The three members of Sister’s Promise include, from left, Donna Hayes, Margaret Witt, and Elaine Eoff. (Photo by Paul Hey)
By Steve Bertel
Dozens of Bible verses encourage us to praise and glorify God through our music and singing. Many are in the Book of Psalms. Verses like Psalm 9:2, “I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.” Or Psalm 9:11, “Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.”
And that’s exactly what Sister’s Promise, a Caldwell, Idaho-based female gospel trio has been doing for years. They perform everywhere from small country churches to large concert halls. And their audiences have ranged from several dozen to several hundred to several thousand.
“Gospel music is in our souls,” said Elaine Eoff (pronounced “oaf”). “It’s always been a part of our lives.”
In fact, it’s been a part of their lives for decades.
Elaine is 81. Donna Hayes is 71. And Margaret Witt is 64. All three were raised in the Treasure Valley, back when dirt roads and family farms and grange halls were commonplace.
“I started singing when I was a little kid,” Margaret recalled. “My mother used to play a lot of old Southern gospel records when I was growing up. And I just loved that music! I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to sing all the time!”
“I used to go around the house singing, even before I could barely talk,” said Donna. “I started playing violin when I was in the fifth grade, started piano lessons a few years later, and starting playing and singing in church a few years after that. Music was everywhere in my family. I think it was almost genetic.”
Ditto with Elaine. “I would listen to the radio and sing to it. I’d sing with my sisters. I’d sing with my aunt. I’d sing with my mother.” And she’d sing in church – both as a soloist or with her teenage friends. “I learned to harmonize in our church,” she added.
(By the way, she’s known affectionately as “Miss Elaine,” a throwback from her Texas roots. “We lived in Texas for some fifteen years. My family, friends, and everyone there just called me ‘Miss Elaine.’ Years later, when I taught at West Canyon Elementary School in Caldwell, the students there started calling me ‘Miss Elaine.’ So that just became my name!”)
They all agree their longtime musical talents have been gifts – blessings – from God. All have been soloists and previous recording artists; Donna and Elaine are both songwriters; Donna is a music teacher and church choir director; Elaine is a vocal coach and keyboard instructor; and Margaret has performed with many church music teams.
So how did they meet? Well, some may say they met by accident.
The women say it was all part of God’s plan.
For six years, from 2005 to 2011, former Treasure Valley Christian radio station owner Steve Sumner organized the weekly Gospel Jubilee (originally known as Gospel Opry) which, according to the trio’s promotional poster, celebrated “the gospel by bringing together music lovers from various churches in the Treasure Valley.” The concerts were held at the Nampa Civic Center in its 640-seat theater.
At the time, each woman was performing pretty much on her own. “One day, when Steve was looking for people to perform as groups on stage, he put the three of us together. So we started singing in the Jubilee as a trio,” Margaret explained.
“Steve was the catalyst for bringing us together, but it was really God’s doing. And we just ‘fit.’” Elaine added.
During their Jubilee years, the trio either opened for or performed in the same shows as a number of nationally-known gospel/country singers who came to the Treasure Valley to perform at the event, most notably Grammy- and multiple Dove Award-winning recording artist Dottie Rambo; Lulu Roman, of “Hee Haw” fame; Stella Parton, Dolly Parton’s sister; and Barbara Fairchild, who began her career as a country singer with the 1973 #1 hit “Teddy Bear Song.”
“And then, when the Jubilee disbanded in 2011, we just carried on as a trio,” said Margaret.
But, when they started practicing together and thinking about performing together, the women knew they needed a name. “We were familiar with the [nationally-famous Southern gospel trio] The Ruppe Sisters, now known as just The Sisters. They have amazing harmonies, amazing voices,” Margaret stated. “And, at the time, we happened to be singing a song about promise. So I asked the girls, ‘What do you think about the name Sister’s Promise?’ We all liked it. So that’s what we started calling ourselves. We aren’t blood-related like The Ruppe Sisters, but we are sisters in the Lord.”
That was back in 2011.
And the “sisters” have been singing professionally together ever since.
As for their musical style, Margaret described it this way: “We do gospel for sure. We also do Southern gospel favorites. And patriotic numbers as well.”
In fact, according to Donna, they have some 100 songs in their repertoire. “Everything from old standards like ‘Farther Along’ and ‘Are You Washed in the Blood?’ – we have a great three-part harmony on that one – to more contemporary favorites like ‘I’ll Keep on Praying’ and ‘Daystar (Shine Down on Me)’.”
They perform throughout the Treasure Valley at church services, funerals, memorials, senior care centers, “Summer in the Park” events, at Boise Rescue Mission fundraisers, and even at patriotic gatherings honoring military veterans.
“I worked at the Salvation Army for quite a few years, and we’d do annual veterans’ programs there,” Donna said. “I was on the organizing committees, and also emceed the events” – in addition to performing with her friends. “After the shows, people would call us, asking us to perform at other veterans’ events as well.”
Their concerts are true family affairs. While the women are performing on stage, in the spotlights and in front of audiences, their husbands are working behind-the-scenes, handling equipment set-ups, running the sound board, and handling all the lighting and engineering logistics. “The guys are wonderful in supporting us,” Elaine pointed out.
The women don’t actively promote themselves on social media; they don’t even have a website. Most of their bookings and appearances have come through word-of-mouth. In addition, they’ve recorded three CDs – two of gospel selections and one of Christmas songs – but they handle all the marketing themselves, offering the CDs for sale during their public appearances.
“We sing whenever God opens the door,” they said. “And He’s been faithful in opening doors for us.”
To date, the largest event where Sister’s Promise has performed was at the annual God and Country Festival in Nampa in 2021. “We sang ‘The National Anthem’ and performed a number of songs in front of thousands of people there!” Elaine and Donna recalled.
But, regardless of the venue or audience size or whom they have shared the stage with, the trio’s performances are always a ministry. “It’s important for us how our music can minister to people – not only through our singing, but by [our songs] touching people’s hearts,” Elaine stated.
Donna agreed. “Our main goal is to minister to people, to get The Word out, and to comfort those in our audience who may be going through tough times. In fact, people have come up to us after our performances to tell us how our songs have really blessed and uplifted them.”
And even though, through their music, they’ve comforted and touched countless audience members, they remain humble. Or, as Elaine put it, “We’re just local country girls singing praises with all of our hearts.”
“Yes,” Donna added. “We’re sisters in the Lord embracing God’s promise of salvation. To all of us.”
