One thing that is constant for The Master’s Men is CHANGE…and 2017 was no different. As most of you are aware, long-time tenor David Short resigned in the spring of the year, and we began diligently searching for a new first tenor. Little did we know that the Lord already had an alto in mind to fill the position. With the addition of Yvette Morgan, The Master’s Men began a new chapter as a mixed group, after nearly 20 years as an all-male group. And we couldn’t be happier! Not only has she added to the looks of the group, she also brings decades of singing and directing Sweet Adeline’s choruses and quartets to us. For those that have never heard a Sweet Adeline’s group, they are female barbershop singers, and Yvette is one of the best. In addition to David’s resignation, our decade plus sound man, Lowell Myers, tendered his resignation in August effective after the August Gospel Reunion, to spend more time with the family and being a grandpa. Since that time, Nick Hildebrandt has done an excellent job running sound for The Master’s Men, and our prayer is that God will lead him to make that a permanent arrangement. In addition to his collegiate major of sound reinforcement and video, Nick also handles all the electronics for the Tyler County Country Church in Woodville, as well as playing the guitar and singing…be looking for that in our upcoming concerts!
If you are one of our regular attendees, you already know about our major concerts that took place in 2017. For those that might have missed one or both, we kicked off our major concert year with our 10th Annual Winter Celebration in February, with Joseph Habedank, Greater Vision and Triumphant Quartet. Our Gospel Reunion 17 in August was a huge hit, featuring The Erwins, The Ball Brothers and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound.
One of the things we’ve always heard is that when you are working for the Lord, Satan is going to do everything he possible can to interrupt the work. And 2017 was no different, with Rusty’s wife Judy dealing with cancer and surgery, Yvette working through macular degeneration and treatments, Rick’s mother and wife both undergoing surgery, and Kent being hospitalized twice and undergoing surgery. We MUST be doing something right for the Kingdom!
The Masters Men are going wherever we are called to share the gospel in song and testimony of the grace and love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and we eagerly await what He has in store for us the remainder of the year. Remember our Gospel Reunion 18, Saturday, August 4th at the Silsbee High School Auditorium, featuring Joseph Habedank, Greater Vision, The Mark Trammell Quartet and the Second Half Quartet. Doors open at 4 and the concert starts at 5. Tickets will be available soon, online at mastersmensilsbee.org. There will also be a new project coming that will be available at that concert and we are excited about that. May you all know the fullness of living in Jesus Christ!