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“We are followers of Christ in our music ministry and just as Christ came to seek and save the lost, He has equipped us with that same spirit and desire. Our singing can’t save, but the word through song can and will and we are on that mission for the Master. We also hope that through our ministry, we can set an example for other women. We want women to know that they don’t have to compromise their faith or values to get where God has already destined them to be, because through faith, prayer, and praise, God can use each of them.”
--The Lumzy Sisters
In the early 1960s, during the height of Motown influence to pop culture, Robert Lumzy began to teach his daughters the rigors of Rock n’ Roll. In a small five-room house in Columbia, Mississippi, his daughters would croon, harmonize, and snap their fingers to the beat as guitar player Lumzy mapped out his dream for he and his girls to become the next Rock ‘n Roll sensation. In the meantime, his wife, Emma Lumzy, had other ideas. She knew immediately that the girls’ musical gifts should be spent building up the kingdom of God and began coaching them to sing gospel music. This musical divide was the beginning of a big lesson they were to learn while the children were still very young.
The Lumzy sisters liken their father to Jonah. He received the call to come to the Lord and preach the gospel, but like Jonah, he ran away. It wasn’t long before Lumzy lost his two guitar playing fingers in an accident. As he prayed for them to grow back, he promised to devote the rest of his life to preaching and serving the Lord. Time passed and his fingers grew. Not just as little stubs, but right from the joint they grew back—right down to the fingernails! Undeniably, he was blessed with a miracle.
Accepting his blessing but not keeping his promise, Lumzy was at work one day while his wife was at home tending to the baby and the other children attended school. The Lord spoke to him and told him he was going to lose a child because he had been disobedient. He dropped what he was doing and ran home. As it happens, the baby had died in her sleep that morning for no apparent reason. The Lord’s message finally hit home loud and clear and his heart accepted the calling to be obedient to God’s will.
Soon after their youngest sister passed away, Robert Lumzy became Reverend Robert L. Lumzy. The girls and their father no longer envisioned rock ‘n’ roll stardom for themselves, though the Motown influence is ever-present in their gospel style, and remains a delicious sonic treat! Emma Lumzy took over rehearsal time with the girls after school while their gospel roots flourished. They began to sing at churches throughout the southern regions near their home, but eventually moved to New Jersey where their father took a job as pastor of a church.
A close knit family, the Lumzy’ s still attend their father’s church in New Jersey and Brenda, a songwriter and singer in the group, is one of his Assistant Pastors. Chequita and Brenda both travel to preach at revivals and all of the girls find themselves performing at these spirit-filled gatherings. Each of the sisters feels the anointing of God to preach the Word, to comfort the hurting and bring lost souls to Christ.
When asked what is most important to them in their lives as gospel artists, Doris answered, “Well, I give all the glory to God. To me, that’s the key, to help one lost person find their way. Our main focus is how many souls are being saved. We are not about the glory—how well we can sing or who sings best, or even awards, but it’s about Jesus and saving souls.”
The sisters have many stories relating how their music and ministry have not only blessed someone’s life for a moment, but changed it forever. One such story is about the man who came up to the merchandise table after the concert. He recounted how glad he was that he came because he felt blessed just by being there. Doris gave him a hug and a few words of encouragement, then he left. The next day, the young man’s sister called her up and told her that her brother’s original intention that night was to commit suicide, but he didn’t because of Doris’ willingness to take the time to reach out to him.
The Lumzy family has, as all families do, suffered many trials and made many sacrifices. The difference between them and others is their ability to stand united. They turn to each other for strength and support, they travel together, put aside differences for the common goals they share, and they really love each other! The Lumzy sisters’ connectedness is surely one of the reasons there is spark in their music and a breath of freshness about their approach to the world of the music industry and the gifts that God has given them.
Their latest album, Satisfied, comes after a five year hiatus from recording. Included on the record are songs penned by Paul Porter (The Christianaires), Mark Ballard and themselves. They have five previous recordings on several labels (Richburg Records, Marilyn Records, AIR Gospel) and for eight consecutive years, they won the prestigious award for being the number one Female Gospel Quartet of the Year at the American Gospel Quartet Convention. Their lead singer, Chequita Lumzy, was also voted the Female Lead Vocalist of the Year for those same eight years. Besides the other awards and nominations they have received, they have also been presented with the keys to many cities across the U.S. for their dedicated service to communities everywhere.
The Lumzy sisters speak with exuberance about their testimony of music and how it is such a universal language that those in the audience at the Umbria Festival in Italy were moved to commit their lives to Christ even though they didn’t understand all of the lyrics that were sung. They are also eager to share stories such as the one about the woman with the cane who threw it down and ran through the revival tent healed of her illness, and how the woman with AIDS now testifies about Jesus’ healing power and gives thanks for her good health. Many stories like these are the hallmark of their three-plus decades of music ministry and travel.
Outside the dressing room door is the real ministry of The Lumzy Sisters. Genuine. Refreshing. Based on love and their own moving testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. Really. Check it out and be Satisfied.
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