Tony Cummings reports on award-winning singer CANDY CHRISTMAS and her radical The Bridge Ministry
Candy Christmas
Seven years is a long time to wait between albums. But then Southerngospel star CandyChristmas, previously known as Candy Hemphill, has good reasonsfor the long delay before releasing her 'On The Other Side' album."The way I think of it is that in Michigan, when they're building anew car model, they shut down all assembly lines and send everyonehome. They don't just start adding new parts to an old model. Theyshut down and retool. God has been retooling me. I knew in my heart Ididn't have anything pertinent to say until now. Rather than justcrank out a project, I wanted to do something fresh and different andlet my music reflect what's going on in my life."
What has been going on in Candy's life is The Bridge Ministry - namedfor its location under the Jefferson Bridge in Nashville. The Bridgeis now a thriving ministry which includes a weekly church service onTuesday nights to feed and preach to up to 500 homeless people. Otherlocal churches and ministries (including the Salvation Army) alsoreach out to these homeless. Some of those organizations use TheBridge's 20,000 square-foot warehouse - a resource hub for nonprofits- which is stocked with dry goods, toiletries and coats to pass out tothe needy for the winter.
The ministry began in 2004 after Candy took a pot of jambalaya to agroup of homeless people on a visit with a local pastor. She wasbattling depression at the time. She told Christianity Today, "I hadlost my appetite. I couldn't eat. I was 100 pounds. Then when I gotthere [to the bridge], it was like something came alive in me that wasdead - something that was lacking." So she kept returning to the samespot, always a pot of jambalaya in hand. It eventually grew to a groupof volunteers and ultimately a weekly worship service and ministrythat functions much like a local church.
Born Carmel Hemphill in Bastrop, Louisiana in 1961, she was athird-generation member of Southern gospel royalty. The Happy GoodmanFamily were her grandparents while at the age of 13 Candy joined TheHemphills, the legendary family group founded by her parents Joel andLaBreeska Hemphill. Said Candy about her early years, "I was born intoa record deal. It's just what I did. If I didn't join in, I would behome and the bus rolled on without me."
Candy travelled full-time with The Hemphills for 18 years during whichtime the group won six Dove Awards and Joel was nominated 10 times byGMA for Songwriter Of The Year for such Southern gospel classics as"He's Still Workin' On Me", "Every Need Supplied" and "Master Of TheWind". In 1990 the group decided to retire and Candy began to travelwith her evangelist husband Kent Christmas. Candy's solo debut was1983's 'Candy Hemphill' for Heartwarming Records. A review in CCMmagazine reported, "'Candy Hemphill' may be best appreciated bySouthern gospel purists, not by listeners weaned on rock'n'roll." Hersecond album, 'Heart Of Fire', for Impact Records was a greatersuccess with CCM reporting that it "alternates between uptempo andeasy listening" while her next album 'Arms Of Love' (Greentree) washer most pop orientated project.
The Hemphills
In 1988 Candy joined Heirloom, a trio of country gospel singers in animitation of the successful trio of Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton andEmmylou Harris who were hitting big in mainstream country. The otherHeirloom members were Tanya Goodman-Sykes who, like Candy, had yearsof Southern gospel experience with The Happy Goodman Family, and SheriEaster (who left Heirloom after a year and went on to find successwith her husband Jeff Easter). Sheri's replacement in Heirloom was theCanadian-born country singer Barbara Fairchild who had once enjoyed aTop 10 mainstream country hit in 1973 with "Teddy Bear Song". Heirloomnever achieved the breakthrough in either the mainstream or the CCMmarket though the first album by the group 'Heirloom' produced thesingle "There's Still Power In The Blood" which did well in theSouthern Gospel charts. More Heirloom albums for Benson, 'Apples OfGold' (1990), 'Uncommon Love' (1991), 'The Best Of Heirloom' (1993)and 'Hymns That Last Forever' (1995) followed. Tanya Goodman-Sykesremembered the Heirloom days fondly. She told CCM magazine, "We couldnever pass a mall without stopping and we always got lost on the road;basically every female stereotype you could imagine. It was lots offun for awhile."
In 1995 Bill Gaither called Candy asking her to come and sing with thereunited Hemphill Family for Bill & Gloria Gaither's HomecomingFriends' 'Let's Have A Revival' video and a year later Candy was askedto be part of the Gaither concert series. In 1997 Candy returned toher solo career recording the 'Fully Alive' album as Candy Christmas and in1999 made 'No Turning Back'. At the time of the latter's release shetold The Gospel Voice magazine, "I'm not a frustrated country singeror a frustrated rock'n'roll singer. I'm a gospel singer. It's theGospel set to music. I take this calling very seriously. I was raisedin church and so many times we take God for granted. The there came atime in my life that I knew that I needed a personal relationship withGod. He's not a lifestyle - he's a friend."
Another album, 'Watch Over Me', was released in 2003. Yet despite asupportive husband and the joy Candy found in bringing up her childrenJasmine (today aged 21) and Nicholas (16), Candy began to suffer fromever increasing bouts of depression. Then in 2004 came a freshchallenge and ministry which lifted the depression from theaward-winning singer. "I found that serving the poor and homeless gaveme a new sense of purpose. I thought, 'I know how to cook. I'm aLouisiana girl. I can make jambalaya in a big pot as well as a smallpot.'" With that, she began to feed the poor and homeless. "I realizedthat the biggest portion of them had no gloves, socks or coats. It wasJanuary, so we went to Walmart and Dollar General to buy scarves andcoats. By the next week it began to grow, and it hasn't stopped. Somenights we'll have 500 people under that bridge."
The Bridge Ministry is now a vital part of the city and much of whatgets her up in the morning. "We feed the attendees at the beginning ofthe service," said Candy. "Then we invite them to stay for churchunder the bridge. We have sound, lights and chairs and we have aworship service. At the end of the evening, we give away brand newclothing, toiletries, groceries and a bicycle. Those who stay untilafter church are loaded up with stuff. It fills our hearts. There isno joy like walking away from the bridge and seeing these people withso much stuff they can hardly carry it. They often bring their friendswith them the next week."
Candy also founded the Food For Kids programme. Volunteers go everyFriday and fill backpacks for underprivileged children in theNashville area who are on free or assisted meal programmes. "I have apurpose. 36,000 snacks to school children last year!" she exclaimedwith a glowing smile. "We get permission from parents to send grocerybags of snacks home for the weekend and they love it! On Mother's Day,the children were able to take jewelry and make-up items home to theirmoms. It enabled them to give something special to their mothers onthis significant day."
Continued Candy, "I have found purpose - to help the poor and takecare of people who can't help themselves. I want to share the mercyGod has put in my heart for people who have fallen on hard times andto express my love for them. I don't care if you're rich or poor, noone can resist love. We go in with no agenda, only with love, saying,'We're not trying to sell you anything.' I don't care if they'reprostitutes, addicts, whatever. . . I just want to love people intothe Kingdom of God."
That desire has resulted in 'On The Other Side', Candy's first albumin seven years. Speaking about the album the singer said, "I wanted toget my message out - to stand on the rooftop and yell, 'Help me helpthese people!'" The lyrics found on the album, which was produced byRobb Tripp, are words Candy has already taken from the studio to thestreet over the past decade. One of the songs she recorded is thepopular tune "Orphans Of God" which she made her own with an honestand organic approach, indicative of the streets on which she serves.
She also re-recorded The Hemphills' ballad "Could I Wish", producedthis time with a more "rootsy" approach and stripped-down style. Shecommented, "I was going for honesty. I'm not much of a fluff personanymore, after time under the bridge with helpless people scratchingfor survival and starving to death. You can feel that in some of thealbum's production and tone. I think when I first recorded this song,I was still wishing for 'mansions' as an up-and-coming artist. That'swhat success was back then. I understood the words as much as I could,but 'could I wish an easy life for me?' Yes, I could still wish. Asall of us mature as Christians and as Christ is formed in us, the morewe're going to have compassion and learn to love others, not becauseof their status in life but because of God's love in us."
That love is celebrated in songs like "Since I Laid My Burdens Down",a song she sang in church as a little girl, and "Jesus On TheMainline", which the singer has slowed down with a more relaxedgroove. "Climbing Up The Mountain" is a foot-stompin', blackgospel-oriented tune while "Troubles Of This World" offers a soulful,R&B tinge from Candy. The song "Can You See The Clock" is dear tothe singer and is a message she proclaims weekly.
"We had a guy at The Bridge who wanted someone to hear his confession.'I can't sleep,' he said, 'I can't live with myself.' Another man, whohas been coming for six years, is the drunkest person I've ever met.He sits on the front row and weeps and sobs. He comes to prayer everyweek and can't forgive himself for things he has done. I can't betheir judge. I think there's a special place in God's heart for peoplelike that - truly sorry and repentant. My job is to feed them, showingthem the love of Jesus. If they stay long enough I tell them, 'Jesusis the answer.' I can see fruits of my labours under the bridge.Sometimes God will give me a little view of a changed life. That is areal treasure."
When she's not proclaiming this message to the inner-city's needy,Candy often travels around the country, speaking and singing inchurches and at women's events. "I'll tell you this: I'm not depressedanymore. I made a decision. All of my life I'd been taught the Gospelof Jesus Christ, and I came to a place where I thought, 'Either itworks or it doesn't,' so I started The Bridge Ministry. God has givenme a grace and a mercy for people who can't help themselves. "Theydon't care if you're singing gospel music. They don't care if you'retoo country, too pop, whatever. Homeless people don't care what brandyou are. They say, 'I'm dying of cocaine. Can you help me? The Gospelyou're singing about, will it work for me?' God's Word says, 'Blessedis he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness; he shall befilled.'"
The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.
