Tri-County Choir -Singing for the Glory of God for Nearly Three Decades
Grace Phillips
Ashland Beacon
For nearly 30 years the Tri-County Choir has been holding a monthly gospel sing in local tri-state area churches. When Pastor Ron & Freda Carpenter had services in individual’s homes, at the time they had no idea what was about to unfold and would still be going today.
It began as just a group of friends that gathered to worship the Lord and sing the song they loved from the Red Back Hymnal … that’s how the church folks referred to the hymnals in most of their churches then. The monthly gatherings grew as word spread and before long, the crowds were too large to hold with in the walls of individuals homes. It was then that Pastor Ron made the decision to begin holding the signings in an area church once a month. The choir was open to anyone that wanted to join in and sing and boasted nearly one hundred members at the time.
Betty Moore is currently the secretary/treasurer of the group. Betty was introduced to the choir by her mother who went to the same church as the Carpenters. “I started taking my mom to the sings each month shortly after they moved them to the churches. She loved to sing. I would pick her up each month and we would go to whatever church was hosting the event. It was our special night out.” Moore shared.
The choir has had many choir directors through the years due to death and illness. Ed Fairchild, stepped in as director for many years “After Ronnie passed away, I, and many others wanted to see the Choir to continue.” explained Fairchild. Pastor Carpenter had donated the hymnals along with other equipment to his church. Fairchild continued, “As the Director, I called a meeting with several of our faithful members who agreed that we needed to see the choir continue to bless local assemblies.” During that first meeting it was decided that in order to protect “The Choir,” as they called it, they would file the necessary papers and Articles of Incorporation to become a 501c3 (nonprofit) with the Secretary of State of Kentucky.
The Tri-County Choir continued to sing and flourish until the start of COVID in 2020. According to Moore, “We had our monthly singing in March of 2020 and then as we all remember everything shutdown from there.” After nearly a four-year break, in March of this year, the Tri-County Choir began once again taking their message to the area churches one Saturday night each month now under the direction of Bryan Wheeler.
A typical concert lasts about two hours. The program includes special numbers by members of the host church and those from the choir scheduled to sing each month. The rest of the program is old hymns of the church that everyone knows. The Tri-County Choir is open to anyone that has a heart for God and desires to sing with a group of other Christians.
Their next concert will be Saturday, August 3rd at First Baptist Church Canonsburg and will begin at 6:30 p.m. The church is located at 11512 Midland Trail Road, Ashland, Kentucky. Moore says, “If anyone wants to sing with us, just come on up to the choir when we gather. Typically, Bryan, our Choir Director, will announce at the beginning of the service if anyone in the congregation wants to join us to come on up now.”
The choir is rebuilding and would love to have new members. If you want more information about the Tri-County Choir or how to become a part of this group, contact Betty Moore at bettybjm@windstream.net or by calling 606.928.6347 Brian Wheeler, 740.442.5549
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