Joyce is a dental student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. On July 15, 2007, she happily became Mrs. Michael Bellamy when she married the love of her life. This multifaceted young woman is looking to incorporate her dreams of a dental career along with her gifts of writing and music. Even with a tremendously busy schedule, Joyce enjoys her down time with her husband, family, and her close-knit group of friends. “When things get really stressful, I have to either go running or do aerobics,” says Joyce. A huge fitness buff, Joyce works out regularly and loves to play basketball. Cooking is also a fun outlet for Joyce and she always has fun experimenting with vegetarian cuisine. But everyone knows that Joyce loves to shop! “With my busy schedule and rough courses, I’d go crazy if I didn’t take time out to relax and have some fun. I can keep my focus and God renews my strength to face the tough times.”
As a baby, Joyce was filled with music. As a toddler, she would often dance and sing along with commercials on TV. But she was never content with just “kid’s songs”. One of her earliest performances was for her kindergarten graduation when she sang CeCe Winans’ rendition of For Always. By age 7, she was already composing her first songs and has gone on to write music for Dynamic Praise, the USM Compilation CDs at Oakwood University, as well as original themes for various programs. She began publishing her work in her teens and has penned the lyrics for the majority of the songs on this project.
“I had the privilege of growing up
around the awesome musicians
here at Oakwood College. This is the same school that produced Take 6, Virtue, Duane Starling, Roger Ryan, Sharon Riley, Mervyn Warren, and so many others who are currently working in the industry. We have been exposed to every kind of music – from classical -- to traditional ‘down home’ gospel,” says Joyce. All of these influences are woven into the tapestry of this debut release.
But beyond the Oakwood community, Joyce and Robert’s family is filled with musicians. “I remember learning chords on the organ when I took lessons from my Granddaddy’s sister, Aunt Annie Joyce. My mom and her sister sing together all the time at church and my dad and his brother have toured around the country with various groups and as soloists,” says Robert. “My Grandmother has us singing for our worships and our Granddaddy always has everyone to sing the Doxology before dinner – even at birthday parties!”
Robert is a sophomore at Oakwood University majoring in Accounting. He loves basketball, weight training, computers, high tech gadgets and hanging with his friends. But although he is a popular student, musician and basketball player, he is also very serious about his relationship with God. “God is the centerpiece of my life,” he says. “He is a father, friend, companion, and fills in any void in my life.”
Both Robert and Joyce credit their mother for keeping them grounded and keeping them close to the Lord. “We grew up in a single-parent home where we really had to depend on Jesus for everything,” says Robert. “Praise God that we had a loving mother who prayed for us and encouraged us to use our talents for God.” Joyce recalls, “Our mom never let us get full of ourselves because we could sing. Even as little kids, she would often take us to the hospitals and nursing homes on the weekends to have us to sing to the patients there. It was always so supportive to see the people respond to the hymns and spirituals we would sing a cappella. We realized then, that people’s lives can be changed and that we can be a blessing to others through music.”
Joyce and Robert have literally grown up in the spotlight of huge audiences. Joyce recalls their first duet in front of the entire church of over 2,000 members. “Robert was just four years old and I was seven and we sang Mervyn Warren’s arrangement of His Eye Is On The Sparrow. We were SO nervous but everyone was so encouraging and couldn’t believe that these little kids were actually singing the way we did. When your home church is that big, you really get used to lots of people watching you. It can still be scary at times but we really love to minister through our music.”
Remarkably, their love of music ministry is not a show. They are really young leaders for the Lord. Joyce was voted “most talented” and student government Vice President by her classmates in high school at Oakwood Adventist Academy. She has been the Biomedical Club public relations director and a member of the Aeolians (University concert choir) at Oakwood University. She is currently an active member of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA). Robert was voted “most talented,” held several class offices and was his senior class president in high school at Oakwood Adventist Academy. He was been a member of the Aeolians (University concert choir) as well as other singing groups on campus. Both have played the piano, violin and drums. They have both been active in so many clubs, youth groups, and organizations and yet they remain down to earth.
“God is truly the center of our ministry and we hope that this project will draw people closer to Him because He has always been SO good to us.”
