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Groups come and go within this industry all the time. But there have been few that have come with as much fan fare and anticipation like Second Mile has. Consisting of powerhouse vocalist Buddy Mullins (Mullins, Sunday Drive, Gaither Vocal Band) and his wife Kerri, along with Donnie Henderson (Poet Voices, Greenes) and Channing Eleton (Poet Voices, Booth Brothers, Gold City), Second Mile is poised to make a tremendous mark on the music industry, as well as the Body of Christ as a whole. I recently had the opportunity to talk with them about their new group and their music and they shared with me some interesting insights into this new dream that God has instilled into each of their hearts and are eager to share it all with the world.

How did Second Mile come into being?

Buddy: I have thought about starting a group many times over the years, but for one reason or another, God wouldn't let it happen. To be honest, after disbanding Sunday Drive in 1999, I never thought that I would be a part of another group again. I felt that that era of my life was behind me for good. But then around June of this year (2005), God began to really deal with my heart about my ministry. I had sort of lost the passion and drive for it, and after a lot of prayer and an unforgettable conversation with my wife, we began to understand the dream that God was giving to us. During that same time my father, Roger Mullins, told me about a book that would change my life called "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson and we went that day and bought the book and it really helped focus ourselves on what God's call and purpose was for our lives.

To keep a long story short, during the very same week that all of this was happening, I received a phone call from Donny Henderson and during our conversation, he went on to explain that he and his wife Carisa had been praying about a new direction in their ministry as well. In less than a month we had answered God's call to do ministry together. We have seen God do such amazing things as he has moved us out of our comfort zones. Not long after that God sent Channing Eleton, which I believe made us an even stronger ministry. I can truly say that every person that is a part of this, is here by divine appointment.

Kerri: We have ministered together many times, so that part is not new to us. The decision to travel full-time together, however, is very new. We have two children, Victoria (9) and Olivia (5) and traveling has always just seemed impossible. As a matter of fact, when we first talked about this group, the children were a major concern.

I had been praying for Buddy's ministry for over a year. God revealed to me last September to quit my job and trust Him to provide for our family. It was a very hard decision for me to trust God completely with our finances. Through countless and precious signs from God, we felt that He was moving us to a new place. We had a lot of growing to do, especially me! We had to come to the place where we were willing to step out and pursue this new dream. As you know, the stepping out part is often tough, but God has a way of making us uncomfortable and restless where we are, until we finally get moving toward what He has for us. Step-by-Step, God began to lead us in this direction, and at the moment of total surrender to Him and seeking Him with our whole heart, God revealed to us this new dream for ministry, Second Mile.

So, how did you come up with the name "Second Mile?"

Kerri: We seemingly went through zillions of names. We came down to a few that sounded good to us and then, my mother-in-law reminded me of a sermon our former pastor at Glen Haven Baptist Church preached while we were visiting. He preached on going the "Second Mile." He talked of the slave in the Bible that was required to go one mile, but then he went the "Second Mile" as a servant for Christ. We want to serve and go the "Second Mile" for others. Paul said in I Thessalonians 2:8, "We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did." Our vision for Second Mile is that through our ministry, peoples lives will be healed, and that the altars will be filled with people who have come to receive Christ.

What is the group all about?

Buddy: In a word…Worship. We are not re-inventing the wheel here, we just desire to join hands with our brothers and sisters and lift up the name of Christ. We understand that God promised that if we would lift Him up, He would draw all men unto Him. That is our goal. We want every concert to be an encounter with God. I know for a lot of my years in music I have had a platform to do this and yet so many times I used it to lift up myself. I can truly say from experience that the payoff was hollow and short-lived. I am compelled, more now than ever, to draw attention to the crucified Christ. I want us to once and for all, stay out of the way and watch Him bring about an everlasting payoff in peoples lives. We are a part of that church that Jesus died for and we want to be about the Fathers business and to point others to His cross.

Channing: We want the people to worship God through what we do. We want their focus, as well as ours, to be on Jesus. It's not about talent. I truly believe that we are living in the last days and it's time to get down to business…and that business is Jesus.

For those trying to figure you guys out and pigeon hole you to a musical style, how would describe your music?

Buddy: We have been asked this question perhaps, more than any other. Oddly enough, it is still the one question that we don't have a good answer for. I think our music is best described as "vertical." For most of my life and career I have sung songs about Christ and his work. These songs are what I consider horizontal. I love songs like this and my life has been profoundly changed as a result of many of these great songs. When selecting songs for Second Mile we wanted to choose music and messages that would allow our audiences to join with us. As I said before, we want people to encounter God at our concerts. Our "vertical" approach will allow us to join in song with the body of Christ as we give him our worship and praise. We will leave the "style" questions to the professionals. We will be happy with wherever they choose to put us.

Is your goal to push your music to both SG and CCM audiences?

Channing: We hope to reach people in both. We have all spent the early part of our careers singing and playing Southern Gospel Music. We love it and hope to continue ministering to those fans. With Second Mile though, we will also be ministering in some less than traditional environments as well. Our goal is to reach people. We want to share His love with as many people as possible. We want to bring encouragement and hope to the body of Christ. We are not really concerned as much with "style" as we are "substance." We feel like we offer something that is right for today's church.

Now Second Mile is a partnership. How does that partnership work for you guys? What are the advantages of being as such? What are the duties of each partner?

Donny: I am proud to say that Second Mile is an equal partnership. Our organization is comprised of three families that have partnered together in ministry. I think the obvious advantage to this is that everyone is emotionally, spiritually, and financially invested. No one will ever work harder to build your business than you will. Our situation allows each family member to have an equal investment and an equal return. We love it this way and can't imagine doing it any other way.

As far as our duties go, Buddy and Channing basically lead the charge on the musical stuff. They are a great team in the studio and they take care of organizing all of our live music. Kerri oversees our Second Mile prayer team with the help of Carisa and Christina, and I try to handle the business side of our ministry.

Channing is an equal partner as well. How did that come about?

Donny: It would be hard to put it into words, but from the time we started talking to Channing, it was clear that he was to be a part of Second Mile. He has a passion for ministry and his musical gifts are unmatched. When Channing described the dream that God had given him, it was frighteningly similar to the dream that God had given to us. We knew that this was the place for him. We prayed for about for a month until we all felt sure that this was of God. Making him an equal partner was the easiest decision we have made thus far. His wife, Christina, and daughter, Chanler (3), fit right in with our families. Our bus is very loud and there are toys everywhere, and we love it!

Channing: I am just thrilled at what God is doing through Second Mile. We have already witnessed Him moving in so many ways. Things that used to be impossibilities are now realities. We are just excited about the future and can't wait to see what happens next!

Speaking of what's happening next, tell about your new recording coming out.

Donny: We are so excited about this first recording called "Vertical" which should be released sometime in March. We are also releasing a Collector's Edition CD later in January, which is a pre-release to "Vertical". Both of these projects are very special to us. The Collector's Edition is something that we really wanted to do. It contains four songs including an acoustic mix of one of the songs from the upcoming album. We were rehearsing one day not long ago and Buddy was playing his guitar, I was playing the piano and Channing picked up his accordion and joined in. We played and worshiped for about 20 minutes. It was a special moment and we decided to add that acoustic version of the song to our Collector's Edition CD. We pray that people will experience the same kind of worship when they listen to it. We also added some bonus features including an audio interview with Second Mile, desktop wallpapers, web links, and an exclusive downloadable poster.

We chose 14 original worship songs by some wonderful writers. Some of the highlights include "The Name", "Power and Glory", and "My Forgiveness." This album is also packed with tons bonus features as well. We also have included a welcome video from Second Mile, downloadable song lyrics, more desktop wallpapers, web links, and a spotlight video of Hope For The World Albania. Hope For The World is a great organization that provides food, clothes, and education to orphans in Albania. We love this organization and we try to tell everyone we can about their great work.

What else is up the road for the group?

Buddy: Well since this is all so new it wouldn't be wrong to say, anything and everything. We definitely have goals and visions for the future, while also being mindful that God has brought us this far. He began this work so we must stay focused on Him as He completes His purpose in us. God has been doing great things and I expect that He would even like to do greater things as we become even more willing and obedient.

Donny, will you and Buddy continue to do solo dates?

Donny: We will continue to do solo dates, though on a more limited scale.

Through the formation of Second Mile, what is the biggest lesson you have learned?

Kerri: We all have a God-Given dream. There are dreams of all shapes and sizes, but there is something in all of us that God has called us to do. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Don't be afraid. Find what God has for you, and give your life to it.

When the final chapter of Second Mile is written, what do you want to be remembered most for?

Buddy: I would love for Second Mile to be known as a group that was unafraid to be obscure or invisible. We would be honored to be remembered solely as a group that brought attention to the Giver of Life. The highest complement we could ever receive is that someone saw Christ in us and came to walk with Him as a result.

Tell something about Second Mile that not many people would know.

Buddy: We formed the group, named it, took photos, created a website, and started promoting before we had ever sung one note together! We had such a peace about this "new dream" it never occurred to us to sing a little first!

To find out more about Second Mile, their music and bookings, check out their website at http://www.secondmileonline.com

Reader Comments

I am so excited for all of you. Donny & Buddy have great voices & Channing ---- wow! I've known Channing now for several years & he's the best! I am anxious to hear what y'all sound like. Hopefully, you'll be in my neck-o-the-woods before long & I can come see you.

God is good all the time & all the time God is good. 

Elaine Harcourt

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