the small group exchange August 11, 2008

If you lead a small group, you’ll definitely want to check out www.smallgroupexchange.com. They feature articles and products that will prove to be really awesome for any small group. I’ve written one article for them and hope to write more, but that shouldn’t deter you from visiting their site. 😉

help a victim of domestic violence August 4, 2008

This is a note that just came through my email this morning. Please take a look and consider helping this family.

Hi everyone, this is Brad, this message is not a forward, but I sincerely hope it becomes one because there is a huge opportunity to make a difference in a friend’s life… so please be encouraged to send this to everyone you know…

On Tuesday June 17th, 2008 around 11 AM, a man entered the Tip Top Hair Salon on Lebanon Rd in Hermitage, TN and fired 5 shots from a .22 caliber pistol into the body of a 24 year old stylist and mother of two as she pleaded for her life. Then, after ignoring her cries for mercy and believing his mission to kill her had been accomplished, the gunman turned the pistol on himself and ended his own life.

Alicia Garcia had been working at Tip Top for about 6 months as a stylist. My stylist, Nancy, works in the chair right next to her. Fortunately Nancy was off that day. Since Nancy and Alicia were friends and worked so closely together, I got to know Alicia a little bit. Every few weeks when I would get my hair cut, we would all catch up on life through the typical casual salon chit-chat.

The last time I went in was about 1 week before the incident. I noticed Alicia was not working that day and when I asked, Nancy let me know that she was off because she was getting an ‘order of protection’ against her husband. One week later we found out how badly she needed it.

Alicia miraculously survived the gunshot wounds…despite getting hit in the chest and neck. She was in critical condition for a few days but has since been released and is making an amazing recovery. However being a self employed stylist, she has no insurance for herself or her two young sons.

Here is how we can help…
A few years ago I wrote a song with my friend Jamie Prosser and my brother Matt Reynolds called ‘The Diary’. This song is based on a woman who is trapped in an abusive relationship and it is written as though the woman’s diary is telling the story. Alicia’s incident brings this very real issue close to home and gives this song renewed meaning as an important reminder regarding the dangers of domestic violence in our society.

In an effort to help raise some funds for Alicia Garcia and her kids, I spoke with some very talented friends in the music industry about a week after the incident. They didn’t ask for any money or any recognition. Together we have made a fully produced recording of ‘The Diary’. The song is now posted on my Indieheaven page and is available for download.
Downloads are $3 and are available here http://www.indieheaven.com/artists/bradreynolds .

Every dime earned from the digital downloads of ‘The Diary’ will be donated to The Alicia Garcia & Children’s Trust Fund sponsored by Pinnacle Bank in TN. If you would like to donate directly to Pinnacle Bank for The Alicia Garcia & Children’s Trust Fund, donations can be made in person at any Middle TN Pinnacle Bank location or sent via US postal service, there is currently no online access to do this. To find a location visit http://www.pnfp.com/about_pinnacle/locations/default.aspx .

If you wish to mail a check directly to Pinnacle Bank please send it to the following address:

Pinnacle Bank
211 Commerce St
Suite 300
Nashville, TN 37201

Make checks payable to ‘The Alicia Garcia and Children’s Trust Fund’

Please help me get the word out and let’s raise enough money for Alicia and her 2 sons to ‘start a new page’ in their lives. Once enough money has been raised to help the family get back on their feet, any additional funds will be given to a reputable organization (to be named later) that supports victims of domestic violence.

I would ask that you also pray for the family of Chris Garcia, the husband. Even though his actions were dreadful, there are still family members, including his two sons, that lost someone they loved very much.

Here are a couple of the news links related to the story…
http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=8512971
http://www.wsmv.com/news/16631536/detail.html?rss=nash&psp=news
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?ID=/20080728/NEWS01/807280345/1001/RSS01

Blessings,
Brad Reynolds