Special Feature to SGM Radio by Sheila Jackson of The Chapelaires.  Introduction by Lorraine Walker.

Southern Gospel is not just the music of the southern United States; the genre also has many artists and fans in Canada. Red Deer, Alberta, is the home of Canada’s Gospel Music Celebration, a three-day extravaganza occurring every July in Westerner Park. This event hosts many fan-favorite American groups, such as Greater Vision, the Booth Brothers, the Hoppers and Triumphant Quartet, as well as award-winning Canadian artists like the Torchmen, Younge Street Vocal Band, and the Daae Family. Popular mixed quartet, The Chapelaires, from Ontario, were also on stage at Canada’s answer to the National Quartet Convention.

David Jackson began The Chapelaires as a male quartet in 1970. He married his lovely wife Sheila in 1974 and since that time the group has traveled part-time as a mixed quartet. Dave’s bass vocals and Sheila’s melodic alto have been a distinctive part of Ontario gospel music for over thirty years. Also traveling with this well-loved couple are soprano Myrna Hand and baritone Larry Steeves, cousins from the east coast of Canada, whose voices complete the  southern/inspirational sound of the group. All of these vocalists have several years of musical experience on their resumes, and this past summer they travelled to Red Deer to be a part of Canada’s Gospel Music Celebration.

Sheila Jackson shares their western adventures in the following feature:

Here in Ontario, Canada, the days are getting shorter and the leaves are starting to turn color.  As The Chapelaires look over our past summer schedule we are thankful for the many wonderful opportunities God has given us to share the good news of His love in a variety of outdoor settings, from rib fests to fairs and from outdoor church services to camps.  Wherever we had the privilege of singing, we always prayed that Christians would be encouraged in their faith and that those who do not know our Savior personally would come to understand that Jesus truly loves them through the message in our songs.

Looking back over the summer, one weekend stands out and it was Canada’s Gospel Music Celebration in Red Deer Alberta, July 12-15, 2012.  It was The Chapelaires’ first time to be a part of this amazing event where Christ was honored and souls were blessed.  The directors prayed and worked hard to plan three days that would give all attendees a special blessing.

We felt the presence of the Lord as soon as we walked into the Parkland Pavilion to set up our booth.  Everyone greeted each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Collingsworth Family, Hoppers, Booth Brothers, Legacy Five, Greater Vision, Triumphant Quartet and the Blackwood Brothers worked side by side with the Canadian groups to make sure the exhibit hall was set up and ready for the many friends that would crowd into the hall each afternoon and evening.

People from every province and many States joined together in a wonderful sense of camaraderie that felt like a family reunion. That is exactly what we experienced in Red Deer: a reunion of the Family of God!

Our lives were touched in a very special way by all the new friends we met and it was a little bit of heaven right there in Red Deer, Alberta.  You can check out our part in the celebration by going to You Tube/Chapelaires/Red Deer, Alberta. [See http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en&v=7Uy4QE1VUxA&gl=USfor the Chapelaires singing “Reason Enough”.]

Gordie Reimer, the CEO of Canada’s Gospel Music Celebration and Wayne Dyck the Editor of the 2012 CGMC Program had one desire for CGMC 2012 and that was that everyone who attended would renew their HOPE and humbly realize that God’s grace really is …….amazing!

If you have never attended the CGMC in Red Deer, we would encourage you to make your plans to attend next year’s celebration July 11-13, 2013.  After all, everyone enjoys a family reunion where the banquet table of Southern Gospel Music is spread for all to receive their own special blessing.

Well, it’s time to turn our thoughts to the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky September 9 – 15, where once again the family of God will join together in worship and celebration through Southern Gospel Music, just another foretaste of what we can look forward to in Heaven. Until next time, God bless… Sheila Jackson of The Chapelaires.

For More on The Chapelaires, visit  http://www.chapelaires.com/The_Chapelaires/Welcome.html

For More on Canada’s Gospel Music Celebration visit http://www.gospelmusic.ca/index.html