NATCHEZ &045;&045; The desire to sing emerged early in her life, Susie Ellis said. And now her dream of recording Christian songs nears fruition.

&uot;My mom and dad were very spiritual people,&uot; she said. &uot;I have been singing since I was a little girl, probably about 2 or 3 years old.&uot;

Her father, the Rev. Willie Ellis, is pastor of the Sixth Street Church of God in Christ in Ferriday, La. Her mother, Estelle Ellis, also is active in the church.

&uot;They wanted all of their kids to learn music and to play a musical instrument,&uot; Susie Ellis said. &uot;My mom made me take piano lessons, and I didn’t like it. But later I found it helped me to sing.&uot;

A 2002 graduate of Tougaloo College with a music major and emphasis on vocal music, Ellis began to search for recording companies whose goals matched her own. &uot;I always had the desire to sing. It was a matter of finding a company I could benefit and one that could get me out there internationally.&uot;

She met Darko Velichkovski and Joe Whitfield of Grace Productions and Grace Recording Company in Jackson and found that fit.

&uot;I prayed about it and felt confirmation that this was the company,&uot; she said. &uot;We all have fun expressing our love for God. We share the same ideals in music and a love for God.&uot;

The rehearsals and recording sessions have increased her faith and enhanced her relationship with God, Ellis said.

Meanwhile, she has become a substitute teacher for the Natchez public schools and has acquired almost a dozen voice students to teach privately.

&uot;The voice teaching is growing. I have students from about age 12 to mature ladies,&uot; she said. &uot;On the weekend, I go to the studio in Jackson and am in recording sessions for two to three hours.&uot;

Fame is not her goal, she said. &uot;I don’t care about becoming famous. I feel God blessed me with a gift,&uot; she said. &uot;A voice has a way of getting a message of encouragement or hope across. It can reach across the world.&uot;

Being able to reach others is important to her. &uot;That’s what I want to do. I want to touch someone who needs it. We all have different gifts and we have to use them to the best of our abilities.&uot;

Success also comes with the right timing, she said. &uot;You have to be in the flow of the Spirit. He knows what needs to be done and who needs to be reached by it.&uot;