Upper Salem Baptist Church - July 31st

We had a very enjoyable and blessed evening as we returned to Upper Salem Baptist Church, just north of Metropolis, Illinois. It was good to be back with the folks at Upper Salem, after about a 12-year gap since the last time we sang there.

Testimonies at the conclusion of the service indicated that lives had been touched through the songs and spoken words, which is what it's all about! Some of the songs reminded people that God is always faithful, that He is always there to hear our prayers, that he has in store for us the best things for our lives -- and we can trust that He'll be faithful. We ended the evening with "You Keep Praying" as the best advice for guiding our lives.

We don't want to forget to thank the ladies of the church for the delicious dinner enjoyed by everyone after the service. Almost made us want to stop singing early, but as David commented, sometimes we like to sing even better than we like to eat -- especially when the Lord is blessing.

Thanks, Upper Salem, for a very enjoyable evening worshiping the Lord.

Paragon Assisted Living Center - July 23rd

The Echoes from Calvary returned for a second visit to sing for an appreciative group of senior citizens at the Paragon at West Point Assisted Living Center in Paducah, Kentucky. We were scheduled to start at 6:00pm, but the commons visiting area was just about full by 5:45pm. It's not hard to get us to sing at the drop of a hat, so with a good crowd gathered, we began early.

We sang a number of our current songs, each of which had a message for the residents of Paragon (as they do for any listener). David then sat down at the piano, and we took requests from the group for favorite hymns. "The Old Rugged Cross" was called out immediately, with "Sweet Beulah Land" a close second. "In The Garden" and "Amazing Grace" are always favorites. David played "Keep On The Firing Line" on the piano to an instrumental accompaniment, and the Echoes decided to sing the chorus of that song for good measure.

We then ended the evening with "Even In The Valley" and "Keep On Praying" as a reminder to the residents (and us, too) that no matter what comes our way, we can turn our problems over to God, because He is SO good and faithful to carry our burdens.

We then visited with the residents for a little while and met some people from Kansas City, Missouri, who were visiting one of the residents.

As always, while the residents kept telling us how much of a blessing our singing was to them, we found, as always, that we are blessed to a much greater extent by their smiles and support. We'll look forward to going back again.

New Burnsides Community Church - July 15th

The Echoes from Calvary enjoyed a very good evening of Southern Gospel singing, as we worshipped with a good-sized congregation at New Burnsides Community Church, in New Burnsides, Illinois, on Friday evening, July 15th. Thanks to Mr. Choate, who invited us and coordinated the evening, as we sang at the church for the 2nd time in about a year.

The Spirit of God was evident during the evening, as people worshipped God through up-lifted hands and testimonies. A number of different churches were represented, which made it seem all the more like a little of what Heaven will be.

Rend Lake Visitor's Center Sing - June 25th

The Echoes sang outside on June 25th at the Rend Lake Visitor's Center, near Benton, Illinois. Although it was "95 in the shade," there was a good crowd of about 100 people, who set up their lawn chairs around an amphitheater and listened to 2 hours of Southern Gospel singing by the Echoes from Calvary, with special guest Alma Young.

Thanks to Mike Edwards and the Corp of Engineers for coordinating this summer event. Other singings will be held throughout the summer. Check with the Rend Lake Visitor's Center for details.

Echoes from Calvary - SingBlog Begins

Using the emerging technology of the internet-based "blog," we thought it might be interesting to share brief information about the singings in which the Echoes from Calvary participate. So, we hope you join us periodically to keep up with our efforts.

You'll be able to easily access this blog from our Echoes Schedule Page at www.mcgangroup.com/echoes. You might want to bookmark that page for easy access to periodically check up on our schedule on where we'll be appearing, or to now read up on recent singings.

In the meantime, enjoy.

David