KIDS & TEENS / AUTHENTICITY REBECCA ST. JAMES Talks music, ministry and mo<strong>the</strong>rhood BY BENJAMIN HAWKINS Rebecca in <strong>the</strong> studio with her bro<strong>the</strong>rs Joel and Luke from For KING & COUNTRY CREDIT TK 12 APR / MAY <strong>2024</strong>
AUTHENTICITY / KIDS & TEENS Mo<strong>the</strong>r’s Day Happy Mo<strong>the</strong>r’s Day to all <strong>the</strong> moms who are caring for and meeting <strong>the</strong> needs of <strong>the</strong>ir children. <strong>May</strong> you c<strong>on</strong>tinue to grow with God as you raise your children to love and serve Him. CREDIT TK GUILLAUME LECHAT REBECCA FINK FOUGHT OFF TEARS as she readied herself to go <strong>on</strong>stage with her bro<strong>the</strong>rs, Joel and Luke Smallb<strong>on</strong>e of For KING & COUNTRY, during an Alaskan cruise in <strong>the</strong> summer of 2017. Better known to her fans as Rebecca St. James, she spent nearly two decades in <strong>the</strong> Christian music industry beginning in <strong>the</strong> early 1990s. Sometime around 2010, she unofficially retired from music. Then her bro<strong>the</strong>rs had asked if she would join <strong>the</strong>m to sing a couple of s<strong>on</strong>gs at <strong>on</strong>e of <strong>the</strong>ir c<strong>on</strong>certs. She couldn’t refuse, especially since it included an Alaskan vacati<strong>on</strong> with her whole family. So, despite her anxiety, she took <strong>the</strong> stage with her bro<strong>the</strong>rs and experienced what she calls “<strong>on</strong>e of <strong>the</strong> most transforming moments” in her life. Feeling led by <strong>the</strong> Spirit, she spoke to <strong>the</strong> audience about <strong>the</strong> hurt she was feeling in <strong>the</strong> wake of two miscarriages. As she sang, she learned <strong>on</strong>ce again to rest in God’s love and found freedom and fresh strength in mo<strong>the</strong>rhood and music. The launch of a decadesl<strong>on</strong>g music ministry Music has always been a part of Rebecca’s life. Since her fa<strong>the</strong>r, David Smallb<strong>on</strong>e, worked as a c<strong>on</strong>cert promoter in Australia, she attended c<strong>on</strong>certs throughout her childhood— but church was where she witnessed <strong>the</strong> spiritual impact. She remembers vividly, when she was <strong>on</strong>ly 7 or 8 years old, seeing her mo<strong>the</strong>r, Helen, in tears during a worship service. Rebecca asked if something was wr<strong>on</strong>g, but her mo<strong>the</strong>r assured her everything was well. “These were tears of joy,” Rebecca recalls, “because she was worshiping Jesus, because of how much He loved her and how much she loved Him.” In 1991, when she was 14, Rebecca’s fa<strong>the</strong>r accepted a new job in Nashville, Tennessee. So Rebecca and her five siblings, al<strong>on</strong>g with her fa<strong>the</strong>r and <strong>the</strong>n-pregnant mo<strong>the</strong>r, left <strong>the</strong>ir home in Australia to begin a new life in <strong>the</strong> United States. But not l<strong>on</strong>g after <strong>the</strong>ir arrival, Rebecca’s fa<strong>the</strong>r lost his job. With no m<strong>on</strong>ey and no <strong>on</strong>e to turn to, <strong>the</strong> family learned to rest in God’s love as <strong>the</strong>y never had before. Though Rebecca and her siblings did odd jobs to help financially, <strong>the</strong> family especially leaned <strong>on</strong> God for provisi<strong>on</strong>. They ga<strong>the</strong>red daily in a bare living room to pray that God would meet <strong>the</strong>ir needs, and as time passed, <strong>the</strong>y saw God answer <strong>the</strong>ir prayers. Gifts of m<strong>on</strong>ey or groceries appeared unexpectedly, and <strong>on</strong>e family even let <strong>the</strong>m borrow <strong>the</strong>ir car as l<strong>on</strong>g as needed. Then God’s plan for Rebecca’s music ministry began to unfold. Even before her family moved to <strong>the</strong> United States, Rebecca had caught <strong>the</strong> eye of Christian musician Carman, who asked her to join his Australian tour in 1990. The following year, Rebecca released an independent album. Then, in 1994, she released her first major album, Rebecca St. James, with ForeFr<strong>on</strong>t Records—launching her decades-l<strong>on</strong>g music ministry. She desired to take <strong>the</strong> Gospel’s message of hope across <strong>the</strong> globe, and toured not <strong>on</strong>ly Australia and <strong>the</strong> United States, but also internati<strong>on</strong>al locati<strong>on</strong>s including Europe, New Zealand, India, Ecuador, Rwanda and Kenya. As her busy teenage years passed, Rebecca hoped she would <strong>on</strong>e day have a husband and family—a hope expressed in her hit s<strong>on</strong>g “Wait for Me,” released in 2000. “That was my dream” “I’ve believed my whole life,” Rebecca says, “that being a wife and a mom is <strong>the</strong> highest calling. All <strong>the</strong> time I was doing music, that was my dream.” But Rebecca would have to wait nearly a decade after <strong>the</strong> release of “Wait for Me” before her dream would come true. In <strong>the</strong> meantime, she expanded bey<strong>on</strong>d <strong>the</strong> music industry to write books and to act both <strong>on</strong>stage and in film. She also moved to Los Angeles, where she joined a philosophy discussi<strong>on</strong> group. There, she met Jacob Fink, a fellow musician who previously spent two years as a missi<strong>on</strong>ary in South Africa. On Christmas Eve, 2010, as snow fell over her family’s farm in Franklin, Tennessee, Jacob proposed to Rebecca. Four m<strong>on</strong>ths later <strong>on</strong> <strong>April</strong> 23, 2011, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY CANADA 13