JUNE 2008 I’m sure you’re all aware of the losses the Southern Gospel world has seen lately, perhaps one of the latest and most popular being Dottie Rambo. What I’m not so sure of is how many of you are aware we have just lost another great one. Maybe she wasn’t as nationally recognized, but a great one just the same, especially here in New England and Maine in particular. Diane Muise went home to be with The Lord on Monday, June 9th. She will be greatly missed by many, in particular, her husband Leo, her children, and many close friends. I will not go into further details here, but for more information, you can check out these two sites. http://www.sunjournal.com/story/269720-3/Obituaries/Diane_L_Muise/ http://www.dianemuise.com/ It’s been a couple of weeks now since we returned home from a wonderful trip south where God greatly blessed us with souls, fellowship with some dear old friends, and the pleasure of meeting and making new friends. Cindy-Lou and I were blessed by the birth of our 1st grandson, Justin Adam Thayer, 6 lbs, 13-1/2 ozs and 19 inches on Sunday morning May 18th at 6:04am, and we got to listen to it all on cell phone speaker beginning at 2:00am! We spent 3 days with Pastor Bill and his gang of enthusiastic helpers at the Indian Creek Sing in Carnesville Georgia. They even let me hinder, I mean help a little bit in the cook shack. Good thing just a little, or I’d hafta poke a couple more holes in my belt! I think I let the Indian Creek gang down a little bit this year though … I was so busy visiting folks that I never got around to pulling any pranks on the other groups, but there’s always next year! We had to leave our bus in Georgia to get some work done that it’s needed for a spell! Well, maybe we didn’t hafta, but this Preacha man twisted our arms behind our backs real hard and said he and his church wanted to finish the interior for us! Ya hah, and we didn’t even hardly whine about it! Cool huh? Pastah R called us a couple of days ago to say they had it gutted out and would take pictures of the whole project for us! I’m not gonna tell you who or where it’s being done yet as I’ve not asked permission to tell. Besides, we don’t want anyone else lining up their buses there for conversion until ours is finished! We’ll post pictures on our website as they become available. How’d we get home you ask? Have you evah watched all them clowns pour out of the Volkswagen at the circus? Yah, same same! At least the clown part, but that van sure did feel like a Volkswagen by the time we got home! We have some rather warped though good friends from Mass. who actually looked forward to fetching us and thought the trip to be an adventure! Our sincere thanks to Darlene Norm, Lisa & Tabby! We’ve been busy since we’ve been home too, why just this past weekend, we sang in Maine Friday and Saturday, then drove all night to Mass and slept in the van for 3 hours before waking up to friends bringing us breakfast from a Nationally known fast food restaurant… that’s when the fun began. About a half hour later Leo and I were having cramps, a little while later, Leo took his 1st trip to the bathroom and we knew something was wrong! The Pastah took us out to Din’ahh and Leo and I couldn’t eat! Imagine! We went to our evening service and were praising the Lord to find the bathrooms quickly! Some plop plop, fizz fizz, ohh what a relief it is (for those of you under 45, that’s Alka-Seltzer) and we made it, until the ride home that is! I don’t believe I’ve evah gone so far down the road with my head hanging out the window like an old hound dog making such horrifying guttural sounds in my life, thank God my ears ain’t any big-ah than they are! While most of this loving compassionate group seemed to find this somewhat humorous, Leo was a little concerned for the paint job! Hey, the Browders are coming to town this month, maybe yours, check out their schedule for Maine and the rest of New England at this link: http://www.thebrowders.com/ Anyways, HOMECOMING is just 8 weeks away, Aug 15th, it doesn’t seem possible does it? As always, we’ve got a couple of new surprises up our sleeves for you! If you’ve evah thought about ordering tickets and joining us, do it now. Don’t hesitate, do it on impulse, NOW, do it NOW! Then save your gas money! You can check our website for some potential places to stay the night if you need to. To order tickets by credit card, you can call our ticket line at 207-577-3484. We’re doing the ticket phone ourselves this year, n’ as you know, we don’t have an office staff, (unless you count Leo & Naomi) n’ we’re gone a lot, so if no one answers, please leave a number and a good time to return your call. You can send Checks to the address below for the number of tickets needed. If you can’t join us, please pray that God will be magnified and have his way and souls will be saved. God bless, and hope to see you there, Bill MAY 2008 This may not be a news flash to some of you, but I’ve been dealing with some pretty severe Brain cramps here lately. Yah yah yah, but worse than usual! That’s why I haven’t written in such a spell. Maybe it was the wintah hum drum blues, I dunno, but I think its ovah. The sun is up when I get out of bed to go to work now, and it’s still shining when I get home from work. Praise The Lord! Not only that, but I can actually whittle away on the HoneyDO list before it gets dark! The snow is gone now and the green stuff is starting to poke its head up through the mud. I only got stuck twice on the 1st mowing! Yup, we’re full into mud season, so summahs coming! Hey, ain’t God Great! He’s been bless’n our socks off with souls the last few weeks! I don’t understand why he uses us, it’s AMAZING, 27 souls the other night, that’s right 27… inah crowd of about a hundred! Whew, don’t that just blow yoah mind! If I wasn’t a Baptist, I might be tempted to do a little jig! The fields are white for harvest folks, time to get to it! Hey, speak’n of getting to it, did you know the Campbell’s 12th annual Homecoming is just around the corner already? Well sortah, you see, a friend told us what year they were last with us, and little bit of the modern math led us to an astounding fact. It seems when we wuz doing our old fashioned math sometime back when, we musta got mixed up when we took our socks off to get past the ten count! Well, we are from Maine you know, and yes, it is in fact part of the United States! So anyways, next year we may be celebrating our 14th annual Homecoming instead of the 13th! Anybody out there superstitious? We have tickets available now at $18:00 each. We advise you to buy your tickets now. That way, you’ll have your money invested and feel compelled to be there! It’ll also give you time to save up gas money, you see, the human psyche is a funny thing, if you put it off until you have all the money saved, you’ll miss it. You have to have a vested interest! We’re asking folks to make a special effort and buy tickets for unsaved loved ones this year. Every year we see souls come to Christ at our Homecoming! That’s why this year we’re calling it The Campbell’s Homecoming Camp meeting style! Feel free to bring your straw hat! We have quite a lineup for you! Hot dogs, burgers, nachos… Oh yeahh the Groups! Speak’n of Straw hats, how about our dear friends The Browders? That’s right; Sonya will be celebrating her Homecoming to Maine with us again this year. The Browders have had three songs in the top 50 this past year! You like singing cowboys? How about Mike Upright from North Carolina? He’s one of the most requested Country singers out there. You like a men’s Quartet? Fourfold is coming back to Maine! The owner, Greg Powers, has been a great friend of ours for years, and we’ve patiently waited for him to get a solid Quartet together that we would be proud to put in front of you. We think he has, & you’ll love em! Of course, we’ll also have some of our old friends back with us like Alan Frink, Elzadia Parsons, and Heaven’s Blend. Who else you ask? Only The Good Lord knows for sure, cause we can’t keep track of who Leo has talked too and he can’t remember! Now it’s just a mattah of squeezing them all into the hour schedule and giving them each enough time to do their thing. Good Friends, Good Music, Good Food, and our special guest… The Good Lord! Please join us; you’ll have a time to remember! The Messalonski Performing Arts Center in Oakland Maine, Friday, August 15th, 6:45 to 12:00 p.m. Be There! God Bless, Bill FEBRUARY 2008 Well, here I am jus luv’n the cold n’ snow while tha othah poor membahs of the group are in the SUNNY SOUTH! Jus don’t seem right! Did I evah tell ya how much I hate the cold? Cindy calls me a couple of times a day to tell me how nice it is n’ how much she wishes I wuz there with her, n’ I can heah the chuckles in tha background! Jus plain mean spirited I think. I hope they really enjoy it cuz I’ve a feel’n they’ll pay for it when they get back… plenny of wintah left heah yet! She knows when I haven’t paid enough attention to her before I go to bed too. She requires a certain amount of luv’n, before being tucked under her blankets for tha night don’t cha know! She WILL prove her disdain to me if I neglect that requirement too. Jus as soon as I open the bed room door I know. If she’s at the door wagging her tail, I dun good. If not, she’s on the couch on TOP of her blankets with a “take that!” look in her eyes! I can go to bed at 3:00 Sunday night & get up to a 5:00 Monday morning surprise! Other than that, she can wait 10-12 hours! It’s a hard call sometimes, pay attention to Lucy and sleep a little less, or sleep a little more and clean up a mess! Stupid Beagle! She knows how bad I want her to come when I call her too. Her standard position is nose to the ground and tail in the air, thinks she’s a huntah. Doesn’t mattah if there’s a foot of fresh snow on the ground, she’ll jus make like a snow plow! She can be 10 feet away when I call her and the tail will jus wag fastah! Doesn’t mattah how loud I yell either, but when I start growl’n and my eyes throw fire, she knows it’s time. A little bit like being married don’t cha think? Well… and heah’s the scary part, I got to thinking about that relationship tha othah day. I think maybe that dog looks at me a little bit like a god… Stupid Beagle! You think maybe the Good Lord has kinda tha same relationship with us? Are we as good at being God’s best friend as the dog is at being Man’s best friend? How long did it take you to happily greet the Lord after the last time He scolded you? What kind of mess do you leave for Him when you feel He hasn’t treated you right? How long do you make Him call your name before you pay heed? Are you envious of the things that God has giv’n others? Ouch! Owe! Oohie, oohie! God Bless, In HIS Service, Bill JANUARY 2008 Well folks, anuthuh ye-ahh has come & gone! I don’t know bout you, but I’m still try’n to member to write 08 instead of 07! Most of you know that Scott Brunt of the Brunt Family Singers of New Hampshire is now sing’n bass with us, but what you probly don’t know is that Mel is no longer with us! I think she decided we were just a little too nuts for her! We’re gonna miss the Madame Blueberry, and we wish her well in her future endeavors! Anyways, here’s a little “Goodbye” from Mel:
We’ve really been blessed of the Lord so far this wintah… and he blessed us with 14 more inches yesterday! Soooo, we’re feel’n “Called of God” to head south for a few weeks! Not that we’re Snow birds or anythin, but it’s jus that we understand that’s where the reasonable people are this time of ye-ahh! Hey, by the by, Cindy-Lou & I have our 1st Grandson in the Oven courtesy of our baby girl & her husband! Bout time! I’m still trying to coach my son in how it’s done, but his wife keeps popping out girls! That’s bout it on the news front, so I will close in a little story: My introduction to the “The Miserable Old goat” was a door opening to quite an adventure. My new boss led us like lambs to the slaughter to meet him! Asked who he wanted for a partner he colorfully bellowed out “Give me the tall one”! He could cuss like a parrot! A day without shocking several people was a drag to the Old Goat. I soon figured out he was gonna make noise whether I liked it or not, so I thought I may as well join in the fun! We soon became quite a notorious team! And I used to be so shy! We would screech at each uthah until the room emptied, and we could use every one else’s equipment to get the job done, the Boss loved it. Remember the two old men in the balcony on the Muppet Show? That was us! After a few earnest talks with the Old Goat, I confessed I was a Christian which didn’t settle real well with him as like soooo many people, he had been hurt by a Christian. I still remember the look on his face one day when after a particularly colorful outburst, I said “Can you say three words in a row without taking my Lords name in vain?” The look on his face! You see, he once called himself a Christian too. He came to one of our concerts and the next day at work I became known as the Choirboy! Every Monday started with “Well Choirboy, did you go to the Mountain top this weekend?” I couldn’t help myself… his twinkling eyes, beautiful platinum white hair and moustache; I replied “You should know you miserable Old Moses Look alike!” Hah! It’s been about 12 years now, the Choirboy and The Old Goat are no longer partners, but we still bellow our greetings to each other! He knows I’m a Christian, and I’m not perfect, but I’m real, and I try my best. I think he even trusts me, and I believe that one day, The Old Goat will know who to talk to when things are bad, and hopefully he can be restored in The Lord. What’s the moral of this story? I dunno… who are you? Do you really know? Are there three or four of you? The person in private, with family, saved friends, unsaved friends, co-workers? Who do they see? Who does your Lord see? Make you proud does it? Ohh Dear Lord, help me to be true in my walk with you! God Bless, Bill DECEMBER 2007 MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours! As we enter this most Blessed season of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, believe it or not, I had a thought! Has it evah struck you as interesting that as the days grow shortah, and the nights grow longah and coldah, that this is when we lift up the Light of the World for all to see? At least heah in the frozen north, you Suthners will have to use your magination on the longer, colder (not cooler) night’s part! At the same time the talking heads will soon be telling us of the sad things people do because of the pressures of the “Holiday season” while they continue to eradicate the Hope of the World from public mention. What are you doing that others can see that little light shine through you? This is the perfect time for us Christians to let folks know that we know the reason for the season! The kind smile, the opened door, the shoveled path, the scraped windshield, (again, you suthners may have to use a little magination heah, maybe substitute share an umbrella or clean a dirty windshield) the extra big tip for the waitress along with the tract, instead of the standard “Good steward” (i.e.: Cheapskate) Christian tip, or worse yet, the “best tip of her life” by leaving just a tract and no cash, maybe even a free gallon of gas to the stranded motorist! How about that warm and heartfelt MERRY CHRISTMAS at every opportunity! How bout that extra effort to invite someone to a special Church Christmas service? Remember, lots of people will go to church twice a year… if they’re invited! Despite my desire to send a completely upbeat Christmas newsletter, I have a burden at this point to bring before you some matters of prayer. Please pray for our troops and their families, especially those with the burden of being apart for Christmas. Please pray for us as a group as there has been a little trouble, and we will all be going to jail this Thursday… but thankfully only for the afternoon! Praise God! They need the Gospel there too you know, and we’ve been asked to share it! We also request your prayers concerning Cindy’s Asthma; she’s really been struggling for about 3 months now. Nopy had to take her to the Emergency Room in New Hampshire Sunday afternoon while Leo, Scott & I set sound. She was turning colors and had a heart rate of 137… that’s faster than when she’s really mad at me! She pitched enough of a fit that the doctors showed wisdom and let her out after 3 hours! The Pastor and crowd were most understanding, as we started the concert 40 minutes late and still we saw 5 decisions! Ain’t God great? Our final and most personal prayer request is for our very dear friend; Pastor Bill Havens of Pittsfield Mass. He just had surgery Monday for Malignant Melanoma. It has spread and further tests are under way to determine the extent and treatment. Pastor Bill and I have been good buds for years now and manage to find a little bit of trouble whenever we are together. His wife Pam and Cindy get anxious whenever we are alone together out of their site and influence! Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, and strength, courage and peace for Bill and his family. While you’re at it, pray for a big miracle! God is still in the miracle making business you know! I believe Bill’s family can have one in time for Christmas! What about you? Meantime, The Lord has really been blessing us with souls at our Christmas concerts with 11 decisions to accept Jesus Christ as Lord this weekend! We look forward to the remainder of the Christmas season and it’s Harvest! We will be having a few days off between Christmas and New Years Eve when we will hit it again! Although we will miss presenting the Gospel in song and seeing souls saved, we are excited about sharing this time with our family. It is our hope that you will pause to remember HIM, and the blessings HE has bestowed upon you. That you will take the time to draw closer to HIM. That you will reach out in Love to your family and friends. That you will forgive and forget. That you will humble yourself before HIM, for HE alone is worthy! We truly, truly, wish ya’ll a Merry Christmas! God Bless! Bill OCTOBER 2007 News Flash! Campbell family sinks to new low! That’s right, you heard it here 1st! ... Any ways, we just concluded some wonderful meetings at 1st Baptist in Webster Ma. The Lord moved, souls were saved, hearts were changed and spirits renewed! We started the Sunday pm service with the introduction of our newest member! Scott Brunt of the Brunt family singers of New Hampshire! For those of you that don’t know him, he’s a low down… ahh, BASE SINGER! Uh huh, we’re now a quartet! Well, kinda. You know how we are; we get bored easy so we mix things up a bit. Now we have an extra voice to throw in the mix for a total of six. The saddest thing though is that Leo and I can’t even pretend to be a base anymore! We’ve had the privilege of work’n with the Brunt’s many times over the years, and shared many great laughs and times of fellowship. We look forward to that continued relationship as this move was made only after all members prayed, and came to the same conclusion… Scott fits us like a glove… he’s nuttier then a fruit cake! In hind site, some of the more proper members of the Campbell family have expressed some concern that Scott & I might not be a safe combination! Imagine! Something about manners… or the lack thereof, and a warped sense of humah! Scott will travel with us as his work schedule allows. The Brunt family will slow down so Gary (Scott’s dad and Brunt Family Tenor) can enjoy his retirement more, and Alan Frink will do more solo dates. I’m a little concerned though that Gary keeps giggling when he sees us now, and Alan keeps muttering something about a twofer (the price of one) deal! Don’t be surprised to see them all get off the bus with us sometime! On a more serious note, the bus has transmission issues and we lust aftuh your prayers for two reasons. (1) The problem up heah in Maine is get’n somethin like that worked on! Our mechanic is willing to look & learn, but at the same time he don’t feel real good bout experiment’n on our dollah! We’ll see what happens! Soooo, (2) meantime, we head to New York this weekend, & then areas south (WV & NC) in a minivan pull’n a trailah, and it’ll take more time and money to look for & stop at hotels and restaurants then we are used too! The mixed blessing is that I don’t have enough vacation left to go along! Leo will probly considah that somewhat of a vacation himself! He may be whistle’n a lot more’n usual as he won’t have to feed me or worry bout who I might catch off gard with my warped sense of humah! On tha uthah hand, I won’t be theyah to help set up & tayahh down. If any of you live neah one of our dates and can be around bout 3 hours early to lend him a hand it would be muchly appreciated! It’s been so long since I’ve missed a trip with tha group that it’s gonna feel real weird! Besides that, I’m gonna hafta eat my own cook’n! Hey, God Bless! Catch ya heah, or in tha ayah! In HIS service, Bill APRIL 2007 Surprise surprise! Actually, I started to write several times, but things have just kindah been up in the air with us and I didn’t know what direction to take. Not that we gave any thought to quitting, we were just having a time picking up the pieces. During Christmas vacation we came to realize that losing Leo Jr. hit us much harder than we realized it would, and decided we needed to take some time to get our family healed. Of course we all new we would have to deal with his loss on a personal level, but really couldn’t comprehend it’s full impact on Ma & Pa, and the group. Despite his not being an active member of the group, his moral support was integral and there was always the hope that a miracle would allow him to sing with us again one day. For years, we were always kind of pleasantly surprised to find him still with us at each new day, but it was still a shock when in the twinkle of an eye he was gone. So here we are, one more reason to look forward to HEAVEN! We WILL sing with him again! We are going through some more changes, hopefully the last for a long time! Jenn has left us. Yes sir. No more rainbow red hair for this group! Ha ha! Sorry Jenn! Hey, do you remember Melissa Stearns? She filled in for a couple of years when Cindy was out with throat problems. She’s the one with long dark hair. The poor dear has been accused of being part of the family so many times I’m concerned for her mental well being! Yup, Mel is rejoining us! She’s been waiting in the wings for a long time, and was always just a call away waiting to help out. One of the hardest things to deal with during this time has been canceling our Mission trip to India. Knowing that we disappointed so many friends there is heartbreaking. Knowing that we missed out on a blessing ourselves from the presence of our Lord in a way that so few Americans are privileged to witness just leaves a big empty hole. We can only wait and look forward to the next opportunity. We did sing this past Saturday for the 1st time in a spell, and God blessed us with 3 decisions to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior! So. We’re back at it and hope to see you soon. In HIS service, Bill
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