OKLAHOMA CITY – Bethel University’s award winning Renaissance Quartet is coming to Quail Springs Baptist Church (14613 N. May Ave. in Oklahoma City) on Wednesday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. The group’s appearance is free and open to the public.

“We are pleased to host such a fine group of musicians, ones who bring glory to God,” said James Bradford, QSBC’s minister of music.

The group took top honors this past September at the 2009 National Quartet Convention – gospel music’s largest annual event. They bested 41 other quartets to win the convention’s group talent contest, and they were the only group composed of full-time college students.

Director Matthew Holt, who is a former member of the well-known gospel group the Perrys, pointed out the magnitude of the Renaissance Quartet’s experience.

“There were thousands of people at this convention who have spent their entire lives hoping to sing on the quartet convention stage,” Holt said. “As the winners of the competition, the Renaissance Quartet made it to the main stage and sang to an audience of 23,000.”

Currently, the group also has released its debut CD, and one song on it, “Givin’ in to Givin’ Up,”  has already spent some time in heavy rotation on 93.1 WWGM out of Jackson, Tenn., one of the biggest radio stations in gospel music.

As the winners of the Quartet Convention talent show, the group will also head back to the studio courtesy of Cross and Crown Music to record another album.

The group is composed of Dustin Doyle of Chalybeate, Ky., Blaine Sumler of Lexington, Tenn., Anna Pirtle of Bolivar, Tenn., and Josh Murrell of Paris, Tenn. They are accompanied by director Holt and by students Adam Catt of Bowling Green, Ky., and Roger Morris of McKenzie, Tenn.

Bethel University’s Renaissance Quartet is a component of Renaissance, the Bethel Performing Arts Experience, which encompasses vocal talent, instrumental talent and dramatic talent. Serving as ambassadors of Bethel University, Renaissance performs a wide range of musical styles and inspires its audiences to praise God. Renaissance has wowed audiences across the nation and even abroad.

Those interested in being a part of Bethel University’s Renaissance program can call 731-352-6414 for more information.

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Founded in 1950, Quail Springs Baptist Church has been led by Senior Pastor Dr. Hance Dilbeck since 2003.

Ray Griffin pictured with his wife Jennifer and their children Caleb and Emily

During the Sunday evening worship service on February 21, the Quail Springs Baptist Church family held a specially-called business meeting.

In the session, the congregation voted to approve a recommendation from the Executive Pastor search committee to make QSBC’s Ray Griffin executive pastor effective March 1.

“I am honored and humbled by this calling, and will do my all to glorify God in this role,” said Griffin.

The proposed 2010-11 QSBC operating budget and spending guide also was approved in a congregational vote that evening.

Fore more information, cotact the QSBC business office at 755-9240.

The service, which will  begin at 11:11 a.m. each Sunday, will be in the Fellowship Hall and will be specifically targeted to young adults.  The purpose of this new service will be to uphold one of the core initiatives recently voted on by the church to minister and reach out to young adults in the city.

“There is a great need to reach out to this generation as much of the statistics show that much of this generation is leaving the church,” said Pastor Hance Dilbeck.

“Another great result of adding the new worship service is that it will create more space available in the 9:30 and 11 worship services, which are currently filling up,“ said Dilbeck.

The 11:11 WORSHIP service will include a recording of the 9:30 a.m. sermon from Dr. Dilbeck that day  and will be led in song by a worship band.

“I am very thankful to the church and excited for the opportunity to reach out to young adults in the city,” said QSBC College Ministry Associate Scott Campbell, who is helping coordinate the service.

“This is a generation that is leaving the church in large numbers and is one of the most unreached people groups in Oklahoma City,” added Campbell.  “I pray this worship service would open doors for our church to reach out to this generation that desperately needs the gospel and the community of the local church.”

QSBC’s Ray Griffin, Randy Davis and James Bradford will provide leadership  and oversight for the service.  “This will be a great new venue for worship and the preaching of the Word,” said Griffin.

For more information, contact Scott Campbell at the church at scampbell@qsbc.org or click here for the ministry website.

At present in Haiti, search and rescue operations are taking place.  The country’s infrastructure, which was already in poor condition, has totally collapsed.  A conference call with Jim Brown, Director of Baptist Global Response, will take place this afternoon with the 42 state directors across the nation to formulate a plan for long-term recovery efforts in Haiti.

In the next few days, a Baptist Global Response assessment team will deploy from the United States en route to Haiti to work along-side our missionaries currently assisting the Haitians in this tragedy.  The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, in coordination with the Baptist Global Response and the North American Mission Board, will produce a comprehensive, coordinated plan to assist with victims of this earthquake.

Update, Thursday, Jan 14:

With more than 20 years of experience in Haiti, Florida Baptists are leading initial Southern Baptist relief efforts.  According to Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response, teams from Mississippi and Kentucky are on standby for immediate response. An Assessment team is being organized by Baptist Global Response, IMB, NAMB and state convention disaster relief directors.  They will work with Haitian Baptists to identify immediate needs that must be addressed and will draft mid- and long-term plans for ongoing relief efforts.

Funding will be provided by IMB’s disaster relief fun.  Contributions can be made at bgco.org/donate, or by sending funds to the address below.  100% of the funds you send will be Haiti Relief and Recovery.

“Please pray for us as we assess and monitor the situation in Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks this evening,” Brown said. “The initial information indicates 2 million people in Port-au-Prince are directly affected. Please pray for victims and their families. Pray for wisdom as responses are initiated.”

To donate funds for this recovery effort, please send them to:

Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief – Haiti Earthquake Relief
The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
3800 N. May Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK  73112

or visit

bgco.org/donate