Weekend Update
 
June 1, 2010
Can you believe that 2010 is half over? Time fly's when your having fun and I know that I am having a great time getting out and seeing so many of you that I haven't seen in a long time. It has been such a blessing to reconnect with you all over the last nine months. I hope that each of you had a great Memorial Day weekend and that you have remembered our Veterans (Ron Hughes and Dan Adkins both proudly served in the US Army) as well as our current soldiers stationed around the globe protecting our freedom.
 
Update - We are going back in studio on Wednesday of this week to put the finishing touches on our live recording. We should be ready to get it to the reproduction company within the next couple of weeks. Advance sales have gone great on this project and if you want to reserve a copy just send us a check or money order for $10 and we will handle the shipping.
 
Over the past two weekends, we were at our monthly engagement with B&J Family Restaurant in Huntsville. We had a bumper crowd and a great time with you all this month. A special thanks to Mark Carslile for filling in for me to allow me to go see my daughter play in the NCAA Tournament. A special thanks to the fine folks from Ole Time Way Baptist Church for coming out to join us. We truly feel that this church is our home away from home. On Sunday morning we were with the folks at Martling Methodist Church in Albertville, AL. They were very kind to us and fed us like kings before we were finished. Did I mention we like to eat?
 
This weekend we were with New Canaan Baptist and Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist in Dutton, AL. We were able to reconnect with friends we had not seen in a long time. We had a lot of family to come out and support us as well. We even had Jan and Kathy from Huntsville come join us on Saturday night and have dinner with us afterwards.
 
We will now take this weekend off before heading to Georgia for a weekend. We always look forward to being with the folks in Atlanta. We will be singing at Five Forks Baptist in Lawrenceville and at Norcross Baptist Tabernacle on Sunday, June 13, 2010. The week of June 19th we will be at the Hazel Green Church of God of Prophecy at 6:00 PM. We would love to see you there.
 
Finally, I would like to thank those of you that have either sent or hand delivered love offerings to the group to help us cover our bus repairs. Were back on the road but have more work to be done before we can go to Georgia. Your help has meant more than you know. Keep us in your prayers and we will see you soon.
 
Dan Adkins
 
May 11, 2010
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day this weekend. We had a beautiful day and I enjoyed spending part of the day with my Mother. We also had a family reunion on Sunday and had a chance to see a lot of my family I had not seen in sometime. Now a reminder to everyone that FATHER'S DAY is just around the corner!
 
The group would like to thank everyone that came out to Ole Time Way Baptist Church on Saturday, May 8, 2010. The LIVE recording would not have gone on without all the participation from everyone that came out to support us. I'd like to thank Jeff McLain, Phillip Bearden and "Spud" for all the work on the recording and sound. Pastor, Al Barton, Doug and Edna Warren as well as so many people within the church for going out of your way to make this a special night for the group. Bringing in lunch for the group and all of the sound technicians, spending the day with us as we set up and prepared for the singing. We are proud to announce that the CD will be called "LIVE, at Ole Time Way". We also want to thank everyone that bought advance copies of the CD. We will get these out as soon as they become available. We enjoyed some great singing from within the church during our break, there is a lot of vocal talent at Ole Time Way. I would also like to thank my sister, Linda Cookston for taking pictures for us. I appreciate the support that you all showed my 11 year old niece, Erica Cookston as she sang a couple of songs.
 
After the concert was over, we went over to Ms. Melba Walker's home along with Peggy Hicks as they had prepared dinner for us. The food was great and the hospitality and company were even better. Again, thank you so much to the folks that support the group weekend after weekend, you know who you are and we love you so very much.
 
Finally, an answered prayer...I had asked you all to pray for our old bus as our generator had died and we were without heat or AC. We had an offer from a man that swapped a generator that works perfectly for our old one that did not. He even removed and installed the new one so that we would have AC and power moving forward. Continue to pray for us as we travel. We will take this weekend off but will be back in action at B&J next Saturday and then on Sunday at Martling Methodist Church in Albertville, AL.
 
Dan Adkins
 
May 3, 2010
We were off to the Bluegrass state this weekend as we went to Mt. Sterling and Frenchburg, Kentucky and some of the surrounding towns. We decided to wait and leave out on Saturday morning which is later than usual. We arrived in Kentucky in the afternoon and was welcomed by a driving rain and thunderstorms. We were singing at Tarr Ridge Union Church on Saturday evening. We arrived and could smell the fish cooking...it was hard to focus on setting up the sound system! After a great cookout and eating delicious Crappie that had been caught in Alabama we went on to an evening of singing and worship. It was great for the guys to see so many familiar faces and great for me to meet a lot of new friends.
 
Sunday morning we awoke to continuing rain and storms. The churches were both filled in spite of the nasty weather outside. We were at Mariba Church of God in Frenchburg, KY. We had another good singing with good preaching by Ron Hughes, this was the first time I have heard him preach. He did just as good a job preaching as he does singing. The church really enjoyed the service. We had a fine meal prepared by all the ladies before heading back towards Alabama. The streams and rivers had all spilled over their banks and the main road was closed. We had to take an alternate route in order to get back to the interstate and head home.
 
We want to thank Betty Stull for all her work in making sure that our weekend went smoothly. Betty is a great lady with a very supportive family. Keep her son, Brandon and his wife, Amber as they are expecting a baby in the next couple of weeks. A great big thank you to all the fine folks in Kentucky that made us feel so at home. we look forward to seeing you all again soon.
 
As we made the journey back to Alabama, we made it to Knoxville, TN and started losing power on the bus. By the time we got into Knoxville, we were down to about 10 MPH on the freeway. Rains still coming down, we took an exit to see if the boys could figure out what was wrong. After a little while they figured out that the linkage to the fuel throttle had been stretched out too far and would not work properly. I was thinking we would be spending the night on the bus...Thankfully, Randy, Doyle and Ron were pretty creative and figured out a way to make the bus run. We had one guy sitting in the floor at the very back of the bus, he was the Throttle Man and would act as a human gas pedal. Then another would sit at the middle of the bus (Conductor) and tell the throttle man to speed up or slow down (Ron and Doyle took turns) while Randy did the braking and driving. I kept the computer up to date and took pictures while laughing at the other three. I felt like I was in an episode of the "Three Stooges". Check out the pictures of Ron and Doyle as they worked. Someone asked me what I was doing to help to which I replied..."They asked me to Sing, NOT Mechanic" We all got home around 2:00 AM on Monday morning. The boys did a great job of working together and getting us all home. We will have a mechanic fix the bus this week.
 
Come out to Ole Time Way Baptist Church in Cullman, AL THIS coming Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 6:00 PM for our LIVE recording project. We would love to have you there to support us as we do this Live recording.
 







 
April 13, 2010
Spring is in the air, this weekend was absolutely beautiful. We started our weekend on Saturday with a surprise birthday party for one of our favorite friends, MS Peggy at West Huntsville Baptist Church. She was completely surprised by lots of her family and friends. We all got a kick out of the grand children playing the Family Feud. So many members of Peggy's family support the Unity Quartet, we are honored to be a part of this special celebration. The crowd got a special treat as Mark Carlisle joined us to sing a few songs and enjoy a nice dinner with us.
 
Sunday morning we started out at the Bible Way Holiness Church in Scottsboro, AL. We had a great service and were able to reconnect with a lot of folks we had not seen in a number of years. The pastor's wife, Delores Bailey York (my aunt) had been in a terrible car accident a few days before and was unable to join us. We missed her being there but look forward to coming back again soon.
 
Sunday evening we went to out home away from home. Lakeside Assembly of God and sang for a lot of family and friends. We always enjoy spending time with these folks. For those of you on Facebook, you will find several songs linked to my profile. You will also hear my niece, Erica Cookston (11 years old) what a voice she has. I am very proud of her and her dedication to singing God's praise.
 
Join us this Saturday evening at 6:00 at the Fort Payne Opera House. We will be joined by the Boys of Alabama, Tim Sampson and Free Spirit. You can get tickets from any of the Unity quartet for $5, they will be $7 at the door. We look forward to seeing you.
 
Dan Adkins
 
April 5, 2010
I hope that each of you had a wonderful Easter weekend. We had perfect weather. Anyone that was able to attend sunrise services were blessed with a clear sky and warm temps. The quartet was off on Sunday so I was able to attend church with my family. We attended 12-Stone Church in the Duluth, GA and arrived for the second of three services where each service held around 3,000 people. What a blessing to see so many people fill the churches on Easter Sunday. We would love to see them all every Sunday!
 
The Quartet had a couple of open weekends to rest up after a really busy 6 month schedule. We got back on the road last weekend as we sang at Edie Baptist Church in Arab, AL on Friday evening, March 26. This church is filled with so many great singers. We enjoyed listening to all the locals that have sang in groups for many years. We used most of the Saturday to practice for our upcoming LIVE project before heading out to B&J Family Restaurant in Huntsville, AL on Saturday evening. We had a great time at both concerts and were able to meet a number of new friends that had not been with us before.
 
For Easter weekend we decided to only book for Saturday in order to allow the guys to each spend time with their families and be in their home church. We sang for the folks at the Little Mountain Resort in Langston, AL on Saturday evening. As always, the hospitality was great and a good time was had by all.
 
I ask that you continue to pray for the "OLD BUS" as we are trying to get our generator either fixed or replaced before the weather gets so warm. We are currently going without heat/air due to it not working. We are scheduled to go to Kentucky the first weekend in May and need working AC before we go. Too bad the bus doesn't have windows we could open! As always, thank you for your support and your prayers. We look forward to seeing you all soon.
 
March 9, 2010
We started our week early this weekend, leaving out on Friday morning. We traveled to Tupelo, MS to participate in the Mississippi Southern Gospel Music Expo at the Barnes Crossing Mall. We sang on Friday evening and also got to hear some great gospel music from the Joymen, Southern Image and New Ground, among others. It was great seeing our fellow singers and catching up on everything. We also enjoyed seeing so many of our fans that we see when we are in Alabama. There were a number of RV's and hotel rooms booked by Alabama folks that came over to see the groups on Friday and again on Saturday.
 
Saturday evening we sang in Holly Springs, MS at Chewalla Baptist Church. We had not been to this church before and got there a few hours early so that we could get in some much needed practice time. The ladies of the church outdone themselves as they prepared a meal large enough to feed Holly Springs! We ate so much, luckily we had time to digest prior to singing at 7:00 PM. The food was among the best that we have ever had. Desserts were also a big hit...Doyle, Randy and I tackled about a pound of peach cobbler once we got on the bus to head back to Tupelo. Ronnie found himself snuggled up to some Angel Food Cake and we all made short order of the sweets. Once the service started, the church had to bring out every folding chair in the house to put in the isles for seating. There were people standing in the back of the church that never got a seat. What a blessing to see this kind of support for gospel singing. I had a special treat planned for Doyle tonight. As we were singing through the program, we came to "This Old House" Doyle always introduces this song and I sometimes vaguely mention that the shingles have fallen off (Leaving the top of his head bald) tonight I walked over to him and he was expecting me to say that, instead I reached in my jacket and pulled out a toupee (wig) that was all gray and rather messed up from being in my pocket. I slapped that up on his head...I had never seen Doyle speechless before. He sang the song wearing his new friend. I have a picture below to show you of the new Doyle! With a little hair spray and a comb, I feel that I could make him look really handsome, maybe not, there is only so much I can do with the hair :) We greatly enjoyed the folks at this church, we have met some great new friends and look forward to singing to them again. We also got to hear a couple of singers from within this church that really blessed us. Mike Devore is a favorite in that area of MS and he was there to sing as well. He did a great job and really feels what he sings. Looking forward to singing with him again.
 
We finished off our trip on Sunday evening at the Calvary Baptist Church in Booneville, MS. We were all a little tired from the long week of traveling but were so blessed by the service. This church also had some outstanding singers within the church that sang during our break. We were touched as one lady told us of loosing her son only a few weeks earlier. The song, "Mercy Walked In" really touched her as we sang. Also a young lady of 92 years old was there to hear us and she was such a treat to sing to. She has asked us to sing at her 100th birthday. We are planning to attend! After the service, we enjoy more fellowship as the ladies had prepared food and dessert for us to share with them prior to heading out. We are thankful for Randy and his ability to drive the bus while some of us are "sleeping" along the way.
 
I'll close by saying that we missed having Steve with us this weekend. Steve does a great job of running the music for us and keeping us on schedule. We greatly enjoyed our weekend and all the new friends we made along the way. Keep us in your prayers as we now take a couple of much needed weeks to practice and rest up for our next concert.
 

 
March 1, 2010
Unity just finished up February, 2010. We had another really busy week. We started out on Thursday evening as we practiced for a number of hours. We then went to Scottsboro, AL on Saturday afternoon and did a concert at the Goosepond Civic Center for the Habitat for Humanity Chili Cook off. We sang to a packed house and for a very worthy cause. It was good to see so many people take an interest in Southern Gospel Music. We did a brand new song for the first time, "Mercy Walked In," I love the words in this song. It is short but very powerful and definitely a song that every Christian can relate to.
 
Saturday evening was time to go back to B&J Family Restaurant in Lacy Springs, AL. Bud and his crew always take really good care of everyone and serves the best catfish and hushpuppies around! It was great seeing so many people come out to support this restaurant as they support gospel music. Keep "Freddie" in your prayers, she is always there and sometimes takes care of me by giving me a cake to eat on the way home! Freddie is in the Birmingham, AL as the doctors have found a mass in her stomach. We will all pray that it is benign. We sang a number of request's during the second half of our singing that we usually do not do including "Old Ship of Zion" and "Just a little talk with Jesus."
 
Sunday evening was our final singing of the weekend as we traveled to Holly Pond, AL. Along the way, we stopped over at Lake Guntersville and had pictures taken for the website and our upcoming LIVE project. We sang at the Brooklyn United Methodist Church in Holly Pond on Sunday evening. The church really enjoyed our singing and we enjoyed being a blessing to them. The ladies had prepared snacks and desserts for us after the service, the food was great!
 
I'd like to welcome Ron Hughes back home to the quartet. Back in September of 2009, Ron had been experiencing some health problems that caused him to have to take some time off. Well, he has his health back and is singing as good as ever. We are excited to have him back in the group. This is the first time I have had the pleasure of singing with Ron, after this weekend I know that we are going to have a great time on the road singing together. Keep us in your prayers as we head off to Mississippi next weekend for an action packed trip. We look forward to seeing you all soon.
 
Dan Adkins
 
February 22, 2010
The quartet traveled to Atlanta this weekend, we had not been in the area since November so it was good to get to see some friendly faces we had not seen in a while. We were to meet in Alpharetta on Saturday evening to practice for the concerts on Sunday. Turns out that Tabernacle Baptist Church was putting on a benefit singing for one of the church members that is battling cancer. Pastor, Grady Hester asked us to come and participate in the singing which we gladly agreed to do. We got to meet the group "The New Bryants" from Gainesville, GA and another group from Virginia. We had a good time and look forward to singing with these folks again.
 
Sunday morning we made our way back to Alpharetta, the guys spent the night on the bus parked in front of my house. We were all up early and enjoyed coffee and fellowship before making our trip to the church. The congregation was a small one but the blessings were large. We enjoyed our time with these folks a great deal.
 
Sunday evening we were in Flowery Branch, GA at Rejoice Baptist Church. Dale Phillips had booked us, while doing a live radio interview with WCON radio on Sunday morning I promoted him to PASTOR by accident. That is the second time in the last month I have done this. We arrived at the church mid Sunday afternoon to practice before the singing. We met some really nice young ladies that were there practicing as well. By the time the service started, we were thinking we had lost our bass singer as Doyle was singing with them. I thought we were going to have to call Ms. Mary to get him back on the bus :). The church was full and the folks came to worship for sure. It is always rewarding to sing to such a spirited crowd on a Sunday evening. We can't wait to be back in service with these folks. It was such a blessing to see the number of people in this church that are "young folks" and to see them involved in the church.
 
Come out and see us this weekend in Scottsboro, AL on Saturday afternoon at the Goosepond Colony Civic Center and then at B&J Family Restaurant on Saturday evening. Sunday we will be at the Brooklyn United Methodist Church in Holly Pond, AL. Keep us in your prayers this week.
 
Dan Adkins
214-632-4781
danadkins01@cs.com
Facebook - Dan Adkins
 
February 16, 2010
Unity Quartet spent Valentine's Day, 2010 at Elvester Baptist Church in Warrior, Alabama. We each would like to send a thank you to our own valentines for supporting us as we travel and sing. The guys so enjoyed the food that was prepared by the ladies of the church. We're very thankful for the way the church responded to us. We had a number of our regular fans that came out to hear us and although they had a difficult time finding the church, it was worth the drive. The song of the day was "This Old House." I'd like to thank Mark Carlisle for his being willing to fill in for me this weekend. Most of you know that both of my daughters play college softball and this weekend was the beginning of the 2010 season. Mark allowed me and my wife to go spend the weekend in Florida with the Georgia Tech team. We're looking forward to spending next weekend back in Atlanta where I will get to sleep in my own bed and let the rest of the group travel. Also, during this week Doyle and Mary McLain celebrated wedding anniversary #53. God has richly blessed them with health and a wonderful life together. Remember Darlene Brown, James' wife as she has been having a tough time with her back and leg. We have missed having her with us the last couple of weeks. One last thing, help us pray about the songs that we will include on our next CD project that we are going to try to start soon.
 
Dan Adkins
 
February 8, 2010
For the first weekend in February, we started off in a place where we had not sang in years, Bridgeport, Alabama. The snow flurries were blowing around in downtown Bridgeport and it was very cold on the outside as we arrived. I met the guys there and had already received a blessing by the time they arrived. The pastor met me as I drove up and we talked about how the First United Methodist Church came into existence at the current address in 1921. The ladies of the church were walking around the area trying to find a suitable place to build, a Dove flew over them and then landed on the spot where the church is now built, they took this as a sign from God that this was to be the new church home. Then the builders of the church used the mud from the hill it is built upon to make the brick that surrounds the inner building. It became very obvious that God still resides in this old house as we had a wonderful service. The ladies of the church had prepared a great meal for us after the service. We want to thank Mary Moy for booking us and look forward to seeing her and this church again.
 
Sunday morning we were up before the Chicken's as we headed back to Cullman, Alabama. A morning concert to celebrate Super Man's Day at the Southside Baptist Church. We found it hard to do a sound check for this service because the smell of food was permeating up from the basement and all we could think about was all that wonderful food just waiting. I've never seen Doyle McLain so eager to finish singing!!! The service was a blessing to all as the ALL MAN CHOIR came to sing for us. The pastor delivered a short message before turning us loose. We sang out the morning service until the smell of food could no longer be ignored. Doyle reminded the church that we are "part time" singers but "full time" eaters. We finished up the day with This Old House and the emotional ending of "WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN" to the pastors delight as he was wearing his gold shirt in support of the New Orleans Saints. I suppose we should have sang a song that mentioned the COLTS but couldn't think of one :) This church is full of young families, many with young children. We were fortunate to sit with the youth leaders of the church during lunch, we pray that God will continue to bless this church with many more young families.
 
I know that everyone is missing Mark Carlisle by now, he will be filling in with the group next weekend in Warrior, Alabama. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
 
Dan Adkins
 
February 1, 2010
On January 31, 2010 we started our day at Lighthouse Ministries in Scottsboro, Alabama. This was much like home week once again. We had so many members of our families and friends that feel like family who gathered with us on Sunday morning. The last time the Unity Quartet had sang at this church was at a benefit for Doyle and Mary McLain as Mary was suffering from throat cancer. It was a great time on Sunday to have Mary in the audience and be able to share the good news of now being cancer free with the church that helped support the McLain family in a time of need. The service was a good one from the start. We really appreciate the church support we received.
 
After a short lunch, we headed south to Cullman, Alabama to be with the folks at Old Time Way Baptist Church. This was my first time to be in service with the folks at this church and my oh my what a time we had. I had battled throat issues all weekend and I was really worried that I would not make it through the evening service. However, this crowd of folks had come to worship and there is no doubt they were praying for us as we were ministering to them in song. Randy about killed me with song after song that stretched the limits for me but thank God I was able to make it through. It was one of those services where we hated to see it end. The alter was a busy place during this service, seeing souls saved and prayers answered is the reason that we go each week. I told the pastor (the real one) after the service that if I lived in Cullman, Alabama there is no doubt where I would be attending services each week. We could feel the warm spirit when we walked into the church to set up 2 hours before the service was to begin. We felt it again during our sound check, the drive to Atlanta after the singing was much shorter after the service. On Monday morning, I opened my email inbox to start my work week. It was a blessing to have an email from "Doug" who was typing it at midnight on Sunday as I was driving back to Atlanta. He was letting me know he was praying for us already. We greatly appreciate all the prayers for us as we are on the road each week. We look forward to seeing you at a singing in the near future. May God Bless you this week!
 
Dan Adkins
 
January 25, 2010
This was the fourth Saturday night which means we were singing at B&J Family Restaurant in Huntsville. This was the first date that I have missed since joining the group. I suffer from Minears, which has been under control by medication for some time now but once in a while I have an episode that wipes me out for a day or two. Thank God for Mark Carlisle! Mark gladly filled in and did a great job as usual. I thank God for great friends like Mark that will give up his time to help us out. We had a good crowd and the fine folks at B&J found themselves swamped in the kitchen which is always a good problem to have. This Old House was the hit of the night, Doyle does a great job on this song and after giving Mark the crash course it went over great.
 
Please pray for my Mother in Law, Dranda Haley of Chattanooga, TN. She is currently in the hospital for test and doctors can't treat her until her fever and infection levels are lowered. We are all praying that the "Mass" found will turn out to be benign. We are looking forward to singing in Scottsboro, AL next Sunday morning at Light House Ministries on Apple Tree Street on Sunday morning before heading to Cullman, AL for the evening service. Keep us in your prayers this week that God will use us to minister and send blessings to his people in Alabama this weekend.
 
Dan
 
January 18, 2010
The Quartet had a super busy week for the weekend of January 16, 2010. We started our weekend on Saturday night in the pouring rain at Life Church International in Huntsville, AL at a benefit for Jerry Holman, baritone singer for the Joymen Quartet. We were also joined by the Gardiners, Rhyme and Reason, The Joymen Quartet, Alliance Quartet and Image. What an evening it was as we all sang to a near capacity crowd that had come to hear some good Southern Gospel singing and to support a worthy cause. The Joymen were missing bass singer Mark McLain due to surgery and being on doctors orders to remain in bed. Jerry Holman was in great voice and sang a number of crowd favorites. The benefit raised several thousand dollars to help with the expenses the Holman family has incurred. Millie Bonham put on a great event as usual and all that attended left having been blessed.
 
Sunday morning we were off to an early start as we were to sing at the Lakeside Assembly of God in Scottsboro. HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU HOW MUCH FUN IT IS TO UNLOAD A BUS LOAD OF EQUIPMENT IN THE RAIN? However, the spirits were not dampened by the rain and we sang for more than an hour to a packed house of family and friends that we had not seen in a long time. Being that we were in Scottsboro, I was able to have lunch with my Mom and Dad who had joined us along with many members of the Adkins extended family as well as the Whitten family.
 
We finished out the weekend with an evening service at Poplar Springs Baptist Church in Bryant, AL. We had good attendance at all three services this weekend and were made to feel at home in each service. We left the mountain, but our spirits remained on the mountain top thankful for the many blessings we had received and witnessed over the weekend.
 
Keep us in your prayers this week and pray for warmer weather. We are still without generator power on the bus so warmer weather makes it much more comfortable on the road.
 
January 11, 2010
We have officially kicked off 2010. We braved the cold and the snow on Saturday to help out in a benefit at Giles County High School in Pulaski, TN for Chris DeMarco.  Chris is battling a rare form of Leukemia but was able to attend the entire event.  The event had the Gardeners from Huntland, TN opening and for those that haven't heard this trio sing, you need to hear them.  They are a family group that will surely bless you. We also had the pleasure to once again sing with The Servants, from Huntsville, AL.  They were very good and were such fun to sing with and fellowship before and after the concert.  It was great seeing folks brave the cold and snow for such a good cause.  As the evening drew to a close, Chris DeMarco came to the stage to thank everyone for attending on his behalf.  As he finished speaking, all three groups sang a moving rendition of "He Touched Me" choir style and then closed out the evening with "Heaven's Jubilee."  Be sure to check out our schedule and come join us when you can.
 
January 7, 2010
The Unity Quartet finished off 2009 at the Little Mountain Resort.  For the first time in a number of years the quartet did not do a New Year's Eve service.  The last function of the year for us was our December 18, 2009.  We had a Christmas dinner with our wives at Provino's Italian Restaurant.  The guys all agreed to meet in Chattanooga as it would be closer to Atlanta and require a little less driving for the Adkins.  As luck would have it, there were EIGHT, yes, eight accidents between Bethlehem and Chattanooga.  It took us 5 hours to get to Provino's.  By the time we arrived, everyone was thinking they were rabbits as they had had salads for 90 minutes while they waited on us.  We walked in to a round of applause from the quartet table.  We really enjoyed having all the wives with us for a nice dinner.  We were able to reflect on all the great people we have got to know through our ministry.  We then took the next two weeks off to allow each of the guys to spend time with their families and to rest up for what will surely be a busy 2010.
 
As we start our 2010 dates this Saturday at Pulaski High School in Huntsville we ask that you will keep the quartet in your prayers.  Our generator on the bus has gone down and were told it will cost us $2,500 to repair.  We will be traveling without the generator power on the bus which limits the heat output.  We will all be praying that God will help us financially so that we can get back up and running full speed.  We hope to be seeing you all soon.  God Bless!
 
December 13, 2009
Unity had a rare Friday night concert and what an evening it was.  We sang at the Spirit of the Season 15th Annual Christmas Concert at the College Park Church of God in Huntsville, AL.  We were one of about 18 groups/soloist to perform during the evening.  Millie Bonham outdid herself putting together such an assembly of great Southern Gospel Music.  Wayne Chastain was the master of ceremonies and did a great job of keeping the program on time.  The choir was made up of all the groups and what a great sound there was as we sang some of the hymns of the Christmas and a few standards such as Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, Away in a Manger, Joy to the World, How Great thou Art, The King is Coming, There's Something about that Name among others. Each group had a song that they performed for the packed house.  The Unity Quartet chose to do "Farther Along" acapella, the choir and the congregation helped us sing a moving rendition of this old standard.  The entire evening was a fundraiser for the Downtown Rescue Mission in Huntsville.  We pray that God will continue to bless the efforts and that each of the people represented at this shelter will be blessed and prosper.
 
On Saturday evening, we did our last concert of 2009.  We were at the Little Mountain Resort in Langston, AL.  The weather was pretty nasty and a number of regulars had gone south or home for the Christmas holiday.  Though the crowd was not nearly as large as we have had in the past, the spirit of the Lord was present to bless each and every person that made the trip.  James and Darlene live at this resort and do a lot of work within the church there.  I was blessed to have a good number of my family members present and even had my mother join us on stage to finish up "For God So Loved".  The members of the resort put on a great dinner prior to the singing and we all ate as much as we could possibly eat.  We look forward to our next trip there as the folks are always so great to sing to.
 
As we wrap up 2009, we want to thank each and every person that has put forth an effort to come and hear us during this year.  As the newbies, James and I are so excited to be a part of the group.  We are blessed to stand beside Doyle and Randy and deliver southern gospel music to you.  We work hard to bring good harmony to your ears and am so thankful for the harmony we enjoy as a group where we love one another and are all working together for one reason.  We are not here to entertain you, were here to minister to your heart and soul.
 
I do not want to close without thanking our families, wives, children, parents and extended family for all the love and support we get from them.  We spend countless hours practicing on songs, learning new ones and traveling to churches to bring you God's word through song.  This would not be possible without the understanding of our families.  So, as 2010 is just around the corner, please keep us in your prayers that we will be safe in our travels and that God will use us to touch lives along the way.
 
Merry Christmas
Doyle McLain, Randy Whitten, James Brown and Dan Adkins
 
December 6, 2009
For the first time in a month, the quartet only had one date booked.  We sang at God's Way Ministries in Arab, AL on December 5th.  We had a start time of 7:00 PM and were concerned that we were going to have a light turnout because of the Alabama/Florida SEC Championship game. Alabama sealed the victory by about 6:30 PM and the church began to fill up.  By start time we had a good crowd.  This church wasted no time as they began to worship as soon as the service started.  To the surprise of James, we debuted a new song.  "Look for me at Jesus feet" an old Squire Parsons song.  James did a great job and delivered a great blessing to all.  For the fourth consecutive singing we also had the privilege of seeing multiple people come to the alter for prayer.  We always get a blessing seeing songs touch people and them heed the calling of the Lord to repent or to pray for needs in their lives.  Please join us this week as we will be singing in the Spirit of the Season Christmas Concert in Huntsville, AL.  We hope to see you all there or over in Langston at the Little Mountain Resort on Saturday as we do our last concert of 2009. May God bless you and may your week be filled with JOY!
 
November 30, 2009
The Unity Quartet returned to home base during the early morning hours on Monday.  Our latest journey took us to Lexington, Tennessee for a concert on Sunday night.  Our weekend began at B&J Restaurant in Huntsville, AL on Saturday evening.  We were pleased that the Alabama/Auburn game had been played on Friday so as not to keep the football fans at home in front of the TV.  We had a great turnout on Saturday as Jeff McLain brought a number of his motorcycle club members (Hell Fighters) to dinner and singing in addition to a lot of our fans from around the area.  Another treat for the fans was Mark Carlisle bringing some of his new quartet members and joining us to sing a few songs.  This was my third trip to B&J and confirmed that this just may be the best Catfish in the South!  We had a sweet fan bring us a scratch made coconut cake.  It barely made it out of the parking lot before we were passing it around the bus.  By the time we got back to Alabama the cake had been devoured.  After we packed up at B&J we headed out on our journey to Lexington, TN and the Second Baptist Church.  We arrived early and had time to have lunch at a local pizza restaurant (Sharky's) before heading over to do a sound check.  We had a good crowd at the Second Baptist Church and were right at home.  I have battled a sore throat and cold the entire week and was just starting to clear up.  We started out the program by featuring Doyle McLain on 9 of
our first 10 songs.  As usual, Doyle did a great job.  New Unity Song "This
Old House" has quickly become a fan favorite and was well received.  Randy did "Hello Mama" for the first time to this church and it was great seeing so many that were touched by this song.  James was in great voice and made a lot of folks evening with "Damascus Road" during the program. We did "Farther Along" a cappella for the first time and the crowd let us know how much they liked this song.  Randy stayed awake and allowed the rest of us to catch a nap on the way back to Alabama.  I arrived in Atlanta at 6:30 AM, just in time to go to work.  The weekend was a blessing to us as we made a lot of new friends and gave thanks for all of our friends during Thanksgiving week.
 
November 22, 2009
The group traveled to Atlanta this weekend, we had concerts at the Braselton Tabernacle of Praise, Center Union Baptist Church and at New Hope Baptist in Lilburn, GA.  Randy had a heavy heart as he lost his first cousin, Jeff Whitten suddenly during the week.  We introduced a new song this weekend, "Supper Time", an old George Younce standard. Doyle was blessed and many were blessed through his delivery of this beautiful old song.  We also welcomed my wife, Kathy as she heard us for the first time and attended all three dates with us this weekend.  One of our daughters, Kristen also joined us on Sunday.  We had good crowds this weekend and God moved in every service to bless both the singers and the congregation.  We saw people make their way to the Altar in two of the three services, this is the reason the Unity Quartet continues to sing.  On Sunday night after we finished singing, I had a young man come to me and let me know that he really enjoyed our singing.  He was about 12 years old, he shared with me that his parents do not attend church. He had sat on the front row and was so attentive during the program.  I offered him encouragement so that he can be a light in his house and may be able to lead his parents to Christ through his actions. It is very refreshing to see a young man with faith in church on a rainy Sunday night.  Speaking of rainy Sunday night, as we boarded the bus to leave the church we had decided to stop over for some dinner.  James and his wife, Darlene had driven over as he had family in the area.  James gave us all some late night entertainment as he backed his car into a ditch upon getting ready to leave the church.  Thankfully, Skip Smith was there with a four wheel drive to pull them out.  No damage was done to the car but James can rest assured that this will be talked about for years to come.
 
November 15, 2009
We traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend.  This was my first trip to Knoxville to sing in about 13 years.  It was great going to some of the same churches we have been singing at for years.  This is almost like a homecoming.  Speaking of homecomings, we do the homecoming at Pastor Jim Kitts church (Vestal Baptist) where we had such great food. One really nice lady, knowing that I love Chicken and Dumplings came to
our Sunday evening service with a gallon bucket of dumplings for the quartet to enjoy on our way home.  I must confess, I did not share with anyone.  Those dumplings barely made it to my home in Atlanta before my family made short work of them.  I am working to get better at sharing!  We started our weekend at the Victory House of Faith in Knoxville.  God moved early and often and we once again saw people in the altar asking God to fix things that were wrong in their lives.  Our weekend was completed on Sunday evening at the Church of Jesus Christ.  It was such a blessing seeing many of our Knoxville fans attend all three services over two days.  We are so blessed to have folks that come out and support us in this manner.  We introduced a new song in Knoxville, "This Old House" was a huge hit for Doyle.  James does a moving version of "When the Saints go Marching in" during the final chorus of this song.  This song really fits Doyle, being the senior member of the group, we sometime give him a lot of ribbing over his "Old House" being his fleshly body.  He talks of his Windows (eyes) getting dim, Hinges (joints) need oiling, his floor (feet) getting tired...We have had to remind him that his Shingles (Hair) has also fallen off.  We have a great time kidding with Doyle but in all seriousness, he is such a talented bass singer and has a way of delivering a song that touches hearts each and every time.  I am so thankful to be a part of this group and to be serving along side men of character.  Keep us in your prayers as we continue to travel and spread the good news through song and testimony.