After a 20 year career in secular music, I came to the realization that the “Gift of Music” which was given to me by God was being used for a different reason than what God had intended. It wasn’t until I walked into a spirit-filled church and was profoundly touched by the music and a strong sense of the Holy Spirit that I received a revelation of how I was intended to be used by God. In 1990 I jo
ined a choir band as a drummer at North Haven Free Will Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina and have been involved in music ministry ever since. I was there that I learned hundreds of songs ranging from traditional hymns to southern gospel and the contemporary Christian music of the day. I began to notice which of the songs impacted the congregation and which ones did not. I understood the importance of presenting a variety of styles due to the different ages and cultural background of the congregants. This experience evolved into twenty year second career as a Christian musician, singer, praise and worship leader and preacher. I went on to play drums with choirs is New York and was promoted to the position of “Director of Music” at a very popular church in Long Island, N.Y. In 1996 I accepted an invitation to join the Gideons International. I joined the local camp and was quickly advanced to the positions of Vice President, and then President. I qualified as a “Speaker” and have represented the Gideons International as a speaker at numerous churches both in New York and North Carolina. As a Gideon I was regularly involved in ministering to people in all walks of life, many of whom did not “know” The Lord. We visited Nursing homes, hospitals, penal institutions and military induction centers distributing “The Word” and reaching out to the lost. My ministry became a “two-fold” ministry in that my role expanded to that of a “missionary” of sorts. As a result of a very powerful, heart-wrenching service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, I expressed an interest in joining the Prison Ministry at my local church. I began leading worship at Riker’s Island Correctional Facility every Tuesday night with my wife-to-be, Susan. At that point I was “out of my comfort zone” singing and playing guitar! I believe this was God’s way of removing the barrier (drums) and putting me in closer contact with his “hurting” people. We provided praise, worship and encouragement in the prison chapel in preparation for the delivering of God’s Word every Tuesday night for three years. When Susan and I married in 2010 we felt called to leave the area and continue with our ministry outside of New York. Having lived in North Carolina for eight years, I suggested that we visit the area on our honeymoon. Susan immediately fell in love with the area and on day two of our honeymoon we bought a house on a street called “His Way”! After our relocation in 2010 we began attending Ridgecrest Worship Center in Rocky Mount and participated in their music program (Susan in the choir and myself on bass guitar). In the fall of 2011 we found a small country church in Youngsville that seemed to suit our spiritual needs and where I was able to contribute to their music as a bass guitarist. It was there that I was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel on March 18th of 2012. Our senior pastor put me to work immediately preaching on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings whenever he could not be there. The feedback from the congregation was extremely positive! For some time now, I have had a compelling urge to set aside secular things and become more involved in this “two-fold” ministry. Having had a 20 year career in secular music as a musician, singer, bandleader, arranger and producer and having had a second 20 year “career” in Christian music, I believe God would have me to utilize the gifts He has given me to edify His people and to glorify His Name, “His Way” through the teaching of His Word and through music.
