"The older kids — 12 and up — don’t always get as much as the others because that’s just a little tougher age to buy for," says FOP treasurer Ed Akers. "We get tons of teddy bears and baby dolls and toy cars, but there are other needs as well."That’s why the event at Greenbrier will be focusing mainly on donations for early teen children. Suggested toys include baseballs and bats, CDs, video games, makeup kits, action figures, soccer and basketballs.
"Just think of things that kids enjoy," says Rhonda Coleson, who’s helping organize the event for Greenbrier. "We’re not going to turn anyone away, of course, but we’re looking to collect a lot of new, useful and fun toys for these kids who unfortunately aren’t as fortunate as others."
And the church is using the lure of Acappella to hopefully bring more people and more donations. For more than 20 years, the group has brought its spiritualized harmonies to audiences around the world. The group’s latest line-up consists of singers Gary Evans, Nicolas Dunbar, Matt Nunnally and Sean Samuel. They are currently touring in support of their latest release, Heaven and Earth.
"There is a message, a reverent message to our music," Samuel says. "We want to show people that God is in control of all our lives. When we put on a show, like the one we’ll do Sunday night, it’ll be upbeat and touching. But in the end, we’re there to show the people the way to Jesus.
"That’s our role. That’s our entire purpose — to give glory to him."
And in doing that through their music, the members of Acappella are able to give something back to various communities with charity concerts.
"Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve seen music as a gift from God," he says. "Man can pervert it, but when it’s in its purest form, music is one of the greatest gifts we have. It just reaches in and grabs you like nothing else."
That’s not to say that charity requires a large, clapping audience, packed pews or amplified microphones. Samuel has seen the power of music touch the lives of strangers in some of the simplest surroundings, including a woman crying in an airport, scared as she prepared to visit an ailing mother.
"The fact that we’re an acappella group helps in so many ways," he says. "Everything we do is more immediate. We can minister on the spot whenever somebody needs us."
He tells a moving story of a coincidental performance in a Tennessee hospital lobby for a few of the healthier patients. Following the impromptu concert, members went into the room of a man Samuel remembers now simply as Bud.
"He was dying, and we didn’t know it," he says.
They sang "Sweet Fellowship" for Bud who, after the song, pulled the oxygen mask down from his mouth and whispered something to his wife. It wasn’t until later that the guys in Acappella found out what he said.
"He wanted us to perform that song at his funeral," Samuel says. "He took about every ounce of his strength to tell her that. That’s how moved he was by the music."
The group wound up singing at Bud’s funeral.
Sunday’s concert is only one of several donation drives the 300-plus members of the FOP will organize during December in hopes of collecting toys for the families they assist across Calhoun County.
"It’s an amazing feeling to do something like this," Akers. "This is what Christmas is all about — giving to others. And we couldn’t do it without the generosity of the entire community."
Acappella
What: Concert to benefit Fraternal Order of Police annual Holiday Toy & Food Drive.When: 7:30 p.m., Sunday.
Where: Greenbrier Church of Christ, 3425 Greenbrier Dear Road, Anniston.
How much: Suggested donation – new toys for children ages 12-13.
Contact: 831-4198 or 832-8834.
