It was in 1972 that we first met. My wife Lynne and I started to attend "The Chapel" in Melrose, Ma. I am not too sure as to who started going to the Chapel first Helen, or me. It was not too long after I started attending that Pastor Skane asked me to start to lead Worship on Sunday's. Soon after that is when I started to sing "The Lighthouse." Upon hearing that, Helen said (and told me later) that she did not know who that man was, but wanted to sing with him someday. A friendship started at that time between Helen, Lynne and myself and it continued to build through the years. I am not sure if it was in the early 70's we started to pay visits to Helen's home and met Danny and Marybeth, but they were very young.
Fast forward to the early 1980's. My wife and I had moved to Dracut, Ma. due to the job I had driving for a local bus company on charters and tours. I ended up traveling up and down the East Coast and into Canada. When I was away, Lynne took our girls to the Lowell Assembly of God Church and she enjoyed it. When I was home, we attended the Riverside Assembly of God in Methuen, Ma. However; the day came when I gave up driving the bus and was home on weekends with the family. I had asked my wife Lynne with regard to what church we wanted to call home. She, without any hesitation, said, "Lowell Assembly of God."
I am not sure how long we were there, but it seems that it was not long before Helen and I were reunited and her wish came true as to have an opportunity to sing with me. Shortly after we started to attend LAG, Pastor Dick asked me to lead Worship, and if I can remember correctly (really not sure) Helen and I started to sing together. That only lasted a little while, as a young woman in the church named Susan MaAneney asked Helen and I if we would be interested in hearing some music that she had written. Helen and I listened and learned the song, as well as other songs that Susan has wrote, and not too long after that day, "The Gospel Messengers" was born. God has a plan; God always has a plan. I believe that it may have been as long as ten years until all the pieces (people) were in place, but Helen's dream of singing together, with an extra benefit of the third person (Susan) completing the Trio.
Time moved on and the Gospel Messengers, began to travel to other churches to sing and bring the Word of God; we were able to travel to the tiny churches of Central Maine, Newport, Vt. and even down to Virginia to Minister. The group lasted several years until Susan left, but Helen and I continued to sing together. When we traveled one of the hardest things that we had to overcome, was convincing people that Helen and I were not married; people thought we looked like the Cambell Soup Kids (remember them on the label) and everyone thought that Susan was our daughter; even though Wayne (Helen's Husband) and my wife (Lynne) were with us, it still did not register in peoples minds. We had many a good laugh about that.
As Helen became ill, our singing days became fewer and fewer; but there were still times when the pastors would ask us to sing a song and Helen and I would sing an old standby "This is the Time I Must Sing."
Helen; the songs that we sang together in the years gone by, will never be sung as we did before. There will be a great void to my right, as you will not be there, but you have gone home to receive your reward for all the service to Jesus Christ that you have given and for the countless lives that you have touched, and will continue to touch in the years ahead till the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Enjoy your rest from all the pain and heartache you have endured, until we join you singing around the Throne of the Lord.
