John P. Kee was born the 15th out of 16 children in Durham, North Carolina.… Read Full Bio ↴John P. Kee was born the 15th out of 16 children in Durham, North Carolina. At an early age he began to develop his musical talent both instrumentally and vocally. He attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and at 14, he and his brothers Wayne and Al moved to California where he began attending the Yuba College Conservatory School of Music in Marysville, CA. During this time, he began playing with various groups such as Cameo and Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds. After having a hard time adjusting in California, he left and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina only to find himself living in a part of the city known for its violence and drug activities. After watching one of his friends being murdered in a drug deal gone bad, he rededicated his life back to God during a visitation to a revival meeting.

Kee says that it was during a trip to Michigan with his choir that he received a calling from God to be a preacher. Kee was in his mid-twenties when he was ordained as a minister. In 1995, while ministering in Ohio, he received a prophetic vision and went forward with the building of a Fellowship Center in Charlotte which could minister to the people in the community. He officially founded the New Life Fellowship Center where he became and remains the senior pastor. Ironically, the church is located in the same area where he had once led a life of crime and drugs. It is rumored that Pastor Kee does not accept a salary from the church, but is merely satisfied in knowing that the preached word of God has been brought forth.

In the mid 1980's, Kee formed a community choir in Charlotte known as the New Life Community Choir or "NLCC." Over time the choir grew in popularity and has continued to travel throughout the area. The choir also includes some of Kee's own children.

In 1990, Kee founded the Victory in Praise Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir, or "V.I.P." in order to fellowship with various ministries, song writers, musicians and choir directors from all over the country.

Kee has been active for more than 15 years in the music field. He is primarily known for mixing traditional gospel with modern contemporary gospel and for having a soulful husky voice. His current cd entitled "The Reunion," released on December 5, 2005, features some of the old members of New Life Community Choir.

In 2007 Kee was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. [1] He also has an album, Nothing But Worship, which features the smash hit Right Now Praise.

He'll Welcome Me Medley
John P. Kee Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm living this life just to live again
And with the Lord I know that I shall reign
I shall not stray...with Him I'll stay
He'll welcome His children home one day
Like a thief in the night He shall return for me
That's the day that He'll come and fly away
You'll see
Jesus will welcome me home

I shall see Him for myself
I shall meet Him in the air

(After the dead in Christ shall rise, we that are still alive)
Jesus will welcome me home
He'll welcome me (He'll welcome me) (Repeat)
Welcome, Welcome
Welcome my
Welcome my good and faithful servant
He'll welcome, yes He'll welcome
He'll welcome, yes He'll welcome me (Repeat)
Jesus will welcome me

Jesus will welcome me
Jesus will welcome me home

Overall Meaning

In John P. Kee's song He'll Welcome Me, the lyrics express a strong belief in the afterlife and the promise of being welcomed home by Jesus. The first stanza indicates the song is about living life with the hope of being received by the Lord after death. The lyrics mention staying on the path with the Lord to ensure a place in heaven. The second stanza is about the Second Coming of Christ, when he is said to return like a thief in the night. It builds up to the climax of the song where the singer expresses the certainty of receiving a warm welcome from Jesus upon reaching heaven.

The phrase "He'll welcome me home" appears throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's belief in a loving Creator who will receive his followers with open arms. The lyrics convey an important spiritual message; that of hope and redemption in the face of death. Though some may dread the thought of death, this song encourages listeners to embrace the inevitability of it, and live life in such a way that they are eager and prepared to be 'welcomed home' by Christ.

In summary, John P. Kee's song He'll Welcome Me is a powerful and uplifting expression of belief in the afterlife and the hope of a warm welcome from Jesus in heaven. The lyrics encourage listeners to live life with the understanding that death is inevitable, but that they can take comfort in the promise of eternal life with their Creator.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm living this life just to live again
My ultimate goal in life is to live again with the Lord.

And with the Lord I know that I shall reign
I know that if I am with the Lord I will have power and authority.

I shall not stray...with Him I'll stay
I will stay close to Him and never stray away.

He'll welcome His children home one day
He will eventually welcome us to our eternal home.

Like a thief in the night He shall return for me
He will return suddenly and unexpectedly to take me with Him.

That's the day that He'll come and fly away
On that day, He will fly away with me to my eternal home.

Jesus will welcome me home
Jesus will personally welcome me to my eternal home.

I shall see Him for myself
I will have the privilege of seeing Him face to face.

I shall meet Him in the air
I will meet Him in the sky and go with Him.

Jesus will welcome me
Jesus will welcome me personally.

He'll welcome me (He'll welcome me) (Repeat)
He will greet me with open arms.