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Four Men of Mars Hill Turn to ‘God’s Light’
By Porsha Lackey
God's Light: (left to right) Hill,
Douglas, Thompson, and Cheek |
Laughter and the sound of high-spirited gospel filled the air. The four members
of God’s Light made their way down the aisle and settled in a pew at
St. James AME Church in Asheville. They were there to begin rehearsals for
a gospel concert at the church the following weekend.
For
Mars Hill College students Demarcus Thompson, Kenny Cheek, Tavarus Hill, and
Antonyo Douglas, the invitation to sing at St. James on March 31 is just the
latest in an increasing number of requests coming to them from outside of their
campus home base.
On Saturday morning, January 13, the group was invited to sing for the hundreds
of people who gather every year at the Dr. Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast
in Asheville.
The four men have been singing together for three years and have had great
success locally. Their first performance was on campus at Chapel Convocation
in the spring of 2004. They have since been invited to sing at numerous campus
events. Now they are branching out in hopes of touching hearts
all over the world.
The name of their group comes from the Bible, which speaks frequently of God's
light. "God has not promised us sunshine all the days of our life," said
Thompson, paraphrasing a devotional verse. "But he did promise us that
his light will shine."
As much as they all love the Lord and each other, things have not always been
so great. “The hardest thing we have had to deal with as a member of
God’s Light is probably finances," said Douglas.
He added that it is also a challenge to sing and to practice twice a week
while keeping up with studies and sports. "Being college students, and
at one point me and Kenny were playing ball, it really got hard.”
However when times get hard, they know what keeps them together. “God” said
Thompson. “Our relationship is also what keeps us strong. We have a good
relationship with one another,” said Hill.
Hill and Douglas are both from Shelby, N.C., while Thompson is from Lancaster,
S.C., and Cheek is from Waynesville, N.C.
Each of them has a different major. Hill is an art major with a concentration
in graphic design. Cheek is majoring in music and vocal performance. Thompson
is a double major in social work and music. Douglas is majoring in math.
Although they clearly have separate agendas as far as majors and concentrations
are involved, they all agree on one thing; they would love a record deal. If
a man walked in and offered them a recording contract, would they take it?
“First we would ask what type of record deal it was. We don’t
want people trying to make money off of us,” said Douglas.
“We would pray and ask God, because God has a plan for everybody," said
Thompson.
Hill and Douglas will be graduating in May, leaving behind Cheek
(a junior) and Thompson (a sophomore). But they say they will continue their
music ministry. “Definitely it will continue the same even when we graduate," said
Cheek. "We will still have a group.”
They believe success has come their way "because of God's anointing
our group. He has opened doors for us," said Thompson. Douglas
said, “Because we align ourselves with God, he blesses us.”
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