TIFTON — For NewSong singer Eddie Carswell, Saturday’s show in Tifton will be on familiar ground.

Carswell grew up in Tifton, graduating from Tift County High School in 1968 and moving to Valdosta, where he eventually became one of the founding members of the Christian music group.

That was in 1981.

Thirty-six years later, the group is still going strong.

“It’s still about the exact same thing,” said Carswell. “It’s the same attitude, the same heart behind it. It’s just grown and gotten bigger. It’s just a blown up version of what we did starting out with, telling people about what God has done in our lives.”

But that doesn’t mean their sound hasn’t changed, if only a little.

“We evolved with it,” said Carswell. “We weren’t the most cutting edge thing in ’81 and we aren’t the most cutting edge in 2017, but we’ve changed.”

Members of the groups have come and gone, with some switching out and coming back later, but Carswell has stuck with it.

“I’m committed to it,” said Carswell. “This is my thing.”

And the band has committed to their annual Christmas tour.

It started in 2002.

The band released “The Christmas Shoes,” a track on their “Sheltering Tree” album.

That song led to a book by Donna VanLiere, which in turn was made into a CBS movie.

That got the group thinking about a Christmas show.

“Christmas is the best time to do a concert,” said Carswell. “Everyone is excited about Christmas, the Christmas story. It’s just a fun atmosphere.”

This year’s Very Merry Christmas tour has the group traveling up and down the eastern half of the United States.

(Originally the tour was 12 shows, but then “one place got so excited they sold it out twice.”)

This year, they are joined by David Crowder and Sarah Reeves.

For years, Crowder led the David Crowder Band in a style he’s referred to as “folktronica.”

Since moving to Atlanta, he’s released the “American Prodigal” album.

“He’s just a fun guy,” said Carswell. “Just a unique individual, a unique artist.”

Christian artist Sarah Reeves rounds out the tour.

It’s the end of a year of steady touring for NewSong, and next year will bring on the same.

Not that the days and weeks on the road bother Carswell.

“We’re out there a good little bit,” said Carswell. “If somebody has a job, they have a job five days a week, probably 50 weeks a year. It’s the same for us.”

NewSong, along with Crowder and Reeves, are performing at the UGA-Tifton Conference Center at 6:30 p.m, Saturday, Dec. 8.

Tickets are available at the door or by visiting https://www.freshtix.com/events/a-very-merry-christmas-with-newsong-crowder-and-sarah-reeves.