Published: October 08, 2009 03:20 pm      

Carter CME Church prepares for annual event

DANVILLE — In 1975, Carter Metropolitan Church member Genevieve March started a mammoth tea and concert as a means to bring people together to enjoy good food, good music and Christian fellowship.

March envisioned “an evening of elegance and excellence” the entire community could attend. Now 34 years later, March’s mammoth vision remains alive and continues to grow.

On Sunday, the Carter Metropolitan Christian Methodist Episcopal Church will host its annual mammoth tea at the Beef House Banquet Center in Covington, Ind.

The event will be open to the public and will be 4-6 p.m. CDT. Donations of $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger will be collected for the event. Beverages and hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening.

Tickets may be purchased at the church, 448 E. Williams St., or at the banquet center on Sunday. This is the second year the event will be at the Beef House.

Mammoth tea committee member Melvina Shaw has helped organize the event for the past 25 years.

“Mammoth means large, and that’s what it is,” Shaw said. “It’s a large affair.”

Shaw said she expects about 500 people to attend. People dress up and wear big hats, she added, but formal attire is not required.

Renowned gospel singer Ruby L. Bishop will be the featured entertainer for the evening. Singing since the age of 7, Bishop’s songs of praise and encouragement embody the spirit of the fellowship.

She will be accompanied by the church band, Oikoumene, which means “household of God.” The band is comprised of a trio of church members, one of whom happens to be church minister Rev. Roland Brown. Brett Dupree on piano, Brown on bass guitar and Sidney Thomas on drums fuse their talents to produce what chairperson Carmen Pittman refers to as “gospel jazz.”

Pittman has been involved in planning the Christian social gathering for the last two years. The tea is a unique cultural experience Pittman said.

“Not only is it in an evening of elegance, but there is a spiritual fellowship that goes throughout the room,” she said. “It is an experience that you have to experience. You just have to be there.”