Reese Family to perform at First Assembly Aug. 23

The family of Ross and Eunice Reese will host a "Reese Family Singing" on Saturday, August 23, at 7 p.m. at First Assembly of God. Pictured at the couple's 60th wedding anniversary are Mr. and Mrs. Reese, both of whom are now deceased, and 13 of their 14 children. They are: (front row, l-r) Dotsy Edmunds, Marietta Stone, Mr. Reese, Mrs. Reese, Shearell Scott, Eugenia Enlow, (back row) Emily Leckie, Barbara LeRoy, Doug Reese, Eddie Reese, Jack Reese, L.M. Reese (deceased), Russell Reese, Myra Griffith, and Carol Cox. The family of Ross and Eunice Reese will host a "Reese Family Singing" on Saturday, August 23, at 7 p.m. at First Assembly of God on the Thomson Highway.

The program will feature a 40-voice choir, soloists, various vocal ensembles, and instrumentalists — all from the same family!

The choral numbers include "When the Savior Reached Down His Hand for Me," "Blessed Assurance," "Since Jesus Passed By," "He Touched Me," "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone," and "Through the Fire."

Among the groups and individual scheduled to appear are the Jack Reese Trio; the Snider Family; the Cox Trio; Jimmy Griffith; Penny Baggott and sons, Brandon and Blake; Steve and Jackie Pruitt; Cecelia Johnson and her daughter, Emily.

The Reese Family, which has long been recognized for its talented singers and instrumentalists, is one of the largest families in Lincoln County.

The story began when 18-year-old Charlie Ross Reese met Eunice Eugenia Haynes. Although Miss Haynes was only 12 years old at the time, Mr. Reese knew that he would one day marry her, and that he did. Six years later, on November 21, 1931, Eunice Haynes because Mrs. Ross Reese.

The Reeses both became Christians in 1949 and were faithful members of Martin's Crossroads Congregational Holiness Church throughout their lives.

Although the two were small in stature, they were affectionately called "Big Mama" and "Big Daddy" by their family.

The couple had celebrated 67 years of marriage when Mr. Reese died on April 25, 1999, at the age of 92. Mrs. Reese passed away a little over a year later on June 2, 2000. She was 87.

Both of the Reeses were exceptional examples of what it means to be a Christian.

They taught their children the importance of family, sacrificing oneself for others, and of serving God, using the talents He has given you. As the result of the example set by Mr. and Mrs. Reese, many of their family members are now involved in church ministries throughout Georgia and the Carolinas.

A year after Mr. Reese's death, his children wrote, "He was the most loving man we had ever known. He loved everyone — no matter who you were. He loved you as soon as he met you, but his greatest love was for Jesus.

"Daddy loved to tell people about Jesus and about the difference He had made in his life. Even in the hospital during his final days, Daddy continued to share with the doctors and the nurses about Jesus.

"A few months prior to his death, one of us asked Daddy if there was something he regretted not having experienced, like meeting a famous person or riding in an airplane. Daddy said, 'My only regret in life is that I didn't accept Jesus earlier. I was a Christian for 50 years; I wish I would have served Him longer.'"

By hosting the Reese Family Singing, the children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren of the couple hope to continue Mr. and Mrs. Reese's legacy of spreading God's love to others.

In all, 14 children were born to the Reeses. They are Russell Reese; Jerry Reese, who passed away as an infant; Dotsy R. Edmunds; Marietta R. Stone; Myra R. Griffith; Emily R. Leckie; Doug Reese; Eugenia R. Enlow; Barbara R. LeRoy; Jack Reese; Rev. L.M. Reese, a missionary to Brazil, who died in a plane crash in 1995 at the age of 46; Carol R. Cox; Eddie Reese; and Shearell R. Scott.

The family has now grown to include 37 grandchildren, 61 greatgrandchildren, and eight great-great grandchildren.

The Reese Family would like to invite everyone to First Assembly on August 23 for an evening of music, fellowship, and inspiration.

There is no admission charge.