Need a Caribbean Getaway?

We have been privileged to be a part of many Christian cruises, but there is only ONE all Christian cruise we go on every year – The Singing at Sea!  As a full charter, this cruise is unique because all the bars and casinos are closed during the trip and every stage on the ship is filled with Gospel Music, preaching and Christian comedy.  We act as host to everyone who registers with us – which means we spoil our folks with a special gift, a private concert and evening meals together in the dining room!   

Though we always have a lot of fun on the ship, our ports of call in Cozumel and Grand Cayman are the highlights of the trip!  In this tropical part of the world you can see and experience things most people only see on TV.  Through Carnival’s shore excursions you can walk into the ancient history of the Mayan people by visiting the Mayan Ruins of Tulum and see the world’s second largest barrier reef by escaping 100 feet under water in a mini submarine when you stop in Cozumel.  Your eyes can rest on the site where Prince William of England shipwrecked in 1794 and was rescued by the good islanders of Grand Cayman, knowing all the while, that the ground you walk on was once trod by Christopher Columbus when he first discovered the island in 1503.  

We would love to be your host February 15-20, 2016 on this outstanding getaway to the Caribbean!  Have children?  Don’t worry!  Kids 15 years and younger sail free!*  To learn more about the Singing at Sea Cruise with MTQ, visit our Cruise Page on our website HERE. 

    

*Available when child rooms with two paying adults.  Port charges and gratuities may apply.  See “Pricing” for more info.         

A Day In Gatlinburg

Last Friday, we were privileged to be a part of the Gatlinburg Gathering in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  This annual event hosted by Abraham Productions offers a week of Gospel Music, preaching and worship at the Convention Center in downtown Gatlinburg.  Our bus rolled into this cozy town hemmed in by lush mountains in time to take part in the morning showcase.  Though we were only there one day, we had two awesome times of worship!    

In the morning, we joined folks like Ivan Parker, The Whisnants, Karen Peck & New River, Tribute, Talleys, Greater Vision and the live band for the Hymn Sing Showcase.  Gerald Wolfe led the morning, taking your favorite hymns from the Red Back Hymnal and mixing them with the voices on stage!  Towards the end of the service, Mark shared a brief sermon from 2 Chronicles 7:14 titled Calling on God.   

After the hymn sing, we had lunch at Mark’s favorite restaurant in Gatlinburg with Greater Vision and the Whisnants, bringing the number to a grand total of 18!  Kudos to Calhoun’s for setting several tables together to accommodate our bunch.  Great service!       

Evenings at the Gatlinburg Gathering are always our favorite because we get to share the stage with our friends and hear the Word preached from one of our favorite pastors.  On the second half, everyone gathered on stage where Gerald put together some interesting combinations!  Randy sang with Susan Whisnant, Rodney Griffin and Jeff Whisnant on “The Lighthouse” and Mark sang “What a Day That Will Be” with Chris Allman and Jeff Whisnant.  You can see all of this and more in our photo album from the Gatlinburg Gathering – HERE!

If you were not able to be with us to experience this blessed evening, you still have one more chance to make it happen this year!  Abraham Productions has expanded their events to include a Harvest Homecoming this fall.  We are honored to be a part of this inaugural weekend in Circleville, Ohio and we hope that you can come be with us on October 8^th to help Abraham Productions kick off their new event!  For more info: click here. 

“If you decided not to speak to your spouse for the next five days and nothing they did could elicit a response from you; at the end of that five days you’re going to have to give some answers for your action, are you not?  Then why wouldn’t God be the same way?  Don’t you think He would say, ‘Where you been?  I’ve been right here, where have you been?  All of the sudden you have an emergency…really?’

But out of unconditional love and the abundance of grace, He doesn’t do that!  When we pray to God and we’ve not been close to Him lately, out of the abundance of His overwhelming grace to us, whatever we take to Him, He says, ‘Come here son.  Listen, you let Me have this,’ and He draws me close to Him.”
- Mark Trammell from Calling on God 

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” -  2 Chronicles 7:14       

Blake Buffin Named As New Tenor For Mark Trammell Quartet!

Southside, Alabama  -  Today, after weeks of prayer and searching, The Mark Trammell Quartet announces that twenty six year old Blake Buffin from Stow, Ohio has been selected as the man to fill the tenor slot.  Mark states, "We have genuinely sought the Lord and His direction about this transition and the man to fill this position.  We are thrilled with the opportunity to have Blake join our team. The fans have already embraced him, his spirit, his kind heart, and his powerful voice. No greater way to celebrate my 41st anniversary of singing than to welcome this young man and his family to the MTQ family.  He and his precious new bride Lauren will be moving from Stow, Ohio to the Gadsden, Alabama area in the next few weeks.  Please be in prayer for this wonderful couple as God begins a new chapter in both their lives, and ours."  Please join Randy, Nick, Mark, and Thom as they welcome Blake to the MTQ bus and their fans and friends across the country.  Be watching for a new MTQ recording in the next few weeks!!

Alaska Photo Album is Here!

You’ve heard about our adventures in Alaska and now, you can see them with your own eyes.  We are excited to announce that our photo album from the In Touch Alaska Cruise has been published TODAY!  Visit our Facebook page HERE to see fjords, seals, waterfalls, rainforests and much, much more.  Feel free to share these photos with your friends and let us know what your favorite is! 

Bears and Marshmallows

When you see pictures of bears in Alaska, they usually are standing in a sparkling stream with lush mountains behind them and a salmon in their mouth.  But we learned something very interesting about the bears around the Salmon Bake when we were in Juneau last week on the In Touch Alaska cruise…they like marshmallows too!   

 

The Salmon Bake in Juneau is our all-time favorite excursion.  We do it every year we go.  The Salmon Bake is set up outdoors and would remind you of a big summer picnic.  Red and white checker table cloths cover picnic tables, the grills and buffet lines are set up under tents and off to the side a fire pit sizzles so folks can roast marshmallows for dessert.  After we had eaten, roasted our share of marshmallows and sat around the tables talking, a big ole brown bear trotted right up to the fire and went after the marshmallows!  

Even the best cooked salmon is only second to dessert, eh?  ;-)    

We had an amazing week on board the ms Westerdam with Dr. Charles Stanley, Andy Stanley and many of our friends in Gospel Music on the In Touch Alaska cruise.  The trip was exceptional this year and we experienced Alaska wildlife up close and personal!  The Inside Passage is one of our favorite trips and we had a wonderful time singing, meeting new people and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation all around us.  Keep an eye on our Facebook page, our photo album from the cruise is coming soon.  If you want to hear more about our adventures in Alaska, make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter – another edition is in the works!  If you would like to sign up - click HERE!