Purpose prepares farewell praise concert

Local Christian group Purpose will say goodbye in a farewell concert this weekend. At curtain call their ministry of eight years, four women, two CDs and one purpose is coming to an end.
The farewell praise concert begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at New Day Christian Church in Morganton. Those who attend should plan to come early for a special opening song. Admission is free.
Leading up to the concert, Valarie Connelly, Vondra Evans, Leslie McKesson and Mae Mills are all smiles, assured in the decision to call it quits. Is it God's will? In unison, voices blending harmoniously, they answer with a resounding, "Yes, we have such peace."
Their founding scripture, Romans 8:28, offers the assurance on which their most recent decision is based.
It says, "For we know all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
"We stepped on the stage with this scripture, and we will walk off with our firm belief on it," Valarie said.
Vondra added, "This isn't really something we planned on. We had come to a place where we thought maybe we would expand the ministry."
Valarie: "We have always wanted to try to align with what God would have us do and those doors just didn't open to us."
Vondra, again: "Our season had come."
Valarie, concluding: "Life is all about seasons and knowing when to transition to the next level."
The next level was the end of a journey. Each of the four seemingly knew this before anyone spoke it aloud.
"We are such a tight-knit group. It was a bittersweet acknowledgment. When it was said we felt in agreement," Vondra said.
Valarie added, "It was in our spirits. God just placed it within us."
People asked how far the group wanted to go. "We said as far as God will take us. From here we go to the next level as a result of what we've been as a group," Vondra said. "It's not the end of us, but it is just like this part of our ministry helped us to develop in other areas."
In 2001, they were acquaintances and co-workers who occasionally sang together before forming Purpose. As a group, they quickly realized each had a talent on which the others could draw.
"We ministered to each other as much as anyone else," Leslie said.
They traveled through the Carolinas, Colorado, Missouri, Virginia and Georgia while opening for gospel artists including CeCe Winans, Ron Kenoly and Babbie Mason. At just seven months old, the group won first place in small groups and the overall grand prize at the Babbie Mason Music Conference.
Purpose competed internationally at the Gospel Music Association in Colorado, placing fourth. They released their debut CD, "According To His….Purpose," in 2003. A live concert in 2007 resulted another, entitled "Faithfulness."
Mae recalls a Colorado trip as her favorite. "It was an opportunity to see the spirit of everybody and how we flowed together as a group," she said. "I will miss the quantity of time we had. We were able to share and practice became more than practice. It was empowering one another really."
Leslie recalls their singing the national anthem during a nationally televised Carolina Panthers' Monday night National League football game as a favorite. "Singing in front of 73,000 people was amazing," she said.
Five-year goals were met quickly. "We exceeded those in a year," Vondra said.
"This was more than we ever imagined it would be," Leslie said.
"We are excited about believing God that something else is about to come out of this," Vondra said.
"We have no grand plans," Leslie added. "We are anchoring our decisions in faith."
"You know it is a spiritual thing and you know it's God when the Lord's peace comes with that," Vondra said.
Followers often say hearing Purpose sing is what they imagine Heaven will be like. "It blesses us," said Vondra. "We are just ministering from our hearts, and we want to be a blessing and be used."
"The world's not an easy place to live in and when you're able to bring joy and laughter, that's a blessing. We try to get in their lives and deposit something," Leslie added.
She continued, "I will miss ministering with these guys. When we stand before the people we know what our purpose is to glorify God."
"Our purpose has been fulfilled," Vondra said.
"The big announcement is we are following God," Mae said.
"According to His purpose," Vondra said, "If it was up to us we would try to keep this thing together, but it is according to His purpose."