When I moved to Nashville there was some knowledge that country music resided here, but coming out of the Philadelphia area of New Jersey there wasn’t much country music in my background. So the run ins with an Alan Jackson, Brooks or Dunn (still not sure it was), and a few others I was told were country stars which was news to me has always been odd to me.

When starting work at Hendersonville First I got to know the Sterban family. Lauren was an older youth and had plugged into the theater happenings more than the youth group, but she was around a bunch & eventually came back as young adult to volunteer in ministry. Tori, the youngest started out in VBS with me. She always gave me this look of “really” and “I can’t believe I’m associating with you” which I always thought was cute. Many times I probably deserved those looks. Turns out their dad is Rich Sterban, the bass voice to the Oak Ridge Boys, who knew.. I certainly didn’t for the longest time.

Anyways, Donna, Rich’s wife, was super generous & invited us to the Christmas tour concert of the Oak Ridge Boys in Nashville. I still don’t know all the ORB’s songs, but I’m learning. A favorite moment was seeing the girls & some of the Sterban grandkids on stage at the end of ‘Thank God for Kids.’