After three months of tests, blood work, treatment and countless prayers, the news is good. The surgery was successful and both patients are up and about and doing well. Prayers were answered and one of the nation’s top Southern Gospel groups would once again be boarding their bus, filling their concert dates.

In mid summer, 2007, Connie and Roger Fortner got the word they had expected for more than thirteen years of their son’s life. Eli’s kidneys were failing and he needed a transplant. Connie, Roger and Eli, half of the singing group, The McKameys, were facing the surgery they had anticipated since Eli was five months old. 

“When Eli was diagnosed with nephritis following a bout with strep throat when he was just a baby, we knew that somewhere down the road, he would need a transplant,” Peg McKamey Bean said. “When his condition worsened last summer, Roger was tested and proved to be a perfect match. Eli’s kidneys were removed and we waited for three months for the disease to get out of his system. Eli received Roger’s kidney on October 2^nd and both Roger and Eli were able to be with the McKameys at Dollywood the weekend of October 20^th, 2007!” 

Without a doubt, God has been good to the McKameys. From the conception of the music ministry; three daughters of a Baptist minister singing together in their home church, to the current nationally acclaimed Southern Gospel group, the McKameys have been steadfast in their efforts to uplift the name of Jesus and bring joy to the lives of others.

It’s not always easy to climb on the bus every Thursday for three days away from home, but the knowledge of doing it for God puts things in perspective for Peg and Ruben Bean, Carol Woodard, along with Connie, Roger and Eli Fortner; “The McKameys.“  Peg tells us, “I get up early every morning, excited to see what God has in store for us for that day.”

That attitude and their reverence for the leadership of the Lord have endeared the McKameys to thousands of fans across the country. Those same fans have lifted this family to the throne of God in prayer through one of the most eventful years of their career.

From the beginning of their accent to the top of the Gospel music industry, this Clinton, Tennessee family has maintained close ties to their fans. They share prayer requests, stories, meals and fellowship with the people who travel hundreds of miles, buy tickets, sit in front rows and collect every CD and album the group has ever recorded. They are on first-name basis with thousands of people who only see them in concert once or twice a year, but who are bonded to the McKameys by the power of the Holy Spirit and the strength of their music.

It was only fitting that the fans who have sustained them throughout their career be involved in prayer for the healing of their son/grandson during his health crisis. And the people rallied around the McKameys. The prayer, email, letters, cards and gifts were astounding and have not gone unnoticed or unanswered by this staunch Christian family.

“How could we not trust the God who ministers to us over and over again through songs like “Right On Time,” “Even The Valley” and “God Will Make This Trial a Blessing." Peg asked. “The surgery wasn’t in our plans but it was all in God’s plan. He knew exactly when and how it would all come about, to get the most glory for the Kingdom,” Peg finished.

When we talked, the McKameys were returning for a weekend in Florida and although Eli was recovering from a bout of “walking pneumonia,” he was able to sing and play each night of the weekend trip. “God is so good,” Peg proclaimed.

When asked what truth had come to the family through the past six months, Peg said with reassurance, “That God is faithful. That He knows what He has planned for our lives and He will carry through that plan.”

“I’ve learned to be more sensitive and caring toward people who are going through things; who are hurting,” Peg said. “I think God has opened a new highway of ministry for the McKameys through all of this.”

It seems that God has always given the McKameys songs to minister to people from all walks of life. Through the years fans have received encouragement and comfort from “Getting Used To The Dark,” “Under His Feet,” “Do You Know How It Feels,” “Prayer Changes Me” and their all-time, most requested song, “God On The Mountain.”

The McKameys are currently looking for new songs for a recording to be done in late spring of this year. “We get songs from a lot of people,” Peg said. “They send us tapes and CDs and I try to listen to every one. I always listen for the message because if it speaks to us, then it will speak to others. I want it to be scripturally sound and have a good tune.”

“Our daughter Sheryl Farris writes a lot of our songs. She brought us three new ones while we were in Florida this weekend,” Peg said. “The most important thing I try to do is to stay in the word and in prayer and to find what God is trying to say to me through His word and through the songs. He knows exactly who He will bring into our path and we want to have something that will speak to them.”

Through the years that wisdom has proven faithful for the McKameys. For more than half a century, fans have not tired of the music and the ministry of this family. Their following has reached around the world as their music is played on satellite radio and sold over the internet. Audio and video clips are available on various websites that have attracted fans to this down-to-earth, sincere, Godly family. And the legacy of the McKameys continues…

(This article appeared in a recent issue of GOSPEL MUSIC NEWS. Sandi Duncan-Clark is feature writer for GMN.)