VICKSBURG — The gentleman who make up DayStar Vocal have been singing together for 15 years.
With faith and love for music continuing to drive their ministry, they perform 30 to 40 concerts a year. Their next will be at Community Christian Church in Vicksburg Sunday evening.
The concert will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, followed by refreshments in the fellowship hall.
“Music is very important to the three of us,” said Gene Diller, lead singer of the group. He is joined by Roger Martin, high tenor, and Mike Knight, baritone.
Based in Greencastle, DayStar Vocal performs southern gospel music. They can be found singing at churches, parks — “and anywhere we are asked to sing,” Diller said.
He added that each member of the group accepted Jesus as their personal savior at about age 12. It is their faith that informs their music as well as their mission.
“We sing to encourage and build faith to our listeners,” he said.
Jeff Yount, pastor at Community Christian Church in Vicksburg, said the concert helps support the mission of the church as well.
“Church is all about gathering together to encourage one another and love one another,” he said. “It’s a time of fellowship and camaraderie — not just entertainment but spiritual uplifting.”
Yount said he had never heard DayStar Vocal before, but several people in the church had been requesting that they be invited to perform a concert there.
“I’ve heard good reports,” he said, adding, “We’re looking forward to having them share with us.”
Yount has been serving as a volunteer pastor at Community Christian Church for about 20 years. They are a little church, he said, but they are steadily growing. They recently purchased nearly 11 acres of property nearby and are looking to expand in the near future. He said their vision is to be a community church for youth and families, and to be a church that is open seven days a week for the community.
“We have a great vision for the future,” Yount said, adding that they want to be a light in the darkness of much of the current culture, from rampant suicide to overwhelming dependence on drugs, to so many living with frustration, worry, anxiety, and fear.
“Christ is the answer,” he said. “The Bible has given us the answer in His Word. The church should be an instrument for that.”
The concert on Sunday will be one way to offer the community a chance to experience that light, he said.
DayStar Vocal has recorded 11 albums and is planning to record another on April 7.
The group is also scheduled to perform locally at First Baptist Church of Sunbury at 6 p.m. June 25.