NEWS
2007 News
It came as a bit of a surprise to me when I discovered that there wasn’t
a “spare” weekend between the 25th of February and the 4th
of March. This was when I realised that my February tour and my
March tour were going to become my Spring tour!
I travelled extensively throughout England and Scotland during February
and March. Once again Teenie and Mairi joined with me for one of
the weekends.
Little four year old Charlotte – with her South Yorkshire accent – asked “that
Michael Harcus – does he have two wives!!”. One’s
enough I think! We met little Charlotte while in Worksop. It
was quite an amazing story how we came to be singing there. Here
is a very simplified version…
A couple from South Yorkshire attended the Whitby Gospel Music Convention. During
a very difficult weekend for them, they heard us sing a song called “Stand
still and let God move”. It spoke to them in their situation
and continued to be very dear to them when they returned home to devastating
news in their church family. Some time later another friend of theirs
(a minister) was undergoing some heart surgery. The couple felt very
strongly that he should hear this song ‘Stand Still’. The
minister, on the other hand, was struggling with his situation and this
health problem forcing him to take time out. His Bishop had kindly
suggested that God was perhaps telling him to ‘be still’. He
wasn’t hearing! He had declined listening to the track before
going into hospital, but his wife had listened when she had a chance. She
was then very sure he was to hear the track and proceeded to organise a
personal CD player to take in to him. Reluctantly he listened to
the track when he was on his own. God broke through as he listened
to the words - “you can rest assured and be secured God
is moving right now – stand still and let God move”. He
began to listen to more of the album and as he began to feel physically
better so he began to feel spiritually well again. He had a visit
one evening from Charlotte’s dad – who heard the album and
proceeded to order it (and eventually them all) from the website. Charlotte’s
dad then emailed us (half jokingly) to ask us to come to Worksop
to sing – never expecting that we would travel all the way there. But
we were delighted to. So that’s how we came to be in Worksop!! So
don’t be frightened to do the same!
This February / March tour involved me travelling to many new places which
meant new faces and new friendships being formed. The whole tour
was a real encouragement and blessing all rolled into one.
At the end of this tour I had the privilege of attending the New Christian Music Weekend down in Leighton Buzzard. This is a weekend where Christian artists are invited to attend and get to know each other, have fellowship and promote their music. Various awards were also given out that weekend and we were delighted to receive an award for “best folk band”. Here are some pictures…
Worship at NCM Weekend - March 2007
Receiving NCM Award from George Hamilton IV. Paul Davis on
the left who
was promoter of the weekend event
We also had the honour of touring with the Power to Live event which
took place in May in Falkirk, Ayr and at the SECC in Glasgow. This
event was to raise money and raise awareness for SAM Chernobyl Relief
- which seeks to get alongside the people of Belarus to encourage
and help in any way they can to make their life a bit more bearable. It
was good fun “playing the SECC” although I must confess
it wasn’t the great big arena, or the next size down!! The
fun and fellowship backstage was very memorable as well!
Teenie, Michael and Mairi outside the Lomond Room at the SECC in
Glasgow -
May 2007
We share the stage with the Gospel Heirs and Crystal Clear
We’ve had the joy of singing at three weddings this summer! Teenie and I wrote a wedding song “For you and for the one you love” which we sang first in London for Darren and Anne then for Andy and Michelle in Auchenblae. We plan to record this song on the next album….watch this space.
Michael, Anne, Darren, Teenie - lots of laughter"
There are a few weekend ‘gigs’ planned for the
Autumn including the Caithness Convention with the Faith Mission
and the Baptist Assembly in Glenrothes.
We were very blessed to discover that someone / one of you wanted to tithe
us a donation. (All we can say is THANK YOU to whoever you are). This
was done through a company called Stewardship who have now set up an account
for us. This means that folks like yourselves can donate towards
my ministry without me having to know who made the donation!
Here are the details:
Stewardship
Email: enquiries@stewardship.org.uk
Web: www.stewardship.org.uk
Sovereign Account Number: 20094475
Account name: Michael Harcus
2008 PLANS…
I hope to be visiting Worksop, Exmouth, Aberdeen, Cumbernauld, Esh Winning, Leighton Buzzard…
So if you think you might like me to visit your area or church – please don’t be frightened to drop me an email …
It’s great if I can visit several places in one area to help spread the expenses.
May God continue to bless you…
Michael.
New Album – MICHAEL HARCUS & FRIENDS - ONE DAY I’LL KNOW
I’m pleased to start off this news page by telling you about the launch of my new album.
You’ll have noticed that I have the word “friends” in the title. This is because I don’t do all the lead vocals on this album. My wife Christine and our friends Kenneth and Mairi take the lead in some of the tracks. In my opinion Mairi does a great version of the David Patillo song Ten Thousand Angels Cried.
We met the writer at last year’s Fraserburgh Gospel Music Convention which was a privilege. Leanne Rimes made the song very well known. I hope you’ll check out Mairi’s version of it.
Christine took the old song Peace, Peace Wonderful Peace and put her own stamp on it which I really like. As I listen that’s certainly what I experience. Kenneth penned the song Higher are your Ways and I’m glad to say I persuaded him to do the lead vocal in the studio. When I’m on tour I have the privilege of singing it. It’s one of my favourite songs at the moment. Mairi and Christine share the lead in a couple of other songs as well. The remaining songs were left to myself. There are 5 original songs penned by ourselves and 7 cover songs on this album. That’s a total of 12 if my arithmetic is correct!
THE LAUNCH – WHITBY GOSPEL MUSIC CONVENTION
Photo order: Ronnie, David, Derek, Hugh, Michael, Alex
Front row: Mairi and Christine (the Harvesters from Northern
Ireland)
Photo order: Mairi, Rob Elder, Michael, Christine, Joel and Labreska Hemphill (from Nashville)
It was a real privilege to be asked back to the Whitby GMC this year. We received the album from the manufacturers 2 weeks early which meant we took it to Peterhead the weekend before. However our official launch was still down in Yorkshire. It’s a wonderful place with wonderful people. Mairi, Christine and myself were down there and can honestly say we were thoroughly blessed. It was good to meet up with old friends and make new ones. Mixing with other artistes is great and just being able to encourage one another is what it’s all about. We all need encouragement! It should go without saying that as a Gospel singer I would go to an event like that with the heart to minister to people which I hope and pray I did. It was very obvious to me that the other artistes were no different as I was ministered to as I sat there listening to them. God is good!!
So many people came to us with words of encouragement during the weekend. Telling us how God had spoken to them through the songs and our testimony. I’m reminded of Jesus words that we are called to be His witnesses. Nothing more, nothing less. I don’t have anything much to give outside of that and I’m amazed at how he takes it and multiplies. That should be an encouragement to you!
Photo order: Gill, Lucy, Paul and Rachel Wheater
Paul Wheater and his wife Jill are responsible for running this weekend event. If you haven’t come across Paul before, he’s also known as Yorkshire’s Jim Reeves. He has a wonderful voice and if you close your eyes as he uses those vocal chords of his to sing you really could believe you’re in the presence of Jim Reeves again. I know that Paul feels it an honour to be so like him but believe you me he doesn’t need the tag for promotional reasons as he has an anointed voice and a God given talent and ministry. Along with that he’s one of the most gracious and warm-hearted men I’ve ever met. If you’re looking for someone like Paul to come to your church I’d highly recommend him. I’m delighted to say that he & Jill are going to be in Westray (our island) doing a Sunday afternoon concert on the 20th of August this year. Take a look at his website which is www.paulwheater.com
NEW CHRISTIAN MUSIC
I’ve just released the song One Day I’ll Know as a radio
single through NCM. You can read about who they are at www.newchristianmusic.co.uk They
supply a great service to Christian artistes and Radio D.J’s. We’ve
had some
very
positive feedback from the song and look forward to next month’s
album going out from NCM with another of our own songs included. It’s
called I Believe, I Believe. I’m sure you’ll
have heard that title being used before for a Christian song! However
it is a new song written by myself. The words came to me while
reading Jackie Pullingers book – Chasing The Dragon. I
hadn’t been reading much Christian literature for a few months,
besides my Bible that is, so hunted out her book. As I was reading,
something in what she wrote leapt out of the pages at me. I
had a picture of myself as a young boy in my grandparent’s backyard
staring at the sky. I was doing this because I was wondering
if I might see Jesus coming from the clouds. It tells you something
of my Sunday-school up bringing don’t you think? The song’s
straight and simple. Sometimes that’s the best! I
had lots of positive feedback on this particular song during my last
tour and hope it reaches a wide audience through NCM.
ON TOUR WITH EDDIE MURISON AND HENK WILMS
I’ve been blessed immensely throughout my touring in the last 3 months. I’ve met some wonderful people who have been very kind to me. Along with that I’ve had the privilege of seeing God move in wonderful ways as I sought to minister to people through song and word. I never like picking out particular areas too often, as it may seem that I’m putting across one place more special than the other places I’ve been to. However I’m going to tell you about our trip to the Isle of Lewis. You’ll understand why as I tell the story.
We arrived there on the Wednesday evening and did our first concert on the Thursday at Carloway. Henk and Eddie shared in testimony and I sang. 2 people asked Jesus into their lives that night. An exciting start. We had the joy of visiting homes during the next 2 days. As a result one young woman and a young man asked Jesus into their lives. Praise God! Many things went on over the weekend which are well worth mentioning but feel that I should move on to our final meeting in Stornoway Town Hall. We didn’t have the best preparation for this as we were rushing from one church to another basically. However we were to learn that night that it’s not always about good preparation. We did arrive though with a sense of expectancy and with hearts that were simply willing to be used for God’s Glory! I only sang 2 songs and Eddie gave one of the shortest testimonies I’ve heard him give. Yet we witnessed approximately 40 people asking Jesus into their lives. Words fail me as I think what I should say next. “Praise God” comes to mind!! The next day as I prepared for the concert in Staffin on the Isle of Skye I have to admit that it wasn’t the easiest. I felt dry and I didn’t seem to hear God’s voice speaking to me as I prayed and asked for His guidance in what I should be doing that night. Unknown to me Eddie was having the same experience in preparation. However one teenage girl responded to the Gospel that night. The following morning as we prayed and discussed together we knew God was speaking to us. This is what He said. The party in Heaven was just as great over the one person coming to Jesus as the forty the night before! Secondly it isn’t all about the guitar I’m holding, the good song I’m singing or the powerful testimony that Eddie has – it’s all about what God can do with the little we have – and then watch and see how He can multiply it!! Can I encourage you to give of yourself no matter how little you feel it’s worth. God loves an obedient and willing heart. It’s amazing what He can achieve in and through a person when they’re in that place.
LIVE CONCERTS WITH THE BAND
I haven’t done live concerts with the whole band for 3 years. I’m
glad to say that that’s going to be put to rights this coming weekend. We’re in the Stromness Town Hall on the 24th of June and our own beautiful island, Westray on the 25th. This will be the local launch of the new album and I’m really looking forward to this. Well, I’ll better go and practice some of the songs off the first album as it was 1998 when we first recorded them. Knock the rust of and all that – you know what I mean….
Until next time
Thankyou for your support and prayers,
Every blessing, Michael
