DAVENPORT - The Jennifer Sergeant Band, DOXA, Jubilant Jazz, Dave and Carrie Meumann and Rich Roberts are all Christian artists who use their musical talent to translate the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the language of rock, jazz, and folk music for pop culture, youth, and the baby boomers.

When the local Christian music radio station, 93.5 FM, went off the air in the early '90's, Christian music suffered the loss of an outlet for its music in the area and diminished the number of opportunities for Christian musicians to perform at local events.

"It takes radio to promote music and musical events," said Timm Dalman, who founded New Anthem Artists to try to help local Christian artists further their mission.

The soft spoken Mr. Dalman is energetic about his mission to bring Christian music to the Quad Cities area and to provide a market for local artists.

New Anthem Artists is a Christian artists fellowship that is ministry-oriented and exists to improve the quality and effectiveness of Christian arts throughout the region. It exists to empower ministry and evangelism by working with event sponsors in helping them and their events to have more impact.

New Anthem also aids artists in attaining performance opportunities as well as professionalism in their crafts, according to Mr. Dalman.

The Jennifer Sergeant Band

The son of a minister, Mr. Dalman has experience as a performer playing guitar and keyboards. He has toured coast to coast for five years with Christian performance groups as a musician, arranger, dramatic performer and writer. He's performed in more than 100 churches across the United States and Canada and also worked as a musician playing in bar bands in the South Dakota and northwest Iowa region.

He calls his time in the bars "an empty existence." He reclaimed his Christianity and is happy now that he "has the opportunity to do the same type of work with the potential for eternal benefit."

Last year he produced and funded such events as The Jennifer Sergeant Band returning to the Mark for their second Quad City Thunder Night for Christ, a festival concert at the A.C.T.S. Festival in Geneseo, a Crisis Pregnancy Center Walkathon benefit concert, as well as a benefit concert for a Lancaster, Wisconsin leukemia victim and other benefit concerts.

New Anthem Artists can also help with any event - from the single church, individual, or charity benefit to municipal or auditorium productions. In addition to promoting the fellowship of artists they represent, New Anthem also refers many other Christian artists and ministries throughout the region to potential concert sponsors.

Through New Anthem Artists, Mr. Dalman has donated everything from community mailers and posters to television and radio promotions and phone drives to benefit events. The expenses have been out-of-pocket and paid for by Mr. Dalman. Last year alone he spent $20,000.00 but credits his solid job at Commonwealth Edison for allowing him to fund these projects. He plans to file for non-profit status this year for the fellowship "after all these years of expenditures."

The New Anthem group is composed of Quad City Area artists. They are supportive and not competitive. They are helpful to each other and Christ-like in how they relate to each other.

"The artists work to help each other and it is really an awesome thing to see," Mr. Dalman said. "These are wonderfully talented people who feel led to share the Gospel in this way.

The groups associated with New Anthem Artists are:

The Jennifer Sergeant Band which features Jennifer Sergeant-Dalman, a performing artist from the Quad Cities area who focuses her talents in Christian service. Known in the Quad Cities area for her work in theater and opera, she has also appeared in area summer festivals, county fairs and television. The band features a cadre of professional Christian musicians from diverse backgrounds, all from the surrounding area including her husband Mr. Dalman, Daryl Solomon, Dave Meumann, and Shawn Driscoll. Their concerts feature primarily original songs in the contemporary Christian, pop rock variety.

DOXA is a four-member Christian rock group of area artists Shawn Anderson, Sean McCombs, Chad Doran, and Mike Bell. The group has had a ministry from Green Bay to St. Louis for more than 10 years. They have performed for Christian festivals, church concerts, benefit concerts, youth events and coffeehouses. They have recorded three albums: "DOXA," "Send Me," and their newest, "The Story of Our Lives." DOXA is Greek for "glory, honor, praise, and integrity," and their message is "Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords."

DOXA

Jubilant Jazz is directed by renowned area jazz pianist Tewanta Yerington, and the band is composed of musicians from a variety of area churches and church denominations. Their music is Christian jazz and Gospel with a little rock, country, and blues. The band features a variety of instruments including keyboards, bass, guitar, percussion, trombones, saxophones, and singers.

Dave and Carrie Meumann

Dave and Carrie Meumann are a husband and wife team who present inspirational music in today's popular contemporary Christian style. They perform keyboard-based rich ballads with a lot of variety. They have recorded their first album, "Black & White." Songs written and sung by Dave with Carrie singing backing vocals include "Power," "I'm Still Waiting," "It Was Jesus," "I'm Going Home," and "Black & White."

Rich Roberts, Jr. is a folk artist who sings original inspirational and Christian material. He is also the minister at First Baptist Church in Cambridge.

These music ministries are available for special events and can be reached by calling New Anthem Artists at (319) 359-7617 or (800) 497-1397 or e-mail: NewAnthem@aol.com. Their website address is www.newanthem.com

By Debera Schaubroeck

Correspondent

Saturday, March 21, 1998

Reprinted with permission.

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