Marshall-Grant Ministries
e-News!

Volume 4 - Number 1

Happy New Year!!

January 2005 

NEW PROGRAM!

Donate your old car, truck or RV to benefit 
Marshall-Grant Ministries, Inc.!

click the icon above for more information

Find the article about your church!

Recording!!

FirstCoast MCC, St Augustine, FL

 Pat and Carolyn’s 10th Anniversary  

Songs From The Road Released!

Pat’s Birthday

UFMCC Region 5 Conference, Provincetown, MA

MCC Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach, DE

MCC of the Blue Ridge, Roanoke, VA

 Northern Lights MCC, Augusta, ME  

We got Married!

MCC of the Lehigh Valley

Closing Thoughts

MGM Links:
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Note:  If the links listed below do not work properly, you can manually type the web address below and follow the links on our home page.
www.marshallgrantministries.org

Schedule

Prayer Requests

New CD Project

Order-Comments Form

Booking Information

Press Kit - Everything you need to promo a concert

See this and previous eNews on our website!

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Let's keep our CD
"SONGS FROM THE ROAD"
 on the top 20 list - click here to vote!

See our latest schedule below!
It's time to book 2005!

When we left you in the last issue of eNews, it was December 2003...  As usual, Carolyn spent the winter months doing ministry year end financials, giving statements, bookings and taxes.  Yes, I know it's boring, but necessary!    Pat was once again working temporary jobs as many hours as they would give her!  We both work long hard hours when we are home.  So hitting the road is a treat in more than one way!  We are doing the ministry that we love and actually spending time together for a change!

January 25th we loaded up and headed for Nashville, TN!  We drove straight to the studio and met our producer, Mark, and talked about the plan for the week.  Afterward we went to Pastor Greg Bullard's home.  He invited us to stay in his home for the week while we were recording.  That evening we went to church with Pastor Greg and there we saw our good friends Linda and Jackie. Monday morning we were up early and at the studio to start the CD.  We were excited and waited on pins and needles as the band arrived.  Those musicians are incredible!  They listen to the song a few times and then they just play it! We were blown away!  The week went by quickly...  we worked long hours and left Nashville with a completed master to send to press.  Mark and his wife, Donna treated us like family and the musicianship there is just...  unbelievable!  We CANNOT WAIT to do another project!

Carolyn's second nephew, Graham Seth Marshall, was born April 7th!  
Is he not the cutest little baby?  

   Graham Seth on his Birthday!       and        One proud Aunt Carolyn!

We started the year on April 11th, Easter Sunday 2004 at FirstCoast MCC, Saint Augustine, FL.  As many of you probably know, Easter in St Augustine is an annual event!  This trip was our 7th Easter!  It wouldn't be the same if we weren't there with our St. Augustine family!  We stayed with our long time friend and annual host, Alice and her cats, Mac and Little Bit!  We were pleased to get to meet her new love, Marsha.  And once again we enjoyed dinner (as well as visiting) with our friends, Adam and Steve!

We set up our equipment in their usual worship space at the Limelight Theater on Saturday evening for Sunday's festivities.  Then for Easter at sunrise we were up and at the church property!  FirstCoast owns beautiful acreage with a small lake on it.  During sunrise, the fog lifts from the lake as the light fills the sky!  It is gorgeous!  Well worth the once a year rising at that hour!  It was great to see Rev Ruth Jenson, her partner, Elizabeth and so many familiar faces and fellowship with them!  Then we were off to Alice's house, to rest a little, change and return for the regular morning service.  We did a concert in the service and it was pretty good, if I do say so myself! :-)  Thank you, Rev Ruth, Elizabeth, Alice and FirstCoast MCC!!

On May 1st, 2004, Pat and I celebrated our 10th anniversary as a couple.  We hit a mile stone that we had once thought was unobtainable.  We are happy and still of one mind in ministry.  We are thankful for each other and wouldn't change a thing (well, not anything major anyway!).  J

New CD "Songs From The Road" Released!

What better way to celebrate 10 years together than the release of a new CD?  
Check out our new CD on our web site!  Just go to www.marshallgrantministries.org and click the link at the top of the main page!

Then on May 8th we celebrated Pat's birthday!  We think May is a great  month!

The first of June we hit the road again headed north, this time, for Provincetown, MA and the UFMCC Region 5 Conference June 3-6th.  It had been a while since we had been on the road and we were happy to be out there again!  We had booked ourselves into a local motel down the street from the conference motel and were pleasantly surprised to see that we had an ocean side room!  We got checked in and settled and then headed over to the conference.  We were immediately greeted by Rory and Chris from our home church Christ Covenant MCC, Decatur, GA.  They were in charge of registration.  We then hunted down Marsha Stevens and Cindy Pino of BALM Ministries.  Cindy was setting up their sound equipment for the conference.  The Regional administrative assistant, Melanie Martinez, helped us get settled with a table in the back for sales and we were set!  Marsha gave me her solo slot in the first service and then we preformed with her at the BALM concert Saturday evening.  It was a great conference!  We met the regional Rev. Elder Diane Fisher, and caught up with leaders of our denomination like Rev Troy Perry, Rev. Arleen Ackerman, etc...  We love conferences!  We get to visit with people we've met along our travels, see good friends we haven't seen in a while and meet new people.  It is wonderful!

From there we drove to the home of our friends, Ben & Melanie, in Boston, MA.  We had not seen Ben in a few years and were glad to see him and meet his new bride, too!  During our visit to Massachusetts we made the decision to get married.  There is not enough room here for the entire story so for details go to our marriage page!

From there we headed to MCC Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach, DE.  We love Rehoboth Beach for several reasons!  First, we really like Rev Tom Bohache and the church; second, we have our good friends, Shila and Mary, there; and third, it is gorgeous!  Anyway, we got set up on Saturday with the help of Shila and Mary for Sunday June 13th's morning service.  We had a great group at the service.  The room was full and they were a wonderful audience.  We are always received so well there and look forward to our next visit.

Then we went back to Ben and Melanie's in Boston...  
                                 you really need to read the marriage page! 

On Friday, we drove south to MCC of the Blue Ridge, Roanoke, VA where  Rev. Catherine Houchins had arranged for us to be in a motel.  We arrived late and after we we got checked in, we set out in search of food!  The next day we met Pastor for lunch and then headed over to the church to set up where we met Scott.  They have a beautiful old building!  You know, the dark woodwork, stained glass windows, high ceilings. extraordinary acoustics!  OK, well you get the picture...  Anyway, Scott was a huge help!  He carried just about everything, taped cables, you name it he did it and, most of the time, he knew what we needed before we did!  That evening we did a concert for a small but very appreciative group and Sunday morning we did another mini-concert.  They loved us!  After church, we went out for Mexican food with the Pastor Catherine, her spouse Charlotte and several others from the church.  We had a GREAT time!  Then they took us on a tour of Roanoke, which included the Big Star of Roanoke pictured below.  We really enjoyed our visit and once again look forward to seeing them again!

photos by Charlotte! Thanks!!

    The Big Star of Roanoke!                  Carolyn and Pat doing a sketch in Roanoke!

Then we went back to Ben and Melanie's in Boston...  
                         As I said before, you really need to read the marriage page! 

On June 25th, we drove to Northern Lights MCC, Augusta, ME.  They also had arranged for us to be in a motel for their weekend conference.  We were to join them for dinner Saturday night which would be followed by our concert.  Rev Elder Nancy Wilson we also there for the weekend.  We just love her!  The concert went well and then we were back at the conference center again Sunday morning.  We sang a couple of songs and then Rev Nancy Wilson preached the sermon.  What a treat!  We don't often get to hear sermons and Rev Wilson is very good!  Afterward, Rev Wilson invited us to lunch, where we talked, dreamed and brainstormed.  It felt so good to sit and talk with her.  Thank you Pastor Gordon, Rich, Rev Wilson and Northern Lights MCC!!

Pat standing in front of Wood's Seafood in Maine!

Then we went back to Ben and Melanie's in Boston again...  
                      They must really love us to put up with weekly visits for a month!

June 29th - WE got married!!
  ...really, the marriage page is interesting!
         Just Married!

On July 2nd we drove to MCC of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, PA.  We arrived and Barb met us at the interstate to lead us to the home of Kay.  Kay was kind enough to give us her room for our visit.  That evening Barb, her spouse and Kay took us to dinner!

The next day, we went to the church for set-up, and DJ helped us get set.  That afternoon, our friend Genette came by and greeted us.  We had a small appreciative group but which is pretty good for a holiday weekend.  Afterward, Johnn & Jim, DJ, Genette and Lorel helped us strike the equipment.  They were a great group!  The concert went well and on July 4th, we started the trek home.  

We had been on the road for 5 weeks and had driven back and forth to Boston a number of times in order to jump through all the legal hoops necessary to get married (marriage page).  We were pooped and missed our cats, but we were finally and legally (in Massachusetts at least) married!  This seems like a good place to close this issue!  Thank you for reading our adventures and until next time, God Bless!

Tour 1 - Spring 2005

Remember Our Home is Decatur (Atlanta), GA

January 9
First MCC, Atlanta, GA

March 19
MCC Charlotte, NC

Palm Sunday
March 20
New Life MCC of the Hamptons, Norfolk, VA

March 23
(Tentative)
Hope MCC, Daytona Beach, FL

Easter Sunday
March 27
FirstCoast MCC, St. Augustine, FL

Tour 2 - SUMMER 2005

Tour 2 starts at Home in Decatur (Atlanta), GA!

If you are near or even within a days drive from our projected route, we ARE in your area!!

Help us Fill in those states across the country!

July 9-10
(Tentative)
MCC Knoxville, TN

July 22 thru 26
UFMCC General Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Contact us ASAP to set a date!!

 Closing Thoughts:                

Wow, can you believe the holidays are already over?  Now it’s back to the grindstone and the wait for springtime to emerge.  We, here in Georgia, are experiencing unseasonably high temps but we are NOT complaining!  It is wonderful!  But there are other parts of the country and certainly the world to which Mother Nature is not being quite as nice.  And that reminds me how small we are compared to the power of nature.  The tsunami devastation is inconceivable!  The flooding in the west, the hurricanes in Florida and I could go on…  What does it all mean?  And why doesn’t God save us from the storms?  What can we do?

I would not presume to know why disasters come but I do know that the forces of nature are set in motion from the beginning of time and will be with us until the earth is gone.   With that said, there are miracle stories coming out daily of survival and God’s goodness, but what about the others?  Not one of those people was loved by God more than any other...  All I can say is that life is a journey, short or long, with highs, lows and in-betweens, which begins, grows and then is gone.  But the difference for those of us who have accepted God’s presence is stated in Christ’s promise, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age”.  Christ didn’t promise us the absence of trouble.  Christ offered us a constant companion that will be there for us when difficulties and even death come our way.  That bad things happen to good people can be hard to accept, but they do and that is as much a part of life as flowers in the springtime.  But we don’t have to be alone.  The choice is ours.  And God has promised to be there every time we cry out.  And that’s a great thing!  We will never be alone.  So I believe that God heard every single one of those people’s prayers as that tsunami crashed into land and God was there to hold their hand no matter what their fate.  Not one single person who reached for God was alone!

And finally, what can we do?  Well, Christ’s words are pretty clear there, too, “Do you love me?  Feed My Sheep!” John 21:15-17. Or in other words, take care of each other!  So for those of us who love God, our task is clearly defined.  Let’s take care of those who are in need, extending God’s hand to everyone both here and around the world.  So as the words to the song “This Day” (on our CD) remind us: 

This day is fragile
soon it will end
and once it has vanished it will not come again
so let us love with a love pure and strong,
before this day is gone.

This day is fleeting
when it slips away
not all our money can buy back this day
So let us pray that we might be a friend
before this day is spent.

This day we’re given is golden,
let us show love.
This day is ours for one moment,
let us sow love.

 This day is frail
it will pass by
So, before it’s too late to recapture the time,
let us share love
Let us share God
before this day is gone.

“…And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 
Matthew 28:20

Help us to spread the Good News!
 Marshall-Grant Ministries
depends on you.

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Marshall-Grant Ministries is a 501(c)(3) organization
and your donations may be tax deductible!

Marshall-Grant Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 1725
Decatur, GA  30031  USA

Voice Mail:  (770) 329-8960

MGMinistry@aol.com

May the Peace of God be with you always!

Your sisters in Christ’s service,

Carolyn Marshall and Pat Grant

Special Note to Church Leaders:  
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