A free conference for senior adults is set for early May in Pelham.
ENCOURAGE 25, designed to help senior adults in evangelism and Christian living, will be held May 5 at First Baptist Church.
Participants will spend the morning in fellowship, with music led by Grammy and Dove award-winning singer Guy Penrod.
RELATED: Check out more stories on Guy Penrod.
“I have had the opportunity to host Guy for several senior adult events over the past few years,” noted Frank Jones, senior adult ministry strategist for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, which is sponsoring the event. “Guy is passionate about what he does. He wants to sing songs that touch the heart, and he wants his audiences to be encouraged and challenged to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love his spirit, his commitment to excellence and that he is my friend.”
When Penrod isn’t traveling and performing concerts, he and his wife, Angie, are adjusting to a new season of life as empty nesters, having watched their eight children grow up and begin having children of their own.
‘Lift up the good things’
“My goal with music is to lift up the good things, things like marriage, things like stopping and spending time with your wife and your kids,” Penrod said. “If you get a man and a woman to commit to each other ‘til death do us part,’ they can do it. There is a God. It’s His plan, and I think we need to esteem those things and hold them up and not get caught up in the downward spiral that exists in our culture.”
Penrod spent 14 years with The Gaither Vocal Band before establishing a solo career, allowing him to spend more time with his family.
“I had a good example of a father,” Penrod recalled. “I know a lot of folks don’t, but I know a lot of folks do. Fatherhood is a heavy responsibility. [God’s] plan for you is to just trust Him day by day.
“I think at the end of the day, if we trust Him and live openly for Him in front of those we love, that’s the best example of a father, mother, sister, brother, friend or whatever relationship.”
Penrod hopes to encourage other fathers to spend time investing in their children’s lives and always pointing them to God’s Word for guidance, direction and truth.
“I don’t know that it is a matter of any certain thing,” Penrod said. “It’s a compilation of all of the small decisions, but the big one being to center your worldview in the Word of God and then acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and He will direct your path.
“Then be transparent because we’re going to make good decisions and have wonderful successes as fathers, but we are also going to make bad decisions and have failures as well. For the most part, it is something we should do out in front of the family, so everyone sees how the Lord works through the ups and the downs.”
‘Music is a vehicle’
With his music and message, Penrod hopes to encourage believers at any age to thrive in their relationship with Christ and others.
“During concerts, I hope to encourage people and lead people to Christ,” Penrod said. “Music is a vehicle by which the Lord has blessed us. I mean, like anyone, if you follow the Spirit of the Lord’s promptings and a new heart that He has given each one of us in Christ, then you yield it to Him. Therein lies the secret to happiness.
“But I would say the building of family, the relationships, the influence and all those things are gifts from the Lord. So I just pray for His wisdom and strength to walk in that honorably.”
For more information about ENCOURAGE visit the ALSBOM website at evangelizeal.org/event/2025-encourage-conference.
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