Last month our featured guest for the Poet's Corner - Angel Rivers had to unexpectantly leave town to be with her father in Chicago who had be admitted to the hospital to undergo surgery. Thankfully, everything went well and he is okay and recovering. We thank the Lord for His tremendous mercy.

With Angel not being able to perform we were a little concerned that the 4thFridays fans would be disappointed; and with only two days left before the show we were a little stressed regarding who (if anyone) could step in on such short notice. Well, Tracy Price who has done several Poet's Corners with us in the past graciously agreed

to recite some wonderful readings from Billy Graham's Hope for Each Day. The first piece entitled A Joyful Life spoke of "joy" being one of the marks of a believer and how our joy increases if we are in the center of His will. The second piece Walk with God encouraged listeners to trust and obey God as Moses, David, Noah and Daniel did. And while God has not promised to deliver us from all our troubles, he promises to be with us through them. Tracy's delivery was both passionate and skillful. She has a gift of connecting with the audience.

Next... The Motor City Saints - We were so happy to welcome back this fantastic quartet to

the 4thFridays' stage. They had been our guests in November of 2002 - that was back when a whole lot of people didn't know 4thFridays even existed. That specific 4F was the day after Thanksgiving that year. It was lightly attended but those who were there were enthusiastic! The MSC blend of creative pop rock and love for Jesus were greatly appreciated then and now.

This last 4thFriday the MCS were introduced by a video, then MCS shared tunes from their upcoming

release Cover Me. They were energized and fun to watch. Their excitement about sharing the simple Gospel was evident. Their new CD Cover Me is scheduled to be released early 2005.

By the way before their performance, we - that is the production crew - had a bit of a scare. The Saint's video on DVD would not cooperate with us in our "new" DVD player. However after a few awkward "it seems we are having technical difficulty" moments, 4thFriday's lighting guy Mike Brewer rescued us and managed to get it going.

The houseband rufus harris - once again opened and closed the show with great tunes from the rufus harris and How Do You Read It? albums.

The Poet's Corner - We welcome Poet - Rhonda Welsh.

She is a Detroit native and while she is new to the performance stage as a poet she actually started writing poetry in third grade. Her love for language continued throughout her academic career and prompted her to graduate from Wayne State University with a B.A. in English and a M.A. in Public Relations and Communications. In the past year, she has married her passion for language with another of one her passions - her walk with Christ. The fruit of that marriage is her first book (unpublished) Selah: Take a moment and let it sink in. "The past year has been filled with so many lessons. I've experienced death, amazing self-realizations, illness, confirmation of purpose, career challenges and on and on and on," said Welsh. Selah was born from the awesome things that God taught me about myself and his love." In her day job, Welsh works as the Director of Communication at University Liggett School. She is an active member of Evangel Ministries where she serves in the Women of Purpose Ministry and in the Worship and Arts Department. She resides in Detroit with her husband Wilford and her son, Delandshia. She'll take the stage this Friday. Don't miss it!

Jan Krist - This very talented and versatile Folk Artist helped us kick off 2004. She joins us once again closing out our 2004 lineup with songs from her many albums. Jan is one of the busiest

artists in Michigan. She travels all over the country sharing her clever melodic tunes. She began writing and singing songs in Detroit-area folk clubs back in 1980. At the time, she was a young mother, and a graduate of Berkley High School who had grown up in Grand Haven. Over the years she began spreading her wings beyond the Metro area, winning praise at the nationally known Kerrville Songwriting Competition in Texas in 1991, and then releasing her first album of songs, Decapitated Society, in 1992. That album won praise from Billboard and other magazines, and Krist followed it up with 1993's Wing and a Prayer, which also garnered accolades. She was honored as Best Vocalist in the Acoustic Division at the Detroit Music Awards in 1995. In 1996 she celebrated the release of her latest album, the intelligent and polished Curious, with a show at the Ark in Ann Arbor. Her next release entitled Wounded Me, Wounded You has been called her finest moment, combining Beatle-esque pop, folk-rock and intelligent, thought-provoking songs of love and faith with nine Krist originals and a cover of Walk Away Renee. Her newest project - When Planets Collide deals with the collision of politics and religion, hope and fear, grace and judgment giving listeners once again something to ponder.

And of course rufus harris...
Coffee - Our brewmister plans on closing out the year with a bang! Lawrence Strong invites you to stop by the coffee table ane enjoy the flavor of the month - Bourbon Pecan Torte. He will also feature the increasing popular Purple Passion Tea. And of course there will be decaf, hot cocoa and the 4thFridays houseblend for those who like it strong and robust.

Raffle - With admission, you'll receive a ticket for our raffle. The drawing is held near the end of the show. You'll win music and coffee in a little canvas tote especially designed by Lawrence.

OTHER NEWS:

Music for Kickin Cancer - Rufus performed acoustically at Bella's Coffeehouse

in Auburn Hills last month to benefit The Lynne Cohen Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research. The one-day event lasted from noon to midnight and featured a host of artists donating their time to fight ovarian cancer. Congratulations to our good friend Amy Badalamente for organizing a wonderful event and raising money for a worthwhile cause.
This is our last show for the year. We'd like to recognize our 4F crew that served faithfully all year. They make these shows possible and most enjoyable:

As we close out the year Rufus and I would also like to thank all of you who have attended the shows, helped spread the word, read our newsletters, booked some of the 4F artists, have given us words of encouragement, and have prayed for us. We know we could not have done this great endeavor alone. We have some wonderful plans for 2005. In the coming months you will hear more about theCAMP - (Christian Artists and Musicians Project) and our vision for this non-profit organization. theCAMP is the sponsor of 4thFridays, prison ministry activities, and coming soon - a radio program, a music business workshops, and a music festival. With your continued support and your prayers we believe we will be successful in accomplishing God's purpose for theCamp. We look forward to seeing you at future shows. And look for information soon about our upcoming gala/fundraiser.

May God Bless You Richly!