My Friend, Roger Ferguson was the one who arranged the singing opportunity with the Korean Church. He and his wife Dawn are part of our praise team ministry at Madison. Roger has produced a wonderful CD of original songs that has a very "British Invasion" and Beatles sound. You will enjoy his music! Check it out at http://www.rogerferguson.net

My friend, David Creek, recently spent two weeks on a mission trip in Brazil. His only regret was, in his words --

"The only thing I regret - not having a walkman to listen to my hundreds of Acappella CDs! The second I got back in, I dropped my bags in the living room, prayed, and ran through CD after CD . . . four hours nonstop."

"When I sang, 'Well On My Way' though, I had to turn off the ceiling fan so I wouldn't lose my fingers!"

David, we are glad you saved your fingers! Also, glad you had a fruitful trip. Thanks for sharing.

(for those of you who have never been to an Acappella concert, it is common for everyone in the entire audience to raise their hands as high as they can during part of this song.)

Hi Friends,

It is time to call the radio stations and request the song, "Lord Save Me."
It has been sent to Christian stations across the United States.
We pray that this song will receive air play and bless many hearts.

Thanks!

With Acappella, a lot of great things are happening. After our trailer was stolen with all of our touring equipment, we have finally replaced most of the items we need, including our lights. In addition to the moving lights and sound, we have just added videos to our concert.

Ryan Smith put the videos together for us. He is very talented in many areas, including coming up with great videos. One of my favorites is a car traveling down the highway for the song "Gone Away", in which the footage is sped up by at least four times! At the Madison concert, it was funny to hear people's verbal reactions as the car (seemingly traveling at 200 MPH) came to an abrupt stop occasionaly. Ryan said it would have been hilarious to end the video with the car hitting something (just a special effect or stunt in the "movie" of course).

We are always excited about the Tulsa Workshop every March. People will be attending this event from all over the world and it will be great to hear their reaction to the new album, Radiance. So far, we are very pleased with the reactions from people on this new effort.

Jennifer Pennell helped us get the guys set up with new outfits and they look really sharp! We don't have any promotional photos with the new outfits, but hope to soon.

It is always a joy to lead worship at Tulsa, and I will get another chance to do that with Rod Brady on Thursday evening. If they say it's okay, I'd love for Acappella to join in leading "Awesome God". Speaking of Awesome God, the Praise & Harmony seminars are going well. More on that later.

Speaking of inside cover, you are in for a treat with Radiance! Chad Bahr(former AVB vocalist) designed the artwork for the new album and did a wonderful job with the entire design. On the inside, there is a SIX panel photograph that is one seamless picture. That picture has the guys (and other mysterious guests) in the picture several times in different outfits. It was a lot of fun shooting this! My daughter, Kimberly worked herphotographic magic. (By the way, this week she shot the cover of SingingNews Magazine, featuring the Crabb Family.)

Countdown to the Acappella / Durant concert at Madison, TN:Nine days . . .

Greetings,

One of the songs on the new album is taken word per word from Hebrews 1:1-3.
It was more challenging than previous Scripture songs to set to music, with asymmetrical rhythms and words that don't rhyme.

We were joking about how rare it would be to hear the words "exact representation" in any song, much less in a public prayer at a typical worship service.

A few days after writing this song, one of the elders at our church led a public prayer and thanked God for "Jesus, who is the radiance of God's glory and the EXACT REPRESENTATION of His being."

I already told you about the song, ALL MEN WILL KNOW, that I wrote while on tour with the guys in Japan. The first Sunday after we returned to the States, our preacher declared that his favorite Scripture in the Bible is John 13:35, which says, "ALL MEN WILL KNOW that you are my disciples if you love one another."

We are excited to be developing a Bible Study to go along with the RADIANCE CD. May these songs help us know Him better.

Keith

Hi Friends,

The new Acappella album was such a joy to record. As I listen to the finished product, the return to some old-school sounds brought many delightful "flash backs."

There are times throughout the album when you can almost hear a singer from years ago. In fact, the similarities are often eerie.

Having written most of the music, it is not surprising to find ties back to previous albums. However, I made a strong attempt to seek variety from song to song so that everything doesn't sound alike. The versatility of the voices in Acappella make for a very fresh project. These guys are so talented and are fast learners! I am proud of my son, Anthony and his writing debut for Acappella on this CD. Melissa did an outstanding job with the engineering of this project. Kim provides a wonderful treat with some very unique photography for the CD.

With Heaven & Earth, we explored new territory with an R&B influence. With RADIANCE, we are staying with strong Scripture themes but going back to a more recognizable Acappella style. We are excited about RADIANCE, and I really hope you enjoy it as well. Please pray that this project will point people to the ONE who is the "exact representation of His being."

Hebrews 1:3 "The son is the radiance of God's glory."

Blessings To All,
Keith

March 11, 2006.
Acappella in concert
Durant is the opening group.
A "Live" DVD will be recorded.
Some new songs will be included in the concert.
Another reason to come? Acappella's brand new album will debut there!!!!!!!!

Hi Friends,

While enjoying an amazing trip to Japan, I decided to write a song based upon a phrase from John 13:34, 35. We had eight concerts during the ten day trip. During one of the days off, I started writing the song. As we traveled on the train system, Acappella was singing the sections of this new song so I could hear the progressions. (By the commuters' reactions, we could tell that singing is not common on the trains, nevertheless, the reaction was delightful.) I finished the song after our return to the States and it will debut this weekend in Florida.

Zach Wilson sings the lead on this song that has a similar feel to The Time Has Come. This song is entitled, All Men Will Know.
We love to sing songs based directly upon God's Word.

Blessings To All,
Keith

Today, Gary Evans is moving back to Lubbock, TX after five years with Acappella. He is an outstanding man and a great friend of Acappella Ministries. We will miss him so much! Gary represents the epitome of the type of person we want to be associated with. We wish Gary the best as he continues to serve the Lord.

God answers prayer! Allen Brantley, of Birmingham, AL will be singing bass for Acappella. Allen has been singing with New Reign from Oklahoma Christian. We are amazed by how quickly Allen has learned the program and sounds as if he has been singing with the group for a very long time. We look forward to great things ahead.

We have already added new songs to the line up from our upcoming CD.

More about that later.

Hi Friends,
The new Quintet sounds fantastic!
We have been working all day, every day on the program and I am very pleased with the progress. God has sent us some wonderful young men who have a passion for the Lord and a talent to communicate His love through a cappella music. Having five guys in the group gives us much more flexibility with arranging.
Every day, we have had ministers meet with us to help us establish the proper foundation.
Keep praying for this great combination of hearts and talent!
For His Glory,
Keith
_________________
hear it in our voice

Friends of Acappella,

We are eagerly anticipating the ministry of the new Acappella Quintet line up. Gary Evans, Jr., will be joined by Jordan House, Zac George, Zach Wilson and Robin Brannon.

As these talented and godly men begin what we affectionately call “boot camp”, would you like to send a note of encouragement to help them enjoy a great beginning? I’m sure that Robin, Zach, Jordan, Gary and Zac would be delighted to hear from you!

If you would like to send them a note, please e-mail your message privately to me:

keith@acappella.com

I will share these messages with the guys.

Please pray for these men by name as they take the banner of the Gospel to more and more people. In fact, Acappella will be touring Japan in a few weeks as God continues to open doors for our ministry. We are so touched by your love and support.

God Bless All Of You!

Keith Lancaster

Finally, the time has come -- The long-awaited release of Acappella's "Heaven and Earth":
Drum roll please .... (vocally produced drum roll, of course)

** OCTOBER 15 **

We are very excited about this brand-new release and the new sound. A lot of work, sweat and tears have gone into this project and we believe the end result is well worth the wait.

The music is fun and fresh, and as usual, we are counting on this music to turn people's attention to our loving God. Although life on earth can be quite challenging and often heart-breaking, there is an ultimate reason for living and an ultimate destination awaiting us. The high contrasts of struggles on earth and sweet rewards of heaven are addressed in this collection of songs.

I am pleased with the quality of the young vocalists who have taken the torch of Acappella's ministry into a new dimension. May our music always be relevant and true to the timeless Message.

In my last studio message I mentioned a number recording tracks we were utilizing. Gary tells me we have topped 100 Tracks on this Acappella project. I do believe this is a record for us! I find this quite humorous, since we began this project intending to incorporate "simple" arrangements and a more streamlined sound. I guess the most eclectic song on this CD is "Gone Away."

We are also working on a (congregational) worship album during this time frame as well. Hundreds of singers from around the country have descended upon Music City to record some favorite worship songs and the result is very inspiring! We are attempting to capture a wonderful worship experience with people who are singing their hearts out to God. Angelic! We pray that this project will bless countless people as well as Acappella's new CD.

One humorous note on the worship recording -- we had to turn the air conditioning off to attain a cleaner recording and as I was directing this exceptional chorus of singers, I sweated so much that I looked as if I had climbed out of a dunking machine!

Hi Friends,

I REALLY miss A.C.M.S. (Acappella Christian Music Seminar,) later referred to as ACAFEST.

Every year, we enjoyed a great "family reunion" with fellow singers, worship leaders, songwriters, technicians, instructors, praise teams, friends and fans. Great classes were taught on multiple subjects related to voice training, recording, "live" sound, song writing and arranging, group management and promotion, and host of other interesting topics.

We enjoyed talent presentations, Biblical teaching and a host of concerts, including groups from all over the world.

Acafest required a tremendous amount of work to organize (just ask Gary Moyers who did a marvelous job of orchestrating this event.) It was difficult to continue this annual (summer) event because of the work involved.

Nevertheless, I miss it greatly. If we could find a way to put it back together (if the Lord wills), would you be interested in seeing Acafest revived?

Thanks for your input,

Keith

Just returned from Tulsa, Oklahoma. What a great weekend!

I got to lead worship for the thousands who attended. It is always a mountain top experience to be in Tulsa for this annual event and have the privilege of leading the worship. Thursday evening I was joined by Booker Murphy (Mr. "Enthusiasm",) Friday night with Rod Brady (of the Garnett Church) and Saturday night was led by Jerome Williams and Free Indeed. My praise team included my wife, Sharon, my son, Anthony and my youngest daughter, Allison. Rhonda (Acappella's booking agent) and Bruce Coleson were included, as well as "golden throat tenor," Kevin Schaffer, on my praise team. The event kicked off unofficially on Wednesday night, and I really enjoyed working with Memorial Drive's Praise Team at 7:00 P.M. and that same evening with the Garnett Praise Team about 7:45 P.M. We concluded the workshop with two great services at Garnett on Sunday morning.

Acappella debuted their new material and the new three song sampler. The response was tremendous.

"Acappella and Friends" sang for about 5,000 people (in the round,) beginning with me and Rodney Britt. Acappella sang a little bit, allowing more time for the Vocal Union to showcase their brand new album. Vocal Union did a tremendous job! Tony Brown introduced some new material with his "solo" time and the concert was concluded with one of Acappella's new songs, "Emergency."

After the concert, people were invited to a "live listening party" of the brand new songs with the brand new lighting programming. (BTW, the same man who programs lights for Brian McKnight designed Acappella's light show.) This made for a late night (two concerts,) but the faithful fans enjoyed their fill of the new material. In spite of some serious technical diffictulites, Acappella's professional manner continued to shine as they presented their new material.

Several more have signed up for the Acappella Cruise in January. Can't wait for this ultimate vacation experience.

We are happy to see how the new music is connecting with people. The sound is fresh, and hopefully, the message will continue to draw people to the Lord. In fact, the highlight of my Tulsa experience was hearing all the stories of how the music has changed and blessed so many lives!

We have finished three Acappella songs that will go on a sampler to be made available this month. It is great to finally be getting some songs with the voices of Sean, Matt, Gary and Nic as a quartet. As I said before, Tony Brown added some tremendous vocal percussion to complete this new sound.

Those who have been following this group will be glad to know that "Glory And Honor" will be included on this Sampler CD. I am proud of the way the guys' talent shines through on these songs. I went to the mastering session for these songs two days ago in Nashville. Annette Reischel, Steve's wife, is doing a fantastic job with the artwork.

Mar 12-14 - Baton Rouge, LA - with Acappella
Mar 24-28 - Tulsa, OK - with Acappella
April 4/5 - Madisonville, TX - with Acappella
April 19 - Lebanon, TN
June 21-25 - Impact - Lipscomb University
Aug 1 - Huntsville, AL

www.acappella.com

Winterfest, in the Great Smoky Mountains has been a great experience for me over the past three years. Jerome Williams led worship for the event a while back. The following year, I led worship for this youth rally. Last year, Jerome and I co-led the youth event with 12,000 people in attendance. The experience was fabulous and the team leadership really worked well!

Jerome came to work with me and the praise team a few days early. We had several rehearsals and led worship at the Madison church. This special time together really prepared us well last year for a smooth and enjoyable experience in working with the projection, sound, praise team and event coordinators. I am anticipating a "mountain top" experience this weekend.

I really enjoyed singing with the guys in Albuquerque Sunday Night. Since I don't sing with them regularly, I missed a few words (on Home Inside Of Me), but don't think anyone really noticed. Dan Scott, long time board member of Acappella Ministries, emceed the concert and handled it like no one else. He really puts his whole heart into the assignment and makes us want to give our best. It was also great to see Robert Orr, who flew in from Canada to run sound. We really miss him.

The concert was a fund raiser for a Children's Home and the setting was the beautiful KIVA auditorium in downtown Albuquerque. My songs included "A cappella", "Mansion, Robe & Crown", "Home Inside Of Me", "Let's "Get Together," "Well On My Way" and "Amazing Grace". One of the highlights for me happened after the concert. A sweet family and around 15 people surrounded me and sang "Better Than Life". It was great to be "on the road again".

Latayne Scott (great friend, author, scholar, advisor and wife of board member, Dan) reminded me of how Acappella Ministries has always been a ministry first and foremost, while the music simply provides the vehicle. So, whether we sing hip hop, barbershop or doo wop, the message is what matters most!