Kathy Schallert

Kathy Schallert, a Christian singer and songwriter, is associated with several styles of gospel music, including contemporary Christian, acoustic folk, and traditional inspirational. Since 1996 she has witnessed full-time to the transforming power of the love of God in her life, one that from her earliest years was profoundly troubled.

Schallert was raised in an alcoholic home and by age thirteen had become addicted to alcohol and drugs, a condition that escalated through her teenage years. By age nineteen, she had tried and was using the hardest liquor and every conceivable drug she could obtain.

She attempted suicide at fifteen and was thinking about it again when her sister, who had married into a Christian family, convinced her to attend an evangelistic meeting with her. The message that night that "God loves you, just the way you are!" stunned and moved her, and when an altar call ended the meeting, she responded.

With her newfound hope and increasing confidence, she began to witness by speaking and singing about the transformation she had experienced. She wrote songs that speak directly to the problems and challenges in life and how to achieve victory. Her music draws on her experiences in her journey since that night when she began to heal emotionally and to grow spiritually.

Schallert was working as a manicurist in August 1996, when she felt impressed to begin doing a self-supporting full-time ministry. Although she initially resisted, she finally started and has since been amazed at how God has blessed her ministry and provided the needed funds.

She has traveled to India twice on behalf of Maranatha International and has been a guest on 3ABN, Son Broadcasting, Hope TV, and other Christian television and radio outlets. She was on the cover of and the feature story in the May/June 2002 issue of Women of Spirit magazine.

Schallert has released three CDs, all consisting entirely of her own music. Her first CD, Beyond the Storm, a telling of her story and spiritual journey, was distributed nationally and well received. The second, The Ten Commandments, released in 2000, underscores the truths that are still relevant to living a Christian life today. A third CD, Loud Cry, a combination of unusual rhythms, harmonies, and biblically based lyrics, was released in 2009 along with a booklet that explains and elaborates on the message of the songs, which deal with “God’s end time.”

The following testimony at Schallert’s website speaks of her faith and about her mission in this life:

I am loved, and I do have a purpose here on this earth! Every time I look up into the night sky and behold the wonders of the heavens above I feel the Presence of God. I feel Him looking at me, and no matter how good or bad that day was I know God is near. This give me hope to face whatever comes next.

It’s my desire to share this hope in every song I write, every note I sing, and every testimony I give. I enjoy writing songs that really dig into the heart of the matter, and tell it like it is, honestly. Real life, real struggles, real victory! As God continues the gentle healing of my damaged emotions, restoring life to my soul, I can't help but sing about it! So that's what I do.

ds/2013

Sources: Reger Smith, Jr., "In All Directions," Adventist Review, May 2005; Kathy Schallert’s website (kathyschallert.com); Other Online Sources.