Whitby Gospel Music Convention

THE TWELFTH WHITBY GOSPEL MUSIC CONVENTION

2011

Friday 13th, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th May

AT WHITBY PAVILION

Monday 9^th- Thursday 12^th - “The Vision” This year the focus will be on prayer meetings to ask God that many will come to Christ and for revival to break out in Whitby and the surrounding area.

Monday 16^th - Thursday19^th - “Whitby Spring Bible Week” `A series of meeting with well respected speakers in their own fields` (Further details to follow)

THE ELEVENTH WHITBY GOSPEL MUSIC CONVENTION

2010

Friday 14th, Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th May

SECOND DECADE UNDERWAY

In this year's souvenir programme I wrote -

Earlier this year I was singing at some churches in the Reading area including Carey Baptist where David Magowan, the former pastor of Whitby Evangelical Church is now in ministry. As I shared a lovely meal with David and his family I nearly choked on my piece of beef at something David casually dropped into the conversation. “When will you wind up the Convention” said David, “Perhaps the fifteenth would be a suitable time to bring the event to a close”. It came as quite a shock to even think about writing a message of goodbye in four years time.

If I had been thinking about possibly ending the event in a few years time, I would have soon changed my plans. A steady stream of you bombarded me with comments like; "You can't wind things down, it's the high point of our year" and "We need this weekend to get spiritually topped up for the next twelve long months". I will however need to find the right person or persons to keep the Convention going when I become too old or when the Lord calls me home, even my friends on the small team are only a year or two behind me and Lucy and Sarah will have their own lives to live.

Our small team is now even smaller as after eleven Conventions, team member and WGMC Houseband leader Dr Fred Page has decided to call it a day. The opening Praise Music will in future be provided by Austin on piano and and Kath on organ. We will miss Fred both for the sing-along and also the light hearted "Mistakes" and we ask you to pray for Fred's wife Pauline who continues to have ongoing health problems.

It suddenly seems more important than ever to establish the two - week long Whitby Convention that has featured in my vision from the word go, and this year I have been so encouraged with respect to this. The "Spring Bible Week" based at Whitby Evangelical Church was a great success and I would like to thank the many visitors who stayed on in Whitby for the events following Convention weekend. The church elders are happy to host the meetings again and it is hoped to make Whitby Spring Bible Week a regular part of future Conventions.

I would also like to thank my friends Veronica, Laurie and Grahaeme who joined me for three short concerts at Whitby Hospital and also at Marton Court Day Centre. It was good to be able to take some music and the gospel message to some of the folks who couldn't attend the weekend at the Pavilion. We hope to do the same again next year.

In the ever more hectic work with the Convention I have rather neglected my `tent making` as the apostle Paul would put it, so in the coming months this will have to be addressed. Because of this I may see some of you at a few more theatre type venues with my Country and Gospel show, I also hope to do a few more church concerts than in the previous year.

JILL CALLED TO GLORY

On 17th October as she listened to her beloved `Voices of Faroe` singing "Nearer My God to Thee" Jill was called home by the Lord.

She never spoke as part of the Convention `Testimony Time` but her life was indeed a living testimony to her unshakeable faith. During the 10 year struggle with cardio myopathy and heart failure she never once complained about the heavy load she had to carry and the terminal nature of her condition. When ever we spoke of her illness, Jill's usual comment was "God is Good! We have so many blessings"

There have been so many good times during Jill's long illness, but probably the happiest times of our lives were our two visits to the Faroe Islands and the 2007 Convention, when for the first (and now the only) time all five of us were present. The sight of David, Sarah and Lucy having wonderful fellowship with so many of our singers and Christian friends was something that Jill had longed for.

Jill was a great planner and the Hymns, readings and subject of our Pastor's address for her funeral were all arranged by Jill shortly before she died. Her choice of "God be with You" to be sung at the graveside will make the Convention Finale a difficult and emotional time for future years.

All the booking of artistes for the 2008 Convention and most of the planning for the 10th Convention in 2009 has already been done by Jill, and we pray that the event continues to grow in the years to come.

In 1999 the vision of a Whitby Gospel Music Convention was mine, but as with every single aspect of my life, the one who set about turning my dreams into reality was Jill. Many are probably unaware of the fact that the lion's share of the work for the WGMC was done by Jill, so please pray that we are able to fill the enormous gap that her passing has left. During Jill's final days at the hospice she was cheered by Lucy's announcement that she was moving home from Hull and would be taking over the administrative work of the Convention. Her words to me were "Good girl! I knew she had it in her"

On a personal note, I have cancelled all my engagements up to the end of the year and at the moment I feel as though my broken heart will never mend. I hope to be singing a few songs in May and pray that the Lord will give me back my musical ministry - if not then I shall work hard behind the scenes.

The whole family have been moved by the tidal wave of love and support, we have had hundreds of cards, letters and emails over the last few weeks and we thank you all.

(November 2007)

THE TENTH WHITBY GOSPEL MUSIC CONVENTION

2009

Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th May

THANK YOU ALL

Here is a paragraph from the 2009 web page.

"This year we have run into financial problems because there is now no direct flight from Faroe and we will have to bring the choir via Copenhagen. I am hoping to do some fund raising concerts and looking for other ways to cover an estimated shortfall of £10,000."

My estimated shortfall was really a `guesstimate` and to be honest I booked all the artistes with my heart ruling me and not my head. I was carrying out Jill's wishes to have as many of our favourite artistes as possible on the bill, and when I did a true estimate two months before the event I found the shortfall was likely to be £18,000! I immediately applied the formula that we have established of working as if everything depends on us and praying as if everything depends on the Lord. (As indeed it does.) For two months I was on the go for twenty hours a day contacting hundreds of churches and radio stations, and many people brought the matter before the Lord in prayer. Your response has been wonderful with many of you buying the WGMC souvenir CD and the souvenir photo album that Lucy put together. You were also very generous in making so many donations. They ranged from the proverbial widow's mite to several three figure gifts and even a couple of four figure donations. We were blessed with record numbers attending and at the end of the day we were only £500 short of our target and there are sufficient CDs left to cover this when they are sold. To quote the well known line that Ray Winkler wrote in the Jim Reeves hit recording of `Welcome to My World`. "MIRACLES I GUESS STILL HAPPEN NOW AND THEN"

The weekend was so special and the numbers of letters, cards, telephone calls and emails received about the event says it all. We pray that many lives will have been changed from this special tenth anniversary event.

THE NINTH WHITBY GOSPEL MUSIC CONVENTION

2008

Friday 16th, Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th May

The event was a tremendous success both in numbers attending and more importantly in the way God touched the hearts of so many people. When the `Altar Call` was made on Saturday afternoon more than fifty people responded, some to give their hearts to Christ and others to make a new commitment. To see such a mini revival was a great help to the Wheater family, as the whole weekend was a very difficult and moving time for us all.