Roughneck or music minister?

From the Jasper Newsboy

Michael Sarver used to lead the praise and worship at Harvest Church in Jasper.

"We were very pleased with his performance," said Pastor Gary Marshall of Harvest Church. "We thought he gave a good representation for us and for Jasper and his family. This is a great opportunity for him and we are excited for him.

"He's been a part of us for nine years here at the church," Marshall said. "We have watched him grow up. We married him and have been a part of their life all the way."

"We are very excited about him going to Hollywood," Marshall said.

Marshall said music has been Sarver's life ever since he has known him.

"Some of the first singing we heard him do was singing the national
anthem at the football games here," Marshall said. "He has a gifted voice and for us seeing him use it for the Lord was very encouraging as well."

Marshall said he was "cautiously excited" for Sarver when he told him he was going to try out for the show.

"We don't know all the details of what fame brings with it but we believed that God was going to give him what he could handle," Marshall said. "Hopefully, it will be something that will change his life for the better. We are not sure what the future holds but we are trying to cover all the bases before they get here."

Marshall also cautioned Sarver on the down side of trying out for the show including hard comments from the judges.

"There are two sides of it - success or failure," Marshall said. "To get this far was a success. We hope and pray he will go further but at the same time, this has been a win already. We will see where it goes from here and hopefully it will be a blessing for everybody concerned."