Professional singer starts fresh with Georgia Worship Choir

Her situation isn’t what you might expect from someone who’s sung alongside top selling, world famous recording artists. Martie Rudd, a professional singer and musician, discovered Georgia Worship Choir in 2022 and despite hesitation, decided to give it a try. 

It’s been a complete game-changer. 

“I’ve played the piano since I was five and the flute since I was nine. And at one point, I was a concert rated pianist,” Martie said. “I also sang professionally in the late 80s and early 90s, traveling between Nashville, Atlanta, and New York.

“I sang with [several well-known male and female artists] and have done a gazillion commercials. And during that time, backup singers were not listed, so I sang for people whose albums I don’t even know I’m on.”

Immersing herself in the music industry presented high-pressure situations. But Martie thrived there.

“Back then, you'd walk in the door, they’d hand you the music, and you'd have three shots to get it right. And if you didn't get it right, there was somebody behind you who was going to,” she said. “It was very competitive – but I loved it. 

“It was great, for a time, and my experience there opened a lot of doors for me. I did musical theater for lots of years here in Atlanta, and I was used by almost every theater here to do auditions, because I can sight read on a dime.”

Martie’s natural musical abilities continued to present opportunities for her professionally. But one place the door was continually shut in her face? The church.

Martie and her husband Brian

“In the church world, I have not been very accepted in music groups,” she said. “Because most don’t have people with the background I have, I'm intimidating to a lot of people.

“‘Ostracized’ is a tough word, but I’ve definitely been ‘shut out’. I was asked to sing once in a while, but I wasn’t able to fully use my gifts. I really needed an outlet.”

For someone with a passion for singing and musical worship, that lack of opportunity weighed on Martie. But one day, she found out about Georgia Worship Choir, and everything changed. 

“I thought, ‘I don't know a soul in there, but I'm gonna go try it out.’ 

“I cried all the way home,” Martie said, “because, I thought, ‘They don't know me; they don't know my background. I'm just another singer.’ And it was the most heartwarming, soul fulfilling thing I've done in a long time.”

Martie’s musical abilities come naturally. But she chooses to spend time practicing to be the best she can be. Not because she needs the help, but because God is worth it to her.

“[My musical abilities] are God-given talents. Honestly, it’s not something I have to work hard for,” she said. “But I still rehearse. I believe that despite what I get applause for secularly, I need to give a lot more of myself in the Christian world. 

“If I'm getting applause for me, that's fine. But if I'm getting applause for God, I need to give so much more.”

Not only has Martie gotten to fully worship and give glory to God through Georgia Worship Choir, she’s also made friendships.

“Most of mine and my husband’s friends are 20 years younger than us, because people our age don't like to do anything,” she laughed. “But we can all learn from everybody we come in contact with. 

“Being a part of Georgia Worship Choir has opened up my whole realm of people, and not just in one denomination. I know people now that I would never have met, and it's given me the chance to express my talents to give glory to God, with a group of people.”

Not only did Martie sing her heart out as a choir member and soloist in the inaugural season of Georgia Worship Choir, she served on the Member Care Team, giving her the chance to show a little extra love to her fellow choir members.

Not only that, but at the beginning of 2023, Martie began serving as a board member, taking any opportunity to make an even bigger difference in the organization that has come to mean so much to her.

“Here, it doesn’t matter who you are; you're a member of a team. It doesn't matter what my background is, because I'm not there to draw attention to me. I'm there to draw attention to God,” she said.

Here’s Martie’s question to someone considering giving Georgia Worship Choir a try:

“What are you waiting for? If you don't like it, you can come three times and not come back. Just try it out!”

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Worth the wait: Lisa’s story

It can be hard to believe – when God shows you exactly what you’ve been looking for. That’s how it felt for Lisa Hendrix when she discovered a brand-new choir ministry meeting less than 15 minutes away from her home.

“I wanted to join a choir that had music to read from, time to sit with its music for longer than a week, and a real purpose to learn the music,” she said.

But with this desire having been left unmet for a long time, it almost appeared as if God had said “no” to Lisa’s dream.

“I’d begun to think God was finished using me in music, and my heart ached to minister through music again,” she said. “It was hard feeling like I was just sitting on the back burner, hearing ‘God’s not done with you’, and just waiting and trusting.

“Then one day, I saw an ad on Facebook that looked too good to be true.”

But it wasn’t too good to be true. Lisa joined 40 other singers for Georgia Worship Choir’s inaugural season, and from the soprano section, sang her heart out for the Lord.

And she knows it’s what she’d been waiting on.

“Georgia Worship Choir is what I’ve been looking for for the past 10 years,” Lisa said.

So why would Lisa encourage others to join GWC?

“The worship is first and foremost, and loving each other is key!” Lisa said. “Anyone could reap benefits from joining our supportive team.

“The experience has been so joy filled. My cup runneth over!”

Would you be interested in joining the Georgia Worship Choir or supporting the ministry with a financial gift? Check out our homepage for details.

How Susie Found Her Place in Georgia Worship Choir

From half the world away to a home away from home – Xiao Bai, known as Susie, found her place at Georgia Worship Choir after a long and winding journey.

“Thanks to the influence of my dad, God has been familiar to me since I was a kid,” Susie said. “Every Christmas, my parents brought me to the International Community Church for service and took turns waiting for hours in the whistling winter winds before the service started. The line outside the church would often extend several blocks, because people from all over the city came for the big service renowned for its beautiful Christmas carols.

“I also remember that when I played the piano every day for over eight years, I always saw the two statues my dad put on top of the piano,” she said. “One showed Christ and the words ‘Jesus is the Lord of my family’ and the other one showed a suit of armor with the verse, ‘be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.’”

Through the first Sino-American university ever to be approved in China – NYU Shanghai – Susie got the chance to change her life forever. After being accepted and eventually coming to study at the New York City campus, God began to work even more, both through good and challenging times. 

“From the very beginning of my journey, God provided and led. I found a loving student fellowship in Christ which I’d call my first ‘home away from home’,” she said. “This first time in the States created memories of much joy; the second taught me to lift up my eyes to God in loneliness and to wait in perseverance. 

After the outbreak of COVID – and my graduation from a painfully overloaded master program in May 2020 – I was caught completely unprepared in the freezing job market of deadly silence after many job applications, as an international student on temporary Visa with no previous full-time work experience.

For eight months, Susie – without friends, family, or any sort of support system nearby – weathered many difficult days, with the stress weighing heavily on her mentally, emotionally, and physically.

“Amid confusion, desperation and dread, I couldn’t help questioning and even complaining to God, ‘Why me?’,” she said. “‘Why this cup at this time? Is this really the ending after my years of dreaming?’ But God said to me ‘Stay calm. I will get you through this.’”

As a music lover since childhood, the only way Susie saw out of her anguish was to sing.

“I felt God’s invisible hug through the timeless truths of my favorite hymns,” Susie said. “And over time, I realized that God hadn’t turned His face from me but I’d actually stayed away from Him sometimes, lingering in pride, self-fulfillment, and self-dependence.

“Through the biggest chaos and identity crisis I’d ever known, I saw He’d not given up on me, His child.”

Finally, in February 2021, God blessed Susie with a job – and her story keeps getting better. 

“This February, I made the most important decision of my life and got baptized at Peachtree Baptist Church,” she said. “I’ve become involved in the church since then and started serving instead of merely being served myself. 

“I also heard a whisper in my ear that nudged me to pick up playing music and singing again, but this time, for His glory.”

Without a choir at her church home, Susie wasn’t sure where she’d be able to use her gift. But as He does, God provided a way. Through an announcement in her church’s newsletter, Susie found out about and ended up joining the Georgia Worship Choir. And it’s been an encouragement to her more than she could have imagined. 

“I think we as the choir benefit from the songs more than the people attending our concerts,” Susie said. “After listening to the tracks and reading each song again and again, they’re more likely to stay on your heart. And some of the lyrics, along with their inspiring melodies, really speak to me.”

“I struggle with low confidence and anxiety. And some days, I’m still confused at what God is exactly doing at this season of my life, as well as in this world,” she said. “But I trust that God is doing new things and that every season is in His best timing. After all, ‘You have every failure, God; You have every victory.’”

By letting the words of the praise songs she loves saturate her heart, Susie has found new hope. 

“Once, there were many chances that I would not be here anymore. But a few years ago, I could never have imagined how much God has shown me His goodness,” she said. “I’ve learned that your worth is not in what you own or achieve – you’re worthy because of His precious blood that has purchased you.

“Dear friends, when trials come our way, when life is strange with constant changes and doubts, when the devil starts talking to you saying ‘Who do you think you are?’, know that there’s a God who loves you to the end.”

Bridging the Gap

Orchard works to build systems and processes that will help our Partners bridge gaps in their organization in order to serve more effectively. We do this in four main ways: Strategically, Operationally, Individually and Spiritually. One part of our Operational Strategy is our Foundations Curriculum, offered through the Orchard Institute. Dean Oliver, Orchard Partner and Executive Director of the Georgia Worship Choir, recently graduated from the cohort. He shared with us how Orchard has helped him grow!

Please introduce yourself and tell us about the work you do. 

My name is Dean Oliver and I am the Founder and Director of the Georgia Worship Choir. We are a community choir of diverse Christians who are united by their common love for Jesus, and who are passionate about creating worship experiences that inspire people to draw closer to Him. Basically, we’re a church choir for people whose church doesn’t have a choir. We are not associated with any one particular church, but will be partnered with many throughout Metro Atlanta who will want to help us share the gospel of Christ through music. 

How did you initially hear about Orchard and what compelled you to apply to become a Partner? 

Several years ago, at a networking event, someone mentioned to me the Lead Institute as a training resource for non-profits. Though I didn’t have a non-profit at the time, I sensed one may be in my future. When the time came to start GWC, I tracked down my note and made contact with Lead, which I learned had merged with Orchard. Though I had had non-profit experience as a church leader, I had never started a non-profit, so I knew I would need all the help I could get. It also helped to learn that all the training would be available remotely, and would not require my presence in a seminar or classroom. That’s a huge plus for those of us who have multiple responsibilities and full schedules. 

Describe your experience with the Orchard Institute Foundations curriculum.

The Orchard Institute Foundations curriculum has truly been a God-send. God’s timing never ceases to amaze me! It was uncanny to see how the material tracked right along with where we were in our organizational development, especially as it related to verbalizing our mission in the Strategy and Story module. We had previously crafted our Mission Statement, but I quickly realized from the Institute curriculum that we had a lot more work to do in terms of communicating who we are and what we are striving to accomplish. That wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to realize at the time, mind you. But the way the curriculum and platform is structured, you are encouraged to do that necessary work before moving on to the next steps. It was also helpful to go through this experience with others who were learning how to be better Executive Directors of their own non-profits. Learning from their experiences with their organizations was a surprising bonus to the course.  

How has Orchard operationally helped you bridge any gaps you feel you may have in your non-profit? 

The second module, Strategy & Story, was extremely important because it helped me hone our message. Prior to those exercises, I was shooting from the hip when explaining our work to others. Every conversation, every explanation was different and I tended to over-answer the questions. The exercises in the curriculum helped me shorten and sharpen the message so that the listener was left wanting more, rather than thinking ‘Why did I ask?’ 

The other extremely helpful piece was the Funding and Donor Development lessons. Of all the modules, this was the one I needed the most and will no doubt return to again and again. It really opened my eyes to how important my role is, as Executive Director, to creating a culture of continual Donor Development and how intentional I need to be in fundraising efforts. I don’t know that anyone ever starts a non-profit because of their sheer joy of fundraising.  But the fact is, it’s the life-blood of any non-profit’s mission. The Orchard Institute training inspired me to realize that if I cared about my nonprofit’s mission, then I needed to care about making sure that mission is funded and sustained. 

After completing the first three modules of the Foundations Curriculum, what are you most excited about working on next in your non-profit?

The second module, Strategy & Story, really inspired me to become more strategic with our marketing and recruiting efforts. Being a brand-new organization, with a brand-new concept at that, we have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of just sharing our story and letting people know we exist. The Orchard Institute material caused me to realize that we need to be more intentional with our marketing efforts and actually have a plan to reach people, rather than just hoping they stumble upon us. Though this phrase does not appear in the Foundations curriculum, going through the material caused me to remember an expression a sales manager once told me: “People don’t know you’re an option, if they don’t know you exist.” The Orchard Institute material gave us tools that will help us tell people that we exist.    

What would you tell a non-profit leader who may be wondering if Orchard has the resources they need for growth and impact in their work?

I would tell them it’s lonely on the fence!  So hop down and come alongside the people who have walked further down the road you’re trying to walk, they can keep you out of the ditch. Seriously, there is no down-side here. Because of Orchard’s generosity in making this training available at no cost, you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain! It is apparent to me that God has created Orchard to be a ministry to ministries, and God will use them to make your ministry better if you’ll let them. 

Would you like to support Partners like Dean Oliver? Now through August 31st all Orchard donations will be matched up to $25,000. Your giving can better serve our Partners in their work. Give online today HERE!