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Rejoice is an all female group which is growing rapidly in popularity. How did you settle on the name "Rejoice" for your group?
You might remember that when we first began this ministry in November, 1997, our group's name was "Exalt!". We were contacted by a group in Illinois a couple of years later that they had a trademark on that name and we could no longer use it. So we thought about it for several weeks, and in praying for God to finally "write something in the sky" to us, we saw the name "Rejoice!" on a cross-stitched piece at a pastor's home in South Carolina and we all three just knew immediately that was the name we would use. We like the name Rejoice! (exclamation point included) because that is what we are called to do. God said He inhabits the praises of His people. That is US, and we want to uplift the name of Christ and hope that carrying this gospel with joy and praise in our hearts will help someone to be encouraged, uplifted, inspired, or even brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Southern gospel music has had such an impact on our own personal lives, and we hope that we can get the message accross to our audience that Jesus saves, Jesus loves, Jesus forgives -- no matter where you've been, no matter where or who you are. Wow, what a great God is He!
Describe where your sound fits into the Southern Gospel genre.
Aaahhh, we are asked that question frequently, and it is hard to describe really. We are of course, a Southern Gospel female trio, and we are often compared to the Ruppes. They have beautiful family harmony, and not to compare us to them by any means, but people do often tell us we have "sister-close" harmony. I think we are inspirational southern gospel, "classy" southern! We do some praise and worship songs in our program, as well as pure southern gospel.
I can just imagine that being an all female group presents a different set of difficulties in traveling, from setting up the sound system to traveling late at night. What's different about traveling with an all female group as compared to an all male group or even a mixed group?
The obvious difference is that we are all girls -- no guys! We have traveled, just us 3 girls, all these years and it has worked out good. My husband, Mark, does travel with us alot right now, and we get spoiled when he goes along because we don't have to carry any equipment and he does a lot of the driving! We take turns driving and Maria and Melissa set up the sound system (yep, we can do it!), and I usually set up the product table. We travel in an SUV and pull a trailer and that renders plenty of funny stories right there, but we are seasoned travelers now and I can even back the trailer into just about any parking spot!
There are many dangers on the road, and God has blessed us with traveling mercies, and we are so thankful for that. We probably work our angels overtime, but really, we are so thankful for God's mercy upon us as we have traveled through these years.
Who decides what material you pick out for recording? What do you look for in a song to fit your group?
Since I take care of the office and administrative duties for the group, almost all the new song demos come to me first, and I listen to every one, then we all three listen to everything that I think might even be a remote possibility for us. There have been times when I have made suggestions to the others about songs we might do or that they might would do, but when listening to new material, it seems like we each will have some kind of special feelings for songs and when a song touches US, we feel like it will touch the people we sing to as well. That's really what we are looking for in new songs... something that will really move us, speak to us and stir us up. We don't particularly care for novelty songs, and we want to only do songs with a message that is in line with the Word of God. If it works for US, then we trust that people will be moved as well.
We often hear about all male groups having a prankster in the group, is there a prankster in your group, or is that just a male thing?
You know, we are all blonde and people bring us blonde jokes every where we go. We don't really have a prankster in our group as such, but we get in the car every week and start telling each other what "blonde" thing we have done during the past week! We have a lot of fun together and we laugh at ourselves a lot! Plus, don't you think male groups can get by with pranks and things that girl groups can't?! 
Oh yeah!
A few years ago, you had a song on the charts, "Joy Comes In The Morning", at the same time as the Kingsmen. That happened often in the 60s and 70s, but what was that like happening to you?
You know what, when we first found out that the Kingsmen were releasing "Joy's Gonna Come" (2002), we were very upset. Our record company at that time, Homeland Records, was very upset, too. The Kingsmen were coming off a number one song and we just knew that once their single hit the radio stations, ours would be put on the shelf. But that did not happen. It might have hurt the Kingsmen a little in the chart, but it helped us more than anything else that's ever happened!
There was a lot of talk about it, our radio promotions company was pushing it harder than ever with the radio stations, and it ended up being our first Top 20 song in the Singing News chart. The last month it was on the chart, the Kingsmen were at #9 and we were at #12. Because of all the talk and "buzz" going on about that, we got exposure that we may never have gotten without it.
Is there one certain song that Rejoice sings that has brought you through difficult times as a group? Is there one song that you feel has ministered to you audience more than any other?
There is no doubt about what song that would be. "God's Got a Better Plan" has ministered to US, and it has ministered to our audience more than any other song we have ever done. We have never received as many phone calls, letters, or emails about a song like that one. It is not a "kick over the pews" kind of song, but if you have ever gone through a storm in your life, this song will remind you that God knows what has happened, He understands our disappointment, our tears, our sorrow. When we make our plans, we can only plan based on what we know. We do not know what will happen in the next few days, weeks, months, or years. God does know, and He has a better plan than we can imagine.
When it all falls apart, we just want to fall apart with it. I've thought, "Surely you missed it this time, God." But He didn't. He just knows more than I do about what's in the master plan, and if I could only trust Him totally, completely, He will be faithful to complete the work in me that He said He would. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Who takes the most time getting beautiful before a concert? Who wouldn't be caught dead out in public without makeup on? Who could care less if your fans saw them without makeup on?
Okay, okay, I definitely take the absolute longest! Melissa and Maria can both get completely ready, shower, doing their hair, make-up, everything, in the time it takes me just to do my hair and make-up. What takes me so long?! I guess it takes a lot more work to get myself presentable than it does for them! You won’t catch any of the three of us out in public without makeup on, either. NOT! I played in the “All-Star Celebrity Softball Game” last year at the National Quartet Convention, and I wore my hair back in a hat for the game, but I still wore make-up. And trust me, you don’t want us out and about without make-up on anyway. You know the old saying… every barn looks better with a little paint on it!
What's the biggest miracle you've seen in your ministry?
The miracle of a lost soul coming to Jesus. Wow! When someone realizes their need for salvation, what a precious sight it is to see them come forward, and be humbled to ask Jesus Christ to live in their heart and forgive them of their sins. We think the best thing is for the worst sinner to be saved, and that is so wonderful, but sometimes the hardest ones to win are those who live right, who don’t do wrong deeds. We all are born sinners, and we are saved by grace. Thank God for his grace and for our salvation. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world.
Be sure to visit Rejoice! online at http://www.rejoicetrio.com and catch them at the 7th Annual Gospel Music Fan Festival, Saturday, July 29, 2006 in Smyrna, TN.
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Written: 07/15/2006 
Author: SGN
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