Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I married Hannah Peters on July 1st of 2006. Our marriage has been an amazing blessing, and we are having the most incredible year of our lives! For the past two years, I have attended John Brown University in Northwest Arkansas. During this time I met a good friend and mentor, Roger. He encouraged me to consider sharing the musical gift that God has given me. At this point, I had shared some of the music with friends in St. Louis, but had never considered doing more with it. Roger offered to be my manager, free of charge, as he felt God had called him to assist me in this. It was also around this time that I met Hannah. She encouraged me to listen to Roger and his thoughts on sharing this gift. Through the encouragement of Roger and Hannah, I felt it was the right time to begin sharing the music on a larger scale. In May of 2005, I released a self-recorded CD. Since then, this album has sold out of the 500 copies produced, a response that has also prodded me on.

This last semester Hannah and I reached a critical decision. Until then, the music ministry, while expanding, was more expensive than I could maintain as a full-time student with limited finances. At the same time, my studies had become more challenging as my attention was divided. It was then that Hannah suggested a change. After much careful thought and prayer, Hannah and I have decided to step out in faith - for me to pursue music full time. I plan to complete my college degree over the next few years through other arrangements and we will continue living in Siloam Springs until Hannah graduates from John Brown in December.

A very important aspect of this new venture is that of finances. It is not our goal to make loads of money, but at the same time we must provide for our needs and those working with us. In order to do this and to reach people to the extent we desire, it is necessary to record a new professional album. The album from May 2005 is not of sufficient quality to be played on the radio or to be widely distributed.

God has placed several key people in my life in a very short time, including Lendell Black. Lendell has worked with several ministries, and has professionally recorded albums with various artists. He has taken a strong interest in our project and has graciously offered to record the first song without cost to help raise awareness and share the vision for this ministry with you. I have included a CD with this first recording for your enjoyment.

It is our desire to produce this CD with excellence and to use our gifts to the best of our abilities. This will allow us to reach out to those who may not know Christ, as well as encourage those who are on the journey. An important aspect is to acquire magazine and television interviews to raise awareness of this ministry. Everything combined will cost a considerable amount of money. In order to make this possible, we must raise at least $20,000 by the end of March. We feel this goal is attainable, as God has opened so many doors in such a short time. It is because of this that I have no doubt this is God's calling for my life at this stage. We would like to ask you to prayerfully consider how you may be able to be a part of this ministry, whether it be through prayer, purchasing CDs, or even donating to this effort.

Financially, there are two ways you can be involved. First, we are pre-selling the new album, entitled “The Sun Still Rises,” for $20 each. At $20, you will be covering mailing costs (plus a small donation), and you will receive your CD before its official release. Second, some may feel led to make a donation beyond their purchase of CDs. In any event, please keep in mind that every little bit helps. And most of all, we seek your prayer for God's leading and for His blessing.

The best way this project can move forward is by your timely response. For that reason, we have set up a few simple ways on this site where you can indicate your commitment to praying for this ministry, as well as the opportunity to pre-order CDs and make a donation. You may preorder the album or make a donation by clicking on this link.

If you wish to have more specifics about the project or exactly how this money will be used, please feel free to call or email me from the contact page of jeremiahrich.com. Hannah, Roger, Lendell, and I all feel it is very important to be good stewards with the financial responsibility God has given us, so rest assured that any contributions made will go directly towards the ministry. Feel free to make copies of the form to share with others, or download a copy at www.thesunstillrises.com/preorderform/

Thank you for joining us in this exciting adventure. By supporting me all of these years, you have been an integral part of this ministry, and I hope that this demo song can be a blessing to you.

In Christ,
Jeremiah and Hannah Rich

P.S. Updates on this project can be found at www.jeremiahrich.com