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Marshall-Grant Ministries e-News!
Volume 3 - Number 4	Christmas is Here!	December 2004
Call to Action! Send your views to Washington! Human Rights Campaign NEW PROGRAM! Donate your old car, truck or RV to benefit Marshall-Grant Ministries, Inc.! click the icon above for more information Find the article about your church! MCC of the Sierras, Reno, NV New Van Wrecked!! Rainbow Promise MCC, Lakeland, FL Christmas with Tampa Relatives! Recording Project, Nashville, TN Closing Thoughts MGM Links: MGM web site Note: If the links listed below do not work properly, you can manually type the web address below and follow the links on our home page. www.marshallgrantministries.org Schedule Prayer Requests New CD Project Order-Comments Form Booking Information Press Kit - Everything you need to promo a concert *See this eNews* on our website! eNews - December 2004 Issue eNews - November 2004 Issue Become a Ministry Supporter and help us to spread the Good News! ------- Donate Now with Paypal Or by mail: Marshall-Grant Ministries, Inc. P.O. Box 1725 Decatur, GA 30031 Help us raise $$! It is Easy! It's Free! It's Powerful! and It costs you nothing! All you have to do is go to www.escrip.com and link your credit cards, debit cards, and/or loyalty cards to Marshall-Grant Ministries. Enter ID number 151278832 or search by name: Marshall-Grant Ministries Participating merchants will then contribute up to 8% of the purchases you make using your grocery loyalty and debit/credit cards that are registered with eScrip**. Pretty cool, huh? Sign up with eScrip^Ò! www.escrip.com To subscribe to e-News: click here To update your name, address, etc or unsubscribe: click below Did you know that Carolyn Marshall and Pat Grant’s CD “SONGS FROM THE ROAD” has been on Pride Christian Music’s top 20 list since June? Well, we have!! This is exciting because more and more people are listening and hearing about God’s All Inclusive Love. And what does that have to do with me, you ask? You can help us by casting your vote for your favorite GLBT Christian artist (hopefully Carolyn and Pat) and getting our music higher on the charts! The higher we are in the charts, the more people we can reach!! Go to http://www.pridechristianmusic.org/ and click on the "VOTE" link and place your votes for: SONG FROM THE ROAD - Carolyn Marshall and Pat Grant and then enter your favorite cut/single from the CD! Thank you for your help and we’ll see you on the charts!!	Let's keep our CD "SONGS FROM THE ROAD" on the top 20 list click here to vote! See our latest schedule below! It's time to book 2005! When we left you in the last issue of eNews, it was early in the month of December 2003.. Pat and I drove from our friends, Bob and Jim's, home in Rancho Mirage, CA and arrived at the home of Karen and her 6 orange tabby cats in Reno, NV. You all should know by now that Pat and I LOVE cats! It had been almost 7 weeks since we had seen our babies, so we were in heaven with these guys. Oliver (a.k.a. Golly Ollie), Dexter, Donner, Cheyenne, and the last two names escape me. The following day we met Rev Richard Dalton at MCC of the Sierras, Reno, NV to set up with Ryan, Wayne, David and Deni to help for the concert that evening. The church where the concert was to be held also houses a school and when the children heard us sound-checking Christmas songs, they asked if they could come in and listen. We, of course, agreed! It was only two weeks until Christmas and the children were wide eyed and excited about the coming holidays! The concert that evening went well and we returned to Karen's home and played with the kitties. Sunday morning we woke up to snow on the ground! It never occurred to me that it snows in the desert. Rickie and Pastor Richard helped with set-up and then break-down after service. The Road leaving Palm Springs, CA -- Snow in Reno, NV -- Oliver one of the cats at Karen's home in Reno Well, it was Monday, December 15th and we were on our way home after almost 7 weeks on the road! We had driven south from Reno, NV and just passed through Las Vegas headed toward the Hoover Dam. It was around 11:00 p.m. and we were pulling out of a gas station as we discussed whether to stop for the night. I pulled out across a deserted street behind a small pickup truck sitting at a red light when all of the sudden the pickup (with it's lift gate down) started to back up! I honked my horn but it was too late. The pickup crunched into the drivers side door really hard. Pat jumped out of the van, ran around to the drivers side and exclaimed, "Oh No, our new van!" while the pickup truck started to pull away! She banged on the window and yelled for the driver to stop and she replied, "I'll pull over just ahead"... as she drove away! We called the police, who were very nice. They circled the area trying to find the pickup truck but had no luck. Our poor crunched van door! So here we are in the desert, 2000 miles from home with the drivers side door of our 3 month old van smashed in and unusable. For the next 4 days home, the driver (usually Carolyn) had to climb across the van and get out on the passenger side. UGH! And to make matters worse the other driver left the scene! The next day we drove to the home of Terry (a.k.a. Spider) and David in Albuquerque, NM and stayed overnight. Then Terry helped us get to the local Home Depot to get weather striping to plug up the now very well ventilated van door. It was December and a little cool and breezy on the driver's side for our taste. But we made it home and we started the process of getting the van fixed on our insurance (because the other drive fled the scene). In that process, we asked for a copy of the police report and were pleased to find that the Boulder City, NV police department had tracked down the driver of the pickup and she HAD INSURANCE!! Praise God for that because we had no idea how we were going to pay the deductibles on our insurance to get it fixed. So the van is now repaired!! On Dec 23rd, Pat and I drove to Rainbow Promise MCC, Lakeland, FL. We were booked for their very first Christmas Eve in the new building. Music Director Robert had arranged for a motel for us to stay in and we met him and his partner (the sound tech) at the church Christmas Eve afternoon for sound-check. The church was decorated with Christmas Poinsettias, and lights and was beautiful! Before the service, Pastor Karen and her partner took all of us out to dinner. The service that evening was glorious! Praise God for the miracle of Christmas, and the joy that it brings! On Christmas morning we drove from Lakeland to Tampa, FL to spend Christmas day with Pat's cousin Jim and his family! They are always a welcome site and we love spending time with them! Then we headed north and spent New Years at home with our cats! In January, we were back at work doing the year end financials and planning our trip to Nashville, TN to record! On January 25, we drove the four hours to Nashville and arrived at the studio to meet our producer, Mark and his wife, Donna! We talked over the plan for the week and then headed over to Pastor Greg Bullard's home and his cats Alex and Bailey . He graciously offered us his home while we were in Nashville. That evening we went to church with Pastor Greg and met our long time friends, Jackie and Linda. It was great to see them again! Monday morning we were up and in the studio bright and early to meet the band! We cut the band tracks and started the sketches and duet pieces. We worked REALLY long hours but in 3 days we had a new CD ready to go to press!! The new CD is doing very well on the charts and if you don't have a copy, you can order yours now!! We'll close this issue of eNews for now and continue with our adventures next month! Please take a few minutes to look at our projected Spring and Summer 2005 tours below and contact us ASAP to set a concert date for your church! Tour 1 - Spring 2005 Remember Home is Decatur (Atlanta), GA January 9 First MCC, Atlanta, GA Palm Sunday March 20 New Life MCC of the Hamptons, Norfolk, VA March 23 (Tentative) Hope MCC, Daytona Beach, FL Easter Sunday March 27 FirstCoast MCC, St. Augustine, FL Tour 2 - SUMMER 2005 Tour 2 starts at Home in Decatur (Atlanta), GA! If you are near or even within a days drive from our projected route, we ARE in your area!! Let's Fill in those states across the country! July 22 thru 26 UFMCC General Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Contact us ASAP to set a date!! Closing Thoughts: Wow, what a year! We, as a community, have gained so much and yet our fight for equality seems so far away. We have gained the right to marry in Massachusetts but lost the fight (at least for now) during the November election as 11 states passed state constitutional amendments defining marriage as ONLY between a man and a woman. But as one of my "older" friends told me, "At least people are talking about us... I never believed that our civil rights (as homosexuals) would even be a point of discussion in my lifetime." And I suppose that is true... but Pat and I were so saddened by the November election results. Our home state of Georgia was one of the 11 states that adopted a state constitutional amendment defining marriage to be ONLY between a man and a woman. But in addition to that, the amendment negated other civil union rights as well. The ballots stated only "that the Georgia constitution be amended to define marriage as only between a man and a woman" leaving out all the other items it affected. It was to say the least misleading and mean spirited. We had such high hopes. But the fight is not over and it won't be until justice is served. It is Christmas and we all would like to think about the happy times as we reflect on the past year. I think that's a good idea as long as we don't lose sight of the task at hand in the coming year. Pat and I were married in Cambridge, Massachusetts on June 29, 2004. It was a glorious feeling to be recognized, and we both cried through the entire ceremony. The pictures are awful because our faces were so red from the tears, but we were really happy, trust me! We released our second CD "Songs From The Road" in May! We attended 3 regional conferences this year. We visited long-time friends and made more new friends than I can count. Pat and I celebrated 10 years together. We have worked hard and God has blessed us. So I'd say it was a pretty good year! How was your year? Were there milestones this year that made you feel like you accomplished something good? Did you begin a relationship, continue a positive relationship, or end a destructive one? Did you find a new job, get a promotion or quit that one that wears you down? What about God? Do you include God in your list of pros and cons for the year? Was God consciously included in one of your positive actions this year? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, I'd say, it was a pretty good year for you, too! Merry Christmas! I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 (Oxford Inclusive Version)
Help us to spread the Good News! Marshall-Grant Ministries depends on you. Donate Now with Paypal and don't forget about eScrip! www.escrip.com Marshall-Grant Ministries is a 501(c)(3) organization and your donations may be tax deductible! Marshall-Grant Ministries, Inc. P.O. Box 1725 Decatur, GA 30031 USA Voice Mail: (770) 329-8960	Marshall-Grant Ministries wishes you the Merriest of Christmases! May the Peace of God be with you always! Your sisters in Christ’s service, Carolyn Marshall and Pat Grant Special Note to Church Leaders: Please print this newsletter and post it in your church for your congregation to enjoy. Thank you!	Become a Marshall-Grant Ministries Regular Supporter! Your monthly support is the backbone of our ministry's finances. Your pledged support allows us to budget our resources and leaves us free to concentrate on the business of ministry. Please prayerfully consider this ministry opportunity. If you are interested in becoming a regular supporter, please contact us via email, the Order-Comments Form or snail mail to make your pledge. Your monthly donation of $5, $10, $25 or more does make a difference.
Send mail to MGMinistry@aol.com with questions or comments about eNewsletter or our ministry. Visit our web site at: www.MarshallGrantMinistries.org Marshall-Grant Ministries is an affiliate ministry of Christ Covenant Metropolitan Community Church, Decatur, GA Copyright ©2004 Marshall-Grant Ministries, Inc.

Thank you for your help and we’ll see you on the charts!!