T (USPS156-140) Vol. 132, Number 47 DeWitt, AR 72042 • 16 Pages • 2 Sections • 75 cents
he Christmas Cottage
Serving Arkansas County, County Arkansas Since 1882
Story and Photos on Page B1
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Gospel Singer Ivan Parker Performs at First Baptist
AROUND THE COUNTY
SWEATER DRIVE CONTINUES
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive continues through November 29 at the DeWitt Public Library, 205 West Maxwell. All sweater donations benefit the Arkansas Salvation Army. Won’t you help a neighbor?
RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE
On December 8 from 2 p.m. 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 608 S. Grandview in De Witt will hold a Red Cross blood drive.
ANNUAL PANCAKE SUPPER
The DeWitt Lions Club Annual Pancake Supper will be held December 5 from 5-7 p.m. in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church. The price of a ticket includes one plate of sausage and bacon with a bottomless plate of pancakes. Proceeds to benefit the sight preservation of the club and the DHS LEOs Club and their activities. Advance tickets are $7.00 each (3 years old and under – FREE) and may be purchased at DeWitt Bank and Trust, Tommy’s Rexall, Youngs Insurance Agency, Hughes Pew Cushion, McGahhey Hardware, or from any DeWitt Lions Club or DHS Leo Club member. Tickets will also be available at the front door with carry– out available. The DeWitt Lions Club, chartered in 1938, is one of the oldest civic service organizations in DeWitt. Over the years, many Dewitt citizens have benefited from the club’s sight preservation project of purchasing eyeglasses as well as other worthy projects. The annual pancake supper has been a tradition in DeWitt for over 50th years and allows the club to continue to provide for those in need. For more information, contact Johnnie Schallhorn, President or Darleen Frizzell, secretary at 870-946-3531.
Ivan Parker and Terrye Seamon
By Terrye Seamon
It is not very often that a person gets to rub elbows with the rich and famous, and it is not every day that a small town like DeWitt gets the honor of hosting someone whose name is known the world over. So when the opportunity presented itself, I did not have to think twice about interviewing world-renowned gospel singer Ivan Parker before his concert Friday at First Baptist Church. Although I was so nervous that I almost forgot to press “Record” on my tape player, Parker’s welcoming personality soon calmed my nerves. I just sat back and talked with him about Jesus Christ, God’s place in this mixed-up universe and his career as a gospel singer. One of seven children and the son of a preacher, Parker was saved at a revival when he was only nine. His parents always told him and his siblings that someday God would speak to their heart, and they would know it. That night the preacher was preaching about the return of Christ, and something started to happen to Parker right there on the back row. “For the first time I heard what the preacher was saying,” Parker said. “At nine years old I went down and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, and you know what, I’ve made some mistakes along the way, but that’s when I knew God was a forgiving God.” As far as singing goes, Parker always knew he wanted to sing, and singing anything other than gospel was not really an option. “I had opportunities to do other types of music, but I kept going back to my roots,” Parker said. Since his father was an evangelist, Parker has always felt he was carrying on the musical side of his father’s ministry. Now it seems that he has passed down his love for music and God’s ministry to a third generation. His younger son, Josh, surprised him two years ago by deciding to go on the road
with him as his guitar player. “It’s really a lot of fun. I tell people all the time, I didn’t see this one coming,” Parker said. Parker’s solo singing career as well as his affiliation with Bill Gaither occurred practically simultaneously. He had known Gaither for several years, but it was about three months after he started his solo career that Bill asked him to be part of the Gaither Homecoming Videos. “That’s when everything started to mushroom,” Parker said. Although he has never been an official member of the Gaither Vocal Band, he has filled in for every one of them, except Bill, on various occasions over the years. The first time Gaither called him to be a part of the Gaither Homecoming Series, he told Parker that a few friends were going to get together to sing and make these videos. He also told him not to worry about singing. Parker said Gaither told him, “Just come and let us love on you a little bit.” When Parker arrived to record the video, he was in for a huge surprise. A “few close friends” had turned into 300 and included gospel legends such as Vestal Goodman, Howard Goodman, Jake Hess and James Blackwood, just to name a few. Parker said he thought to himself, “Oh, my Lord, they are all here! Wow, I think I just need to sit down.” Then, to add to the Wow Factor, Gaither asked him to sing anyway. “It made my heart beat real fast to think I had to sing in front of these people,” Parker said. When I asked Parker about other “Aha” moments, he did not have to think long and noted several. One night about ten years ago while he was in the middle of “I’d Rather Have Jesus Than Anything,” a 93-year-old gentleman started walking down the aisle toward him. At the foot of the stage, he told Parker he wanted to give his heart to the Lord. Parker went on to say that another defining moment was watching Vestal Goodman night after night in an arena of 15-20,000 people and hearing her voice radiate from the back of it as she walked up the aisle singing “God Walks the Dark Hills.” With the current state of the world and God removed from the equation in so many instances, I was curious to get Parker’s views on the many changes he has seen over the years. Although he noted that changes in the economy have made spreading the gospel harder to do now than ever before, he said, “I think it’s even harder to deal with how people prioritize church.” He said the fact that the gospel has to compete with so many outside influences today has changed the dynamic of worship as well as the church as a whole. “Slowly it seems like people are putting God on the back burner. He is our strength, and He is our courage. He’s the promise of tomorrow. It’s not who wins the game of the day. It’s the promises He gave us, and that’s what makes tomorrow real.” Parker’s schedule is a busy one with performing on average three to four nights a week and approximately 200 shows a year. After his concert in DeWitt, he was moving on to performances in Pleasant Plains, Caldwell and Brookland, Arkansas. As for any future plans, Parker said, “I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing until God tells me otherwise. As it stands right now, I feel like I’m exactly where He wants me to be.” Parker’s newest cd “Threads of Mercy” will be released January 20, 2015, and available to download on ITunes November 20. “God just happened to put me everywhere that I am. He orchestrated it all. I am very blessed to be where I am, and I’m very thankful for it,” he said. I may have been just another interview to Ivan Parker, but the experience was spiritually uplifting for me. Afterwards, as I found my seat in the sanctuary waiting for him to take the stage, this “Teacher-By-Day and Lois Lane-By-Night” felt she had crossed off something on her Bucket List she didn’t even know was in the realm of possibility. And when life gives you those opportunities, praise God and savor every minute of His blessings. For more information about Ivan Parker or to book a concert, visit Parker’s website at www.ivanparker.com.
L e t t e r s to S a n t a It’s that time of year again!
Santa will be stopping by the DeWitt Era-Enterprise to pick up all of your letters on Tuesday, December 2nd by 5pm! Don’t forget to come by and drop off your wish list for Santa’s little helpers...