church to be able to have this music but I knew that we could not afford these groups because we were a small church. Understand this, I am one that wants to take care of the groups when they come in and believe in my heart that the vast majority of them are worth their fee. When I settled in on the realization that bringing quality national groups to my church was not an option I begin to settle in on developing a group that would have the same quality yet without the sticker shock of a national group. It didn't happen over night but I knew that a fresh sound could be developed.
 
About a year later there was an opening in the group and I asked Chris if he would consider singing southern gospel with Ransomed. Chris was still young and was a little more contemporary in his music and, bless his heart, had visions of singing from The Heavenly Highway Hymnbook around a piano.... There is nothing wrong with that scenario but he and I both had bigger visions than that and I believed that he could go a long way in developing what I had personally envisioned. So after much prayer Chris joined Ransomed in 1998.
 
Over the next 5 years Chris and I worked with Barbara Brooks and together we began to develop what Ransomed should sound like. Slowly more of the smaller churches started to invite us to sing and my original vision of bringing quality southern gospel music to smaller churches was being realized.... We learned the importance of blending in with a female tenor which is important to us today. After about 5 years, I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life and Ransomed basically took a sabbatical. At the same time the Lord was working on Steve's heart and life. He was singing with his good friend Eddie doing the country circuit at the oprys.
 
Chris was the original one to suggest bringing Steve in. I thought Chris was crazy and Steve was sure of it when he found out he wanted him to sing tenor but it was an opportunity to sing with the family so he decided to give it a shot. So in February 2003, Steve joined Ransomed and Chris and I had to learn all over again how to sing, this time with a male tenor.
 
During the past 5 years the Ransomed vision has continued to grow into what it is today. Our schedule continues to get busier which keeps us pressing forward. Oh yeah, one other thing that has recently happened. Last fall Ransomed was going to the Rodeo City Music Hall in Mesquite. About two weeks prior to us being there we came across the director Joe Gordon. I asked him if he knew the song Midnight Cry. He said that he hadn't sung it yet but he could learn it. I told him to learn it and Ransomed will provide his backup. The song was a hit that night with only one run through before the evening began. Since that night Joe Gordon has steadily become more of an integral part of Ransomed Music Ministry as a guest singer when he is not busy with his other ventures, chiefly going to Arkansas and operating gospel night at Rodeo City.
 
The uniqueness of Ransomed is that it is rare for a family to have three brothers who can sing, each being designed by God for their own part. God's uniqueness didn't stop with just the vocals but also includes the varying personalities. I am not sure how much of it is personality and how much of it is birth order. When it comes to seeking out the future of Ransomed ventures it usually will fall to Lee who then will try to include the rest of the gang in on final decisions. We often joke about Chris and his OCDness but it is because of this that we have the sound that we do, especially in the recording studio. I would prefer to get ‘r done and move on to the next thing but Chris will not settle for that and will stay until it is right. Steve, well….is Steve. He brings a lot of personality to the stage that otherwise would not be there without him. Add in Joe, whom the Berry's have adopted as 'Bonus' Berry, and he brings a voice that blends well with the brothers and the heart of a songwriter.
 
It is Ransomed's prayer that we will continue to grow in our walk with the Lord, find songs that minister to His people, and seek to further the southern gospel fan base.

 

It was our great honor to have our good friends Trusting Hymn, Southern Joy, and His Call join us at Berean Baptist Church in Mesquite, TX for a benefit concert for Calvary First Baptist Church of Mesquite. Calvary had a fire back in October of last year. The groups were all awesome and the Lord was lifted up. It was a little bit of the Joe Gordon show as he sang with three of the four groups, one of them even had a bit of fun with a mock contract that Ransomed and Trusting Hymn were in breach of, unknown to us. All I am going to say is that you had to be there to get the previous statement. You really NEVER know what you are going to miss at a Ransomed concert as last minute Lee will usually show up at sometime. Throw in these other groups and JG and there will usually be at least three surprises during the night.

We were able to raise at over $2400 towards the contents of their new facility, made many new friends, and caught up with some old friends. Our prayers continue to go out to that congregation as they move toward their new facility.

A special thank you to Pastor David Mills and Ken Case of Berean Baptist for allowing us to have the concert there. Also, thank you to the Baptist Progress for the advertising in their weekly newsletter free of charge. Another thank you should go out to Edgemont Park Baptist Church as they have allowed Calvary First Baptist to meet there on Sunday afternoons for a nominal charge. An additional thank you goes out to Ron and Cyndi Livingston of Cornerstone Press for the posters and to Ron for his effortless sound man prowess.

In this day and age, it is extremely refreshing to see several different churches, Baptist organizations, and groups working together to accomplish something for the Lord.

Below is the letter received from First Baptist Calvary.

God bless,
Lee Berry


Dear Ransomed Music Ministry,

The pastor, staff, and members of Calvary First Baptist Church would like to thank you for giving of your time and talent for the Benefit Concert on Saturday March 1st for our church.

We were so blessed by attending the concert and the love offering of $2,498.50 was very much appreciated.

Thanks again for your donation of time, talent, and substance. Please keep us in your prayers.

May God bless you and your music ministry.

Joe Morgan, Treasurer
Calvary First Baptist Church

Before you start thinking ahead of me, this is not a blog about the plight of my teenage epidermal state leading to a misprint in my title. Perhaps you are thinking surely he meant cracks in my faith. Rest assured I only write what God reveals to my heart. I want to intentionally write what He lays at my fingers. Nothing goes on here by accident.

Picture if you will, a remote village where the only running water is the water that flows back and forth in a pitcher carried by one of the children. It is close to suppertime so the mother asks her teenage son to run and get some water. Without a second thought, the child grabs the first available vase and darts off to the local watering hole. As he begins to fill the pitcher he notices there is a small fracture down the middle. "Too late to run back and get another vase, this one will have to do," he mutters to himself. His watering vase full he brings the pitcher to his head and begins his journey home. It sure is hot this afternoon. The cool water running down his face from the pitcher offers relief from the heat so perhaps the crack is not too bad after all. By the time the lad reaches home he only has a portion of the intended water necessary for the evening meal. The crack now looms larger than what he originally thought.
    
As a Christian, our life is to be a vase, pouring out blessings toward others as we receive blessings from the Lord. for the unbeliever there is a hole in the bottom of the vase where any blessing from God pours right on through and hits dry ground until God reaches out with His Spirit and touches the unbeliever allowing Christ to fill that void. Then He begins to work on the cracks within the vase of that believer's life.

Over time, God's children begin to bless others and we tend to become oblivious to the cracks in our own vase and some of the blessing that we could be pouring out gets lost. We are quick to find the cracks in everybody else's vase but never step back enough to find our own cracks. Cracks such as selfishness, anger, fear, faithlessness, and the one that you are thinking of now will do.
    
I think we can all agree that we want to be a blessing to others, especially those of us in the music ministry. After all, if we are not a blessing, then what's the point? However, along the way, the blessing to others may get lost through the cracks in our earthen vases.

Having basically been unemployed the past seven months, God has used this time to reveal some cracks in my vase. I don't want to go through this time and learn nothing so I began to ask God to reveal places where I may have, or could have, given Satan to enter into my life. I was not prepared for the revelation that God unfolded.

As I was applying for jobs and then follow through with the subsequent interview process, I found myself asking friends, family and my wonderful Sunday School family to pray that I might obtain that job. Don't get me wrong, it is fine to ask blessing from the Almighty. Remember though, my prayer was that God would reveal places in my life (cracks in my vase) and this one revealed a split. It recently occurred to me that, as this latest job became available and is now down to one other candidate and myself that...there is another candidate for this position. I know nothing about him or his situation. Is he single or does he have a family? Does he already have a job and is simply looking to better his position? Does he need the job as badly as I do? Does he have a team of prayer warriors as large as mine? What does God do in this case, the most prayer warriors wins?

Do you see where I am going? God began to reveal to me a full blown crevice of selfishness in the my vase. It's a crack that if God does not mend, will cause me to lose blessing and effectiveness for my part of the ministry with Ransomed. I confessed to God my selfishness and began praying for this other candidate. How will God answer this? I have no idea, but I have at least learned something through the process. It goes something like this:

Lord, mend the cracks in my vase
I want to be a blessing to others.
don't let the sin in my life
Be a hindrance for another.
May your loving grace be a balm
To cleanse the error of my way
Lord, mend the cracks in my vase
So I can be a blessing today.

Lee Berry

Every year, around the middle of December, as everyone around me is scrambling to prepare for Christmas, my mind begins to settle in on the passing of one year to another. What went right this past year? What went wrong? What can I do to improve over last year. I am not sure why but as I get older I begin to think not about the past year, but the past decades. Then it occurs to me that I am not the only one who thinks about time. Our culture has songs and sayings about time.

They say that "time flies when you are having fun". This requires my mind to ask several different questions. Does this mean that we are having more fun as we get older? As a child Christmas could never get there fast enough, but as bigger children we begin to prepare for Christmas sometime around Labor Day. That is because we are having soooo much fun that Christmas will soon be upon us again and we musn't disappoint anybody. If time does indeed fly when we are having fun, what does this mean when time appears to be standing still? During these times are we incapable of having fun? Then again, how do I know when I am having fun? Oh yeah, the loose leaf pages of my desk calendar seem to be flying off the pad as if being blown by a breeze from an open window.

Another saying that says more about us than the actual saying is "time is of the essence". Usually when someone is saying this it is because someone didn't use their time wisely thus causing time to be "of the essence". Usually the very person notifying us of our clock emergency is the source of the problem to begin with. Therefore, lack of planning on their part creates an emergency on our part.

One saying that I never quite got was "a stitch in time saves nine". Nine what? is the first question that comes to mind. Perhaps the reason I don't understand this is because it is a sewing reference.

Scripture talks about the importance of time all the way back to Genesis. The Creator of time chose to sum up the number of years in the genealogies by saying that the number of their days were... . In Methusalah's case it was 969. Psalm 23:6 tells us that surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. I think in each instance, the message that God is trying to get across to us is the importance of each individual day and how do we hold ourselves accountable for each day.

Probably the most common phrase regarding time is "time is money". That says more about the focus of our culture than anything. We don't always understand the concept of time and all that it implies. However, place it in terms of money and we get it. Shouldn't we as Christians have a different perspective? Perhaps our mantra should be "money is time". Let me explain.

Gift giving in our country has changed through the years as we have become more prosperous. Because of this change we have difficulty in grasping the value within a gift. It used to be that mom or grandma spent time during the late hours making gifts such as quilts, socks, gloves; or granddad made a toy out in his shop. The value of the gift was not found in the money it took for the gift but the time and effort of the person who made the gift. When someone has given me a gift I try to look at it in terms of the time it took that person to earn the money for that gift along with the time it took for them to select it and wrap it. The person giving the gift has placed a time value on the individual they are giving the gift to. Think about that the next time we casually drop a dollar or two in the plate for an evangelist or a missionary.

The song "Time in a Bottle" was brought to my attention the other day. The singer wishes he could capture all the special moments in his life and keep them in a bottle for posterity's sake. Whether intentional or not, the writer has stumbled onto a very deep truth. 

When I spend ten minutes with you that is the only time I will have that ten minutes, and I chose to spend it with you. You are also choosing to spend that time with me, time that is just as valuable to you as it is to me. The other choice that we have is how we spend that time with one another. Do we use it to build a bridge that we can cross at a future point in time? Or do we use it to build a house of cards made from small talk?

Time is a gift that we can give one another that may often go unseen, but rarely unnoticed by the recipient. It can be measured by dollars and cents if it is in gift form. However, it could also be that it is measured simply with a hug, a word of encouragement, or a prayer. As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of another, may we consider one another and provoke each other to good works with this gift, time.

Lee Berry

There are many websites dedicated to how we can improve our particular genre of music.  Updating the sound, sticking to the message, whether or not we should go to "open" mics, how do we get our music to different audiences are just a few of the subjects.  One of the things that I haven't seen addressed (maybe it has and I haven't see it) is that of the politics that are involved.  What can I say?  There isn't a subject about the music that I love that I won't touch.

Growing up liking SG, I was always intrigued by the "Battle of the Quartets" in the coliseum in Ft. Worth.  Eventually it spread to places like Tyler, Greenville, and other locations.  While attending one event in Tyler there was a prominent "national" group along with a pretty good regional group.  Everyone was there to see and hear the national group, but I was curious as to how well the regional group would perform since I was familiar with them and liked them very much.  When they first started they were on fire and the crowd absolutely loved them.  Curiously, about halfway through their set, the sound got worse, and the crowd got cooler.  Then the national group got up and the crowd got warm again.  If often wondered what had taken place that evening until I heard stories about some jealousy from a national group (the same one I might add) and how they rigged the sound to make the other group sound not so wonderful.  Had I not experienced that evening in Tyler some 25 years ago, I would not have believed it.  Yet the stories continue on to the national quartet convention where some groups cannot even be placed in booths next to each other because of the fighting.

Unfortunately, the jealousy does not stop at the national level.  There are some churches that quality local groups cannot get into because the music minister has a group and they feel they have an "exclusive" right to their church.  Okay.  There are a number of groups that I enjoy that have been subject to some negative mail that the people who send them do not even have the decency to sign.  Christianity is not cowardice!!

To be frank with you, when I or Ransomed is subject to criticism, it will reach open ears if the person at least has the common courtesy to sign their letter, email, or talk to us face to face.  If not signed or simply passed on by word of mouth, I consider it garbage and file it accordingly.

I have heard so many rumors about the different groups, and even some that involve my own brother, that it is beginning to make me sick.  This is the type of stuff that Sanballat and Tobiah used against Nehemiah.  The purpose of the actions of those two fellas was to STOP the work of the Lord.

Some of these groups are in the beginning stages of a cooperative effort to increase our base with one another.  Since we have begun this undertaking, it seems that the devil or his imps have tried everything to not get these groups to work together.  I hope that this is a sign that the four groups are onto something and that God has bigger and better plans for all of these groups.

The whole purpose of why we started this was to help one another move on to better ministries and reach more people.  I am thankful for each one of them and hope that collectively we all have greater things ahead, not because we put each other down, but because we build each other up.

Lee Berry
Ransomed Music Ministry

Rhonda has informed me that we have received a number of calls and emails in regards to bringing back Crossway.  In my last blog, I addressed some of the issues that come into play regarding the national groups.  First of all let me say that Crossway was well worth the price that they came for.

I know that you enjoy quality gospel music being brought in to the Dallas area.  I am also very aware of the struggles that we face trying to bring in these groups.  To those who have contacted us about Crossway I ask for your patience.  It is going to take time to build an audience.  This means that I need to see support for the quality local groups grow so I can justify to Chris, who handles the Ransomed finances with abundant grace, that when we bring these groups in we can pay the price and not have to put our own ministry on hold.

Your first opportunity to show your support of some of the finest local and regional talent will be October 20, 2007 at Hillcrest Baptist Church.  That is when Southwest Gospel Music Group will host its inception concert with favorite local groups His Call, Southern Joy Quartet, regional favorite Crosspoint Quartet, and Hillcrest Baptist's own Ransomed at 6:00 pm.  The cost, as addressed in the previous blog, will be a mere $10 a ticket.

Southwest Gospel Music Group's vision is for this to be a pre-cursor to future convention type events in which we hope to bring in national talent such as the Booth Brothers, Brian Free and Assurance, Triumphant Quartet, Legacy Five, Poet Voices, Greater Vision, and Crossway.  The attendance at this inaugural event will go a long way in determining the feasibility of such an event.

Our fans talk about wanting to have the best in local and national gospel music.  It is now time for them to show us in a tangible way, their attendance, that this is truly what they are wanting to see.  To help them show their support, we are offering church groups of 20 or more to get tickets at $8 each in advance.  In addition, that group will get 2 additional tickets for free.

In the future you will hear more about Southwest Gospel Music Group and the standards that we would like to achieve and the makeup of our organization.