A gospel sing-out last weekend in Ludowici raised more than $500 to fight cancer.

On Saturday, St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church hosted the 2012 Gospel Sing-Out to raise money for this year’s Long County Relay for Life. The event was organized by the House of Pain team, organized by team chairwoman Frances Daly and team captains Mary Hamilton and Deotha Johnson. Daly welcomed the crowd of about 50 people talked about how cancer attacks everyone.

“You never know who that old man — cancer — is going to get. This sing-out is for those who had it, got it and for those who are going to whip it,” Daly said.

She praised those who are battling cancer now, but also mentioned Long County residents Jack Anderson, Harold Manning, Cecil Nobles and her daughter, Joyce Miller, who all were taken by the disease.

Wayne County resident Ralph Johnson, the event’s master of ceremonies, talked about how cancer showed no favor to any particular group of people.

“Cancer is an equal opportunity destroyer. It doesn’t care who you are … but it can be defeated, because nothing is too hard for God,” Johnson said.

American Heart Association Relay for Life spokeswoman Sharon Proudfoot talked to the crowd about some of the ways the money raised by the RFL has helped Long County. She said that two families in the county had stayed at Hope Lodges for more than 300 nights at no cost while their family members were treated in hospitals.

She also told of a friend who was given no chance of survival, but with advanced research for treatment, that person now is a cancer survivor.

Several solo entertainers and groups performed at the sing-out. One of the crowd favorites was 26-year cancer survivor Erma Summers, who sang “I Cried My Last Tear Yesterday.”

A group  from St. James Missionary Baptist Church performed. Group member Emma Williams spoke about the good time that she had and the importance of the day.

“The sing-out was a very good thing for our community. It’s always a blessing when people can come together for a good cause, and there are few causes better than the fight against cancer, because cancer hits everyone,” Williams said.

Other groups who performed included the Long County Singers, A New Beginning Church, The Good Shepherd, Sons of Allen and the Heavenly Band. Individuals who performed included Daly, Johnson, Hamilton, John Jones and Stanley Anderson.

The 2012 Long County Relay for Life is April 6-7 at Veterans Stadium in Ludowici. For more information, call 545-3257 or 545-9111.