GUYTON — Joyful, harmonic noises will emanate from Countryside Baptist Church on Feb. 24.
The Nelons, members of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, are set to perform at the church at 1201 Noel Conway Road at 5 p.m.
There will be powerful noises echoing from the church, too. The event, sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Pooler, is a benefit for the Treutlen House, a community-based ecumenical ministry for young men and boys who have been estranged from their families due to neglect, abuse and/or abandonment.
“Usually, a couple of boys who have been helped will get up and speak during intermission and tell what the Treutlen House has meant to them and what would have happened to them without it,” concert and Treutlen House supporter Bobby Smith said.
The Nelons have performed at the annual Treutlen House benefit, thanks to Chick-fil-A, for a decade.
“They are one of the top gospel groups in the nation,” Smith said.
Featuring Jason Clark, Kelly Nelon, Autumn Clark and Amber Nelon Thompson, the group has received three Grammy nominations and claimed six Dove Awards. Many of their songs have soared to the top of national radio charts.
Renowned for their tight harmony, the Nelons embrace their 30-year legacy while bridging the generation gap. Kelly Nelon Clark’s father was Rex Nelon, who was one of the senior statesmen of Southern Gospel.
The Nelons’ tour schedule includes 150 concerts annually. They recently toured Scandinavia.
The group is also a regular on the famed “Gaither Homecoming” video series.
“I went to the (Treutlen House) concert last year and it is a great show,” said Brooks Mikell, Pooler Chick-fil-A’s marketing director.
Last year, the Nelons ate lunch at the Pooler Chick-fil-A before the concert and enterained customers by singing a few songs.
Mikell said Chick-fil-A is proud to be a supporter of the Treutlen House.
“We think it is a very important organization for this area,” she said. “Every year, we not only do this but we also collect Christmas gifts for the boys. We think it is a really important cause to give them a lot of opportunities that they wouldn’t normally have.
“It’s a great way to provide for a need.”
Smith is grateful for Chick-fil-A’s support, which occasionally includes providing food for Treutlen House residents.
“They are always helping the Treutlen House and other people, too, of course,” Smith said. “I think they kind of have a bond with the Treutlen House.”
One hundred percent of the proceeds from a love offering during the concert will go to the Treutlen House.
