Deborah Avans-Peek on this edition of SGN Scoops’ Fast Five

Welcome to another edition of SGN Scoops’ Fast Five! Today we talk to Deborah Avans-Peek about her solo ministry as a Christian Country and Southern Gospel artist. Her clear soprano vocals have a definite tinge of Country and her story will amaze you as it is a reminder how God keeps us all in His hands. From adoption to abuse to cancer, she has kept on singing. After a foray into Country music, Deborah once again sings for the Lord. I know you will be encouraged by her story. Be sure to follow the links to listen to her music as well.

Deborah Avans-Peek, we present to you the SGN Scoops’ Fast Five!

SGN: Hi Deborah! We’d love to know more about you. Tell us about the beginning of your ministry!

DAP: Singer/Songwriter Deborah Avans-Peek grew up on Cumberland mountain,  in a rural area at Hytop, Alabama, just three  miles south of the Tennessee state line.  She grew up singing in church and gives credit for her ability to sing to God. She sang in school events and church and was a member of a Gospel quartet at the early age of 15.  She says, “My uncle was a preacher and I had another uncle that was a song leader. I have a lot of close relatives that sing Gospel music too.”  In 2008, Deborah recorded her first Gospel CD titled Living In The Rain, a cover song that was recorded by Jeff and Sheri Easter. The project was recorded with Eddie Crook Company, on the Cedar Hill Records label, and was produced by A&R director, Scott Godsey.  The album received much radio play in 2008.

SGN: Please tell our readers about your walk with Christ.

DAP: Deborah was born in a small town on the outskirts of Chicago, IL.,  and was adopted at the age of two by a couple from Alabama.  Deborah says, “I always knew I was adopted, and I am so proud I have Christian parents who took me to church. I am so thankful for my raising.” When Deborah graduated high school, she married and the marriage developed into an abusive one. After being married for 14 years, it ended in divorce.  She recorded a Country music CD and moved close to Nashville to pursue a career in Country music.  She made a lot of friends in the music business and was a regular backstage at the Opry. “I even sang on the Opry and I got to sing at the Ryman,” she states.  She toured and sang with a band for about six years. Deborah says, “Everywhere I sang, people would always say, ‘You should be singing Gospel music.’”  It didn’t take long to realize that Country music was not what God wanted for her.  

In 2007, Deborah moved back to Alabama to help her mother after her father passed away. She felt as if she had come full circle. “God watched over me and brought me back to where He wanted me.”  In 2008, she recorded her first Gospel CD titled Living In The Rain, and she began sharing her testimony and sharing the Gospel while singing at churches.  Deborah was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and had to put her ministry on hold for a while to recover. After undergoing a double mastectomy, 28 radiation treatments, 12 rounds of chemotherapy and several surgeries, she has made a full recovery and is now cancer free.  “I know God has healed me and watched over me and for some reason he is not finished with me yet. There is more of His work to do. My mother and my mother-in-law both are also breast cancer survivors.”

SGN: What about your family? Please tell us about your children and grandchildren.

DAP: Deborah lives close to Scottsboro, Alabama with her husband Chris and two sons that are school age. They are members of Agape Baptist Church in Scottsboro, Alabama.  They have three sons, two daughters, and six grandbabies. Her hobbies include singing, songwriting, and cooking because she loves trying new recipes. “I love sewing and I make my grandbabies clothes sometimes. I also love painting and making crafts and things that I see on Pinterest.” She also takes care of her mother who is now in nursing care and has Alzheimer’s.  Once a month she sings at the nursing home where her mother lives.

SGN: How do we find out more about you, your tour schedule and how to contact you?

DAP:  If you would like Deborah to visit your church or venue and share her ministry, you can call  256-244-1550 or send a message via email at deborahavans@hotmail.com. “Like” Deborah’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AvansDeborah and purchase songs at www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DeborahAvansPeek. Deborah is currently booking for 2016.

SGN: What are some of the goals you have for your ministry?

DAP:  “I just want to be out there with the people who have hurt and struggles, to encourage them and let them know you CAN be strong. God will never leave you; even when you think He’s so far away, He’s not, and He will always rescue you when HE decides it’s time,” she states. “Going through divorce, abuse, abandonment, homelessness and brokenness in the past and then cancer, I know what it’s like to struggle, BUT GOD is Good!”

Deborah is looking forward to working on a new cd project for this year which will allow her to keep sharing the gospel.

Thank you so much Deborah for sharing your incredible story with us and reminding us about the goodness of God. We encourage our readers to visit Deborah’s Facebook page and CD Baby page to find out more about this amazing woman. Contact her to find out more about her ministry. We know your church or women’s ministry outreach will enjoy hearing her story and her music. Thanks Deborah for answering our SGN Scoops’ Fast Five!

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