Where are they now? Tim McNamee

When Clifford-born Tim McNamee came to the Christian ministry more than 20 years ago, he got more than he bargained for. Once a self-described casual Christian, McNamee says he is still making his way on his journey in faith one day at a time with his words and music.

This journey, he says, has completely transformed his life, as well as his relationship with God.

Since releasing his first album “Shotgun” last fall, McNamee is concentrating his efforts on not only making music and preaching the Gospel, but sharing his experiences through his words, music and art with those open to listen.

When McNamee and his wife, Kathy, moved to the Hope area more than five years ago, the Hauser graduate says he was surprised with the reception and invitations he received from area churches to come preach and sing the Gospel.

During a recent conversation, McNamee talked about what brought him to the ministry and what the experience was like. As a natural, happy consequence of his dedication to his faith and family, McNamee says he enjoys the process of song writing and performing and talks about how music was not only a pivotal part of his childhood and young adult years, but how it has definitively shaped his ministry, faith and his relationship with God.

What brought you to the ministry initially?
We were in Indianapolis and I was working for the government. I worked for the IRS for 10 years before I entered the ministry.

Our church, Lakeview Church on the west side of Indianapolis, had started an inner city ministry to kids in one of the roughest neighborhoods on the west side of Indy. They were looking for volunteers. I was a believer in Jesus Christ and I would sit there and listen to the sermons and wait for it to be over so I could get home. I was that kind of guy.

An evangelist came through and challenged us about our casual Christianity – “Are you just sitting around letting others do the work and you are sitting here waiting to go home?” he asked. I’m not proud of it, but that was kind of me at the time.

I went to the altar that night and I was so convicted that I told the pastor, “Anything you need me to do, I’ll do.” He said, “Good, we just started an inner city ministry and we need people.” And I’m thinking, “Ok, anything else you need me to do?” I knew nothing about inner city ministry or anything. But I told him I would do it and went to their outreach center.

They were bussing in hundreds of kids. They weren’t anticipating the older teens they were getting and had nothing for them. So another guy stepped up and started a youth group for them and I stepped up to help him. He lasted about three weeks and ended up moving to Texas and I became a full time youth leader of an inner city youth group.

I fell in love with the kids and wanted to help them get out. The only thing I knew was to take them outside and play basketball with them. I made a deal with them that if any of them could outshoot me from the free throw line then we would just play basketball all night, because that is all they wanted to do. But, if you can’t, you have to listen to me tell a Bible story for 20 minutes and then we will play basketball.

What they didn’t know that despite being legally blind I played basketball my whole life and learned how to shoot free throws even though I couldn’t see the rim. When we started I said I would go first and I hit 17 in a row that night and their heads just fell.

That was in 1989.

In 1998, we started a full church and I became the pastor of the whole church reaching out to hundreds of kids a week, feeding the homeless, church services and so it all turned into that for the next 20 years and we have been here at the farm for the past five years.

What role did music play in your life as a child?
Music was always there. I didn’t explore it publicly, I didn’t sing in the choir. I was in the art room most of the time because I am also an artist, but music was always a big part of me -- everything from country to the blues. It was a powerful part. I knew I could sing, but I never sang publicly until I started going to church. While attending a church in Indianapolis after I got married a youth pastor had heard me sing. He heard me singing while we were on a work day. He asked me to come sing in the youth group and I did. It kind of snowballed from there.

What year was that?
Probably about 1988, somewhere in there.

Did you play any instruments growing up?
No, I’ve only been playing guitar for about seven or eight years now.

How did you discover the guitar?
It was through a friend of mine who is a Christian country artist, Michael Tetrick, out of Edinburgh, Indiana. I started listening to his music and he taught me a few cords and I took it from there. I would travel with his music and sing his stuff and I thought, “I could write this.” And I started writing music.

I’ve been writing songs for a long time, but writing the music started when I picked up the guitar. I’ve written more than 100 songs up to this point. It became easy to me. Then God kept giving me songs. I told Him yesterday, “Stop, because I’ve four songs I’m working on at the same time. I can’t get anything else done.”

I started getting more confident and people started asking me to come play at their churches, sing and preach, and I’ve been doing that for a while now.

You picked up the guitar a decade ago and we are 100 songs in, has this turned into something more than you anticipated?

Yeah, I kind of just played for my own church because I pastored a church in Indy for 20 years. I thought that was where it would stay. When I got out here in the country five years ago, a lot of these little churches out here don’t have their own music programs. They would ask me to come preach and would ask, “Do you sing, too?” So I started doing music for them and then my songs and it has kind of spread and caught on.

I never thought people would be calling, “Could you come sing at our church?” or “Would you come play at our campfire?” That is what I do. I will play the campfire, I’ll play your living room, your church, and it doesn’t matter. These songs are just like sermons God gave me, as far as I’m concerned, it is a song and sermon.

What is your favorite thing to do?
A lot of times I will go sing the sermon. If they ask me to preach I will pick out five songs and put scriptures with them, play the songs and talk about the scriptures and how they apply and that is my message and that is my favorite thing to do.

How do you view the role of music as helping to deliver the message in a palpable way?
That is what I feel sometimes. I feel I am able to captivate the audience a little more with my personal songs about trials, triumphs and tragedies. That’s what my songs are about, faith, family and freedom and that is what people want to hear about. There’s a gazillion scriptures that go along with those songs. I’ve songs about my testimony, about Hauser, Hope, that is my life.

Why release an album now?
I think it is just time right now. I’ve surrounded myself with the right kind of people. We’ve put together a band called the Hauser Boys and we’ve played together seven or eight times, but it is too hard to get everyone together to keep that going. We are a group of about seven guys from different decades that graduated from Hauser and are playing music and doing their own things.

I just felt like it was time. The big reason I am doing it, I want to shop my music to different song writing companies. If I can sell any of my songs then all that money goes to help the kids out here at Blue Tassel Farm. The CDs are acoustic, just me and my guitar, like what people would hear if they come here me play.

How many tracks are on the new album?
There are 10 tracks.

Where is the album available?
It will be available on the Blue Tassel Farm web site at BlueTasselFarm.com and they can purchase it there. They can leave a donation of any amount and we will send them a CD.

Do you think this will lead to more albums?
Yeah, we plan on recording every song I have. We’ve found a simple way to record through the computer and program where it doesn’t cost much of anything. I could take it and have it professionally produced for $2500 if I wanted to go to Nashville and do all that stuff. I just don’t.

I’m not trying to produce a full album with a lot of instruments, I am just trying to get the basic music out there and in the hands of people who will take it to the next level from there. We have a Christian company based out of Ohio called Dove Entertainment who make all the jackets and print the CDs for us.

So what do you do in your spare time?
I still like to do art. I was totally into art in high school and I went to art school. Most people don’t know I am legally blind and had to give up my art career in part because I was getting headaches. I didn’t give it up completely, but I don’t do the stuff that is strenuous on the eyes. I do bigger paintings. I spend most of my time with my guitar. I rehearse a lot.

What advice would you offer to those out there who are thinking about pursuing music and taking a more active role in their faith?

There is nothing more rewarding than getting something from God and letting him put it through you for other people to hear and be inspired by. That is the process. I don’t write anything, I listen and then I write down what I hear and put it out there for other people. Nothing is new under the sun according to the scriptures.

I want to sing about triumph, tragedy, the triumph after the tragedy. I have some songs that appear kind of dark, but there is a positive message on the other side of it that God has been there with you through it all. There is nothing more rewarding to hear. If you are thinking about getting into music, and especially song writing, you have got to find time to be alone with God.

Shut up, let Him speak and write down everything you hear.