Banding together for AnchorFest

ALBANY — A guitar, then a mandolin, followed by a hammer dulcimer.

“I heard the hammer dulcimer, fell in love with it, then bought one. Then I had to learn how to play it,” Ken Rice said as he and his praise band, Verse II Ministries, played for, and with, the men at the Anchorage on a Sunday night.

“It’s a joy for my wife, Letitia, and me to come out here, to sing and share God’s Word with these men,” Rice said. “Three years ago, we felt a burden to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ via song and started looking for opportunities outside of our church. I had heard of the Anchorage and gave them a call. What started as once a month led to twice a month, which now has us committed to Sunday evenings.

“What surprised us the most at our first visit at the Anchorage was the mix of guys enrolled. We were expecting to look out at an older generation, but were surprised to see mostly guys in their 20s and 30s staring back at us. Most of these guys had reached rock bottom and were desperate for answers as to what could change their situation. They were no different from us, only they made different mistakes and did not know the restorative powers of Jesus Christ. We were touched by our first visit and have never been the same since.”

The band, Verse II Ministries, will join 10 community churches to perform at the annual AnchorFest benefit concert, set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Byne Memorial Baptist Church.

The Anchorage, located on Hampton Lane in Lee County, is a Christ-centered treatment organization for men with substance addictions. It is a residential program that incorporates a 12-step recovery program. Proceeds from the previous five AnchorFests have generated more than $80,000 to assist in the recovery work.

“We started playing at AnchorFest three years ago, and enjoyed the variety of talent and styles from Albany’s leading churches,” Rice said. “That year, we heard a teenager play a Debussy piano solo, followed by two older men playing harmonica and guitar. It was fun to watch so many church musicians come together to perform in a concert to benefit The Anchorage. The highlight was the Anchor Choir, the men we get to sing with each week.”

Over the past three years, their band has seen some changes in makeup, but remains consistent in its purpose. Current band members include Ken, Letitia, their son Hayden, Stephen Swails, Kenzie Todd and Ryan Williams.

“It is a privilege to be able to watch these guys be transformed through Jesus Christ and an honor to know that God uses us to play a small part of it,” Rice said. “We have witnessed firsthand the lives that are changed at The Anchorage.”

AnchorFest 2015 will highlight “An Evening of Thanksgiving” with a Thanksgiving theme, featuring musicians from Byne, First Free Will Baptist Church, First Baptist of Albany, First Presbyterian Church, First Baptist of Dawson, Lonesome Road Bluegrass Band, Gillionville Baptist, and others. Tickets are $10 at the church, which is located at 2832 Ledo Road.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Gail Drake is program coordinator for AnchorFest.