The Emmanuels still praising God through the decades

For decades, the Emmanuels—a four-part vocal ensemble whose members share roots in Primera Iglesia Bautista de Corpus Christi—have led in worship and shared the gospel.

Its members have changed through the years, but Aaron Diaz has been with the group in one role or another through most of its history.

He recalled hearing the original quartet—Sammy Fuentes, Juan Reyes, Angel Garza and Luiz Zamora, accompanied by music director and pianist Orfalinda Castro—when he was 12 years old.

As a young teenager, Diaz played bass guitar for the Emmanuels until he left Corpus Christi to serve in the U.S. Army in 1969.

Fuentes was a schoolteacher who later became a vocational music evangelist. Reyes worked as a mail carrier. Garza was a welder, and Zamora drove a truck for a regional grocery store chain.

“Luis was the mechanic. He taught us how to change the tires on the bus and recharge the battery,” Diaz recalled.

When he completed his military service and returned to Corpus Christi, Diaz began singing with the group.

“Early on, we traveled through Mexico and South Texas,” Diaz said. “We had some great evangelistic services in Mexico, singing in bull rings and in open plazas. We’d park the bus, and the people would start coming out to hear us.”

During the bicentennial celebration in 1976, the Emmanuels sang at several locations on the East Coast, including Washington, D.C.

“I remember, because we blew a head gasket  in Washington, and I had become one of the drivers by that time,” Diaz recalled.

The group had to bring in a mechanic to help them get back on the road, and members scattered all over the city to locate the necessary parts to repair the bus.

“We had to be back home within two weeks, because we were all on vacation and had to get back to work,” said Diaz, a clinical social worker who now works for Nueces County as deputy director for mental health services.

When Rudy Sanchez was pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista, Diaz recalled the group approaching him to ask if his teenaged daughter Rhoda could become their accompanist after they lost their pianist.

“He agreed if we would promise to sing at the church whenever he requested,” he said.

‘We all enjoy ministering in song’

Rhoda Sanchez Gonzales still serves as pianist for the Emmanuels. Her husband Vince, pastor of North Dallas Family Church in Carrollton, plays bass guitar for the group.

Other current members of the Emmanuels are Gus Reyes, director of Hispanic partnerships at Dallas Baptist University and nephew of an original member of the group; Norman Vella, an educator in Corpus Christi; and Luis Zamora Jr. of Round Rock, the son of an original member of the group.

Reyes first joined the group for a couple of years when he was a college student.

“My Spanish wasn’t very good, but I knew enough Spanish to be able to sing, even when I couldn’t preach in Spanish,” he recalled.

When the Emmanuels traveled to Dallas to sing at First Mexican Baptist Church, Reyes met his future wife Leticia, then a student at Dallas Baptist University, at a Saturday night revival meeting.

“So, having the ability to sing with the Emmanuels has blessed my life in many ways,” Reyes said.

The Emmanuels sang recently at a Hispanic men’s retreat in Floydada, sponsored by Caprock Plains Baptist Association. Memorial Day weekend, they will sing in San Antonio. They also already are booked at McAllen in July and Austin in August.

In addition to singing and preaching, members of the group also lead workshops on a variety of topics when requested.

“Most of us have some flexibility in our work schedules,” Diaz said. “We’re open to what the Lord has for us.

“At every service where we sing, God is in control. We all enjoy ministering in song.”