Friday, December 30, 2005

Farewell To 2005 At Northlake Baptist

Dear Prayer Team,

It was a big night for RESCUE as we bid farewell to two of our members on Friday night at Northlake Baptist Church in Longview, Washington. We had many long-time supporters, prayer team members and staff there to watch the last concert of 2005. The atmosphere felt electric!

Everything seemed to run pretty much as normal that night until we went backstage after the encore. Then as we gathered ourselves and put our microphones away it kind of hit us all. There were tears and hugs and high hopes for the future for all of us no matter where the Lord leads. As Luke and Josh embark on the next exciting chapters of their lives, the Lord has given Jason, Dustin and I a very steady, rock-solid peace that He's still got a lot of great days in store for RESCUE.

In that bittersweet moment it would have been an easy thing for discouragement to grab hold of the three of us. I mean, in some way the dream that we started working toward last February could be seen drifting away. But, let me assure you that God has protected us from those feelings. In fact, he's been providing encouragement for us left and right! He always reminds me that although I have only been here since February, He'd been providing for and working through this ministry for 8 years before Dustin and I came on board.

That night was a difficult night for me vocally, as I was fighting a cold. I felt as if I wasn't quite able to communicate through music with the fluency that I normally would have. In some way I was kicking myself for something that I had no control over. So, as I was shaking hands with people and thanking them for coming to the concert, I was inwardly feeling a bit embarrassed that I wasn't able to sing to the level that I wanted to that night. That was when God stepped in.

A young man came up to me and shook my hand. He said that he was a leader in the youth ministry at the church and that he enjoyed the concert, but then he shared something that changed my outlook on the night. He said that his father had been out of fellowship with the church for a long time. In fact his father had been having great difficulty coming into close contact with the church or church functions. It took a lot of talking but he finally convinced his father to come to our concert. Maybe it was a non-threatening event for him, or maybe the novelty of a cappella singing was the thing that brought him in, either way he decided to come to the concert. He got very serious and looked me in the eye as he said, "Something about your voice really touched my dad. It was specifically your voice that pulled him in. In fact, he just bought an album because he enjoyed the concert so much." That may not sound like much, but judging by the expression of joy on his face as he explained the situation, I could tell that this was a much larger step for his father than I realized. I am sure that there had been much prayer and supplication on behalf of this young man's father. My heart leapt with him at the thought of what God had done through RESCUE.

As he gathered his family to leave I was struck by another feeling:

I was C-O-N-V-I-C-T-E-D

My focus didn't SEEM wrong. I just wanted to do a better job for the ministry. I didn't want my voice to distract from the message of the songs or from the impact that the concert would make on someone's heart. But in that moment my focus shifted and I could see exactly what was wrong... it wasn't about ME. God can use a donkey to bring a message, he doesn't NEED me. The point of this whole enterprise really isn't about what WE can do to serve God in some amazing way. I didn't read an advertisement for RESCUE before I joined that read, "Impress friends and neighbors with a life of music ministry! Show off your musical skills while building God's Kingdom!"God simply chose to use us in this way, and if we continually offer ourselves to him, sore throats and all, He'll use our broken vessels to bring His refreshing waters wherever He sends us and to whomever will hear.

Lord, thank you for reminding me again what a privilege it is to serve You. You have allowed us, in our weak and stubborn flesh, to be a part of what you are doing among your people. Thank you for reminding me that it really isn't about sounding good, or saying the perfect thing at the perfect time, it's really about us simply offering ourselves and being willing to go where you send us. You'll take care of the rest. You have proven that time after time. Amen.

I also want to mention that as we allow some time for God to bring us the bass and percussion voices that He is preparing for this ministry, we are going to send the prayer bulletin out every two weeks instead of weekly. Once we get the new voices in and are getting ramped back up for a full touring schedule again, then we'll go back to sending them out weekly

Sunday, December 25, 2005


Vocal Percussionist Brandon Bell spends the evening talking about ministry with RESCUE

Friday, December 23, 2005

Southlake Foursquare

Dear Prayer Team,

RESCUE was so very excited to be able to spend the weekend worshiping with the people of Southlake Foursquare in West Linn, Oregon. They have SUCH an amazingly talented worship team there. They have 7 vocalists, drums, percussion, electric guitar, Hammond organ, keyboards, a saxophone, and a trumpet! Southlake is Dustin's home church and from what he tells me, just about everyone on the stage has experience as a professional musician. When we got to spend time with them off the platform, we found that they were very accepting and sweet people. At the end of the service they had us join them on stage and sing their last three songs together with the full band and vocalists. By my math, that equals 19 people on stage! It was a truly amazing worship experience for me, and it was not lost on the congregation which seemed to use it as an opportunity to give themselves even more fully to the Lord in worship. I will not soon forget that wonderful time. During our set we sang primarily Christmas songs, and the response from the congregation was awesome!

We had several friends of RESCUE and Prayer Team members approach us after the services. It was great to hear from you and meet you face to face! Thank you all for your ongoing prayer support of this ministry.

Friday, December 16, 2005

RESCUE Sings At the University of Portland

Dear Prayer Team,

It was quite a relief to set up our loaned sound equipment last Thursday night. The performance was almost canceled due to timing circumstances at The University of Portland, but our tenacious contact there, an RA on campus, did his best and we finally got the word that we were "on" for Thursday. This concert date was put together in a very short amount of time and it was just a little too fast for the student organization to feel comfortable releasing funds for our concert. He went through an automatic appeals process with the senate of the Council of Associated Students of the University of Portland and won. Doreen, who was working with the RA, really feels as if God allowed that door to open. In his initial email contact with Doreen the resident assistant wrote, "There is something about youthful and energetic zealots for the cause of Christ offering their gifts of song that is soothing to the soul, especially during the Christmas season. It is for this reason I'm contacting you."

As a newer member of RESCUE, I couldn't remember singing for a college crowd this year so I was very interested in their reaction to us (and maybe a bit nervous). They did as much promotion for the concert as time would allow, but as the time of the concert neared there was only a very small group of people assembled in the half bowl-shaped lecture room we were about to blast with Christian acappella. We went to the little area they had given to us as a dressing room and prepared for whatever the Lord had in store for us that evening. I was still a bit nervous, but I had given it to God. By the time we got on stage the small crowd of 20 or 30 had turned into a crowd of about 200 plus! There were a few priests and a family or two, but generally it was all college-aged people. They were an AWESOME crowd to sing to! They responded to everything we did. They had such genuine faces and open smiles!

After such an amazing time, I was not surprised by the fact that a huge percentage of the people in attendance came by our table to shake hands and talk with us. I felt like I met everybody there! Many of them stood there kind of stunned, saying that they had never seen anything like what we were doing. Many of them were touched by the message of our songs. In the lobby, Josh even got to sing with a young group of men who had formed a quartet on campus that was missing their bass that night. What a blessing it is to be able to go out and encourage people and get so much encouragement back in the process!

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Our Busy Schedule and Two Sad Goodbye's

Dear Prayer Team,

We've had an incredible week of ministry as we sang at Foothills Church in Stayton, Oregon on two nights for an outreach event, three services on Sunday morning at Salem Alliance Church, and on Tuesday night at Skyview High School - a public school in Vancouver, Washington. It's pretty amazing to me that we were able to keep a schedule like this given the fact that WE HAVE NO EQUIPMENT! God is SO awesome. Alpha Sound in Salem, Oregon has been one of our sources for sound equipment in the past and has been an incredible support to us through the years. When they heard that our trailer/sound system had been stolen, they decided to make sure that we were taken care of until we were able to get up and running with new equipment. They have gone over and above what you'd expect even a supportive company to do in a situation like this, and we are left feeling extremely blessed! We have also been bowled over by the emails and calls of support and help during this time.

In the midst of this time of blessing I am sorry to have to bring you some sad news. At the end of December we are losing two of our singers. Our bass, Josh Wheeler and our vocal percussionist/baritone, Luke Coles are leaving to continue their college education. As you know, Josh is engaged to be married to his college sweetheart, Mandy. He has prayerfully come to the decision that it would be best to not begin their marriage while performing full-time in a touring group and will be going back to finish his last year of college at LCU in Texas. Luke has also decided that it would be best, for he and his new family, for him to continue his education. Luke, Serena and baby Tyson will also be moving to Texas where he's enrolling in a Christian college. It has been an unbelievable 9 months and both of these men have been incredible assets to this ministry. We have been blessed to serve beside them during all of the beautiful ministry opportunities of the past year. They will be in our prayers and we wish them the very best that God has for them.

Jason, Dustin and I are extremely committed to many more years of ministry through RESCUE. God has shown us time and time again that He is willing to use us if we make ourselves available. What a journey this ministry has had, and through it all Christ has emerged victorious! The sense that I have felt among those in and around RESCUE is that if we are faithful to God and stay committed to Him, we have nothing to fret about.

Jason says, "Only one year ago, I was the only one left of the former group. I am so thankful for what God has done this year. He brought new pieces of the puzzle together, and showed us that He plans for RESCUE to continue for many more years. This rebuilding has not come without trials, but the trials have strengthened our faith, and we refuse to let the setbacks discourage us. Through God's blessings, the three of us, along with all the others who work so hard to make this ministry work, look forward to what God is going to do in 2006."

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Newscast About the Trailer

Dear Prayer Team,

If you've been reading your emails lately, you've no doubt heard about the theft of our equipment trailer along with all of our sound equipment and a good chunk of our stock of RESCUE CD's and DVD's. The thing that is wonderful about times like this is that we really get to see the body of Christ in action. "Mac" announced our loss to his church (Sunset Presbyterian in West Portland) and immediately we started getting phone calls of support, donations, and the use of equipment, if needed.

Someone who goes to his church works at a local NBC affiliate TV station KGW and they set up an interview with "Over" on Tuesday. Since none of us other guys could be there for the interview, they used some footage of a RESCUE concert at the Men's Round Up at Camp Tadmor this fall. "Over" wanted to make sure that the point was made that just because our "stuff' was stolen, we are not worried that we'll lose our ministry opportunities, we believe God allows these things and that he'll bring us through it all just fine! "Over" said that the reporter was really great but that he seemed to want the "sad song" of a ministry in ruin. But Jason just wasn't going to give that impression! The big question was, which quotes would the reporter use? What kind of license would he take with the story. Jason was very concerned with how it was all going to go. I transcribed it, so read it for yourself!

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Evening Anchor Joe Donlon: It has been a test of faith for members of a local Christian singing group. Thousands of dollars worth of sound equipment and CD's were stolen during their busiest time of the year. News Channel 8's Dave Northfield joins us now with a story you'll see only on 8. Dave, what'll the group do now?

Dave Northfield: Well, they'll just keep singing! RESCUE sings Christian inspirational music and after the theft on Thanksgiving day the members needed some inspiration themselves.(Note: We aren't sure whether it was stolen on Thursday or Friday)

(Cut to video of RESCUE on the stage at Camp Tadmor's Men's Round Up. Dustin sings the opening lines to So Excited/Amazing Grace)

Dustin Allen: (singing lead) The world was spinnin', passin' me by...

(Cut to Jason Overstreet interview over music)

Jason Overstreet: December and late November are the busiest months of the entire year. Um, we're doing a lot of Christmas programs. We're an acapella group so the sound system that was in there is a pretty - it's kind of the instrument that we play.

Dave Northfield: Jason Overstreet leads the Christian vocal group, RESCUE. The five members kept their equipment in a locked trailer attached to a bus (Cut to video of church parking lot, building and marquee) which was parked here at Christ the Vine Lutheran Church in Damascus. RESCUE had a performance scheduled for a church in Salem last Sunday, then Overstreet says he got a call from the business manager the night before. (Note: Jeff got this wrong. Actually it was the road manager, Luke)

Jason Overstreet: ...And he gave me a call at about 8:00 on Sunday night and said he had bad news. Said that our trailer and sound system were gone!

Dave Northfield: Also stolen, copies of the group's CD's that sell very well this time of year, especially the Christmas album. Overstreet says the group was discouraged then was "rescued" by their faith.

Jason Overstreet: We know that God has a plan in this and, um, stuff like this doesn't happen for no reason.

(Cut to video of Jason opening new boxes of Christmas CD's (Note: The first 200 of the new order of Christmas CD's was stolen but we still had the other 800 coming))

Dave Northfield: Today a replacement shipment of Christmas CD's arrived and now these singers say they'll keep sharing their music and their message.

(Cut to video of the group singing the big finish of So Excited/Amazing Grace)

Jason Overstreet: (Voice over) But really, the real instrument is our voices, so as long as we have our voices, we'll keep singing!"

Brian Sell: (singing lead) Amazing Grace!

(Back in studio)

Dave Northfield: The total value of the equipment and the CD's is about $65,000. RESCUE is insured, but not for the replacement value of those losses.
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Immediately after the broadcast someone called Jason with a donation. I think the message is pretty clear to us that we don't think that God needs our stuff for us to be able to serve Him. If he wants us to minister, and if we're yielded to Him, He'll make a way!

Also, we found out today that the company where we bought the trailer had a man come in today and try to buy parts for a trailer. They are positive it is ours. They have an imprint of his credit card and have written down the company information that was on the side of his truck. Jason has given all of this information to the police.