A divine assignment continues to motivate a local evangelist to help those in need during the holiday season.
Evangelist Gladys Ellis will again bless families in the greater Gainesville and Alachua County area with funds raised through her “Back to Basics” concert that has been held since 2003.
This year’s fundraiser will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Springhill Baptist Church at 120 SE Williston Road.
“This is not an event, it’s an assignment,” said Ellis, who has annually held the benefit concert with her daughter, psalmist Charlotte Ellis-Colbert, except for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The idea for the event was planted in her spirit by God, Ellis said.
“It is an assignment from God,” Ellis said. “I had something else in my heart and God put something else in my spirit.”
The benefit concert has grown throughout the years to “another level,” Ellis said.
“We have been helping people get on the good foot so they can start the new year on the right track,” Ellis said, adding that the money raised during the benefit concert goes toward helping families pay utility bills, with the funds going directly to the utility company for payment.