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GOSPELTODAY ONLINE
gospel today | may 4,
2009
Bishop Eddie Long Announces New Entertainment Venture
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New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, senior pastor, Bishop Eddie L. Long and actor, writer, director; Robert Townsend, have formed a partnership to launch Bell Town Productions. The Atlanta based company plans to make films, television shows, web based programs and; mobile content that are inspirational and positive. “Bishop Eddie Long is a visionary,” said Robert Townsend. “When I met Bishop Long, we talked about all the negative images on television and in films. He asked what we could do to create something different, something positive, and out of that conversation Bell Town Productions was formed.” Townsend is the creative force of the joint venture. Bishop Long provides the entrepreneurial support. “It is my hope that Bell Town Productions becomes one of the world’s leading film and production companies in developing, producing and marketing innovative programming,” added Bishop Long. The company’s debut venture,” The Gospel Music Theatre,” is a web-based half hour
series inspired by real life situations, current events and breaking news. The series will also feature musical performances. Townsend is currently casting a diverse group of actors, actresses and singers to star in the series; casting calls were held in Los Angeles and Atlanta in early April. The series is planned for release this fall. “This is just our first project, Townsend explained, “but we are talking about creating more cont. on next page
Karen Clark Sheard Inks New label deal with EMI
gospel today |
may 4,
2009
Dorinda Clark Cole Has a New Radio Show
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Fresh from a May 5, performance with her siblings, “The Clark Sisters” on The Tonight show with Jay Leno, Dorinda Clark Cole announced that she will begin hosting a new syndicated gospel lifestyle radio show, “Serving Up Soul with Dorinda Clark Cole“ program that includes heart-to-heart talks with the hottest names in gospel and secular music, tasty and easy-to-prepare recipes, health & financial tips, laughter and today’s top gospel hits and classic favorites. Conversations with Patti LaBelle, CeCe Winans, Bishop Noel Jones, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Maurette Brown-Clark, actor/choreographer/director Debbie Allen, J. Moss, Mary Mary and more will be featured. Tena Clark, CEO and founder of DMI Music & Media Solutions, the company that will produce the new show stated, ““DMI Music is proud to produce ‘Serving Up Soul’ and looks forward to bringing a new entertaining program with a talented and exceptional host to listeners across America.” for more information: www.servingupsoulradio.com
KAREW (pronounced KAH-RUE) Records is the new joint venture label deal between Karen Clark Sheard, her husband, Pastor J. Drew Sheard and EMI Gospel. The deal will allow Sheard to own her masters and gain more creative control over the direction and future of her careers. Sheard’s “dream team” will include entertainment attorney, Darrell Thompson (General Manager) to oversee day to day operations, and Cynthia Ellis (Asst. GM/Vice President) to coordinate marketing, publicity and touring. Sheard’s son, J. Drew Sheard II, will execute A&R for the venture. “I am looking forward to continuing a great family heritage in music, which began with my mother Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, through this endeavor. Sheard says KAREW plans to sign new artists, but the debut offering will her own upcoming project; which she is currently in the studio working on production team, PAJAM and veteran producer, Donald Lawrence. The anticipated release is Fall, 2009. The label is also planning to release a new Clark Family Christmas CD in October 2009.
Eddie Long cont. Obama Administration content that delivers compelling quality Criticized for Non-Support of programming to people everywhere on television, in movies and the Internet.” Bishop Long added, National Day of Prayer
“We are disappointed in the lack of participation by the Obama Administration,” said Shirley Dobson, chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. “At this time in our country’s history, we would hope our President would recognize more fully the importance of prayer.” Dobson is the wife of Focus on the Family leader, James Dobson. President Obama raised eyebrows this past week when the White House announced that it would not hold a special event recognizing the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 8. Comparisons immediately focused on the Bush administration’s support of the day over the last eight years. Despite the non-participation of the White House and the criticism, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs indicated that it is the practice of President Obama to pray daily.
“We believe we can impact the world with a message of hope.” Meanwhile, on May 19th, Bishop Long & Friends will introduce “The Kingdom: Vol. 1” the 11-track CD is described as a musical expedition that purposes to speak to the hearts and minds of both the “churched” and the “un-churched” alike. The project will be released on Ultimate Entertainment, distributed Dorinda Clark Cole (r) and through E1 Music (formerly KOCH Yolanda Adams (l) performed Records), and executive produced the official Sojourner Truthby James E. Jones. tribute song, "Nothin But The Artistsfeaturing featured on the project Truth" actress Cicely include: Mary Mary, Tye Tribbett, Tyson (c) at the Memorial Bustand Dorinda ClarkonCole. For more unveiling Capitol Hill. The information: event aired live on C-SPAN. www.bishoplongthekingdom.com. Photo: Bishop Long (r) greeted by
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Same-sex Marriage Stirs Controversy
With a May 5 vote, the District of Columbia Council may have put an issue before Congress that many House and Senate leaders would just as soon avoid right now: Gay marriage. The top legislative body for residents of the nation’s capital voted 12-1 to recognize the legality of same-sex marriages performed in other states. If Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) signs it, as expected, the bill has one more hurdle to clear before it becomes law. Council decisions are subject to a 30-day period during which Congress may review and overturn them. The lone dissenting vote was former mayor Marion Barry, who now represents an impoverished part of southeast
Washington on the council. While he touted his past support of gay rights in debate before the vote and described his decision to vote in favor of it as “agonizing and difficult,” he decided on this issue he had to side with “ministers who stand on the moral compass of God.” The member who sponsored the bill, At-Large Councilman David Catania (I), is one of two openly gay members of the council. He said Barry was not a bigot, but that his position was “bigoted.” He said the question before the council was whether two of Barry’s colleagues would be “permitted the same rights and responsibilities and obligations as our colleagues.
gospel today |
may 4,
2009
“Medical” Marijuana?
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This past week, The Chicago Tribune Newspaper reported that more than 60 religious leaders in Illinois called upon their state legislature to “de-criminalize” the usage of marijuana. Rev. Bill Pyatt of the First United Methodist Church of Carthage stated, “It is the job of religious leaders to give voice to those who cannot speak up for themselves. We pray that the Illinois legislature will have the compassion to stop this war on patients.” According to the Chicago Tribune, “Several studies suggest that marijuana can mitigate nausea, pain and anxiety for patients with illnesses such as HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. Theological arguments are based on these findings.”
Denominations with official positions supporting medical marijuana include the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association, Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ. On the other side of the debate, however, is the Illinois State Police who are concerned about there being no way to measure impairment for enforcement of DUI laws. Many law enforcement agencies see marijuana as a “gateway” drug that could lead to greater drug activity if allowed to occur with no restraint. Stay tuned!
Same Sex Marriage..cont
Ministers in the District of Columbia have been quite vocal on the topic and see the issue as a commentary on how effective or ineffective the church community is in the nation’s capitol. “In this time of modernity, the church has to be one institution that continues to maintain a standard and a voice for traditional family values” says newly consecrated bishop, Melvin Brown of the Greater New Hope Baptist Church in Washington, DC. The city’s ministerial community, which has a history of dividing itself over controversial issues in the past like Women in Ministry, is attempting to achieve solidarity on this subject. Pastor Kevin Turman who has been strongly connected to the Gamaliel Foundation sees the bill before City Council as a referendum on morality. Catania has vowed to introduce a bill allowing the District to begin performing its own same-sex marriages later this year if the current measure survives the congressional-review period. It also would be likely to pass the council, and Fenty has previously stated his strong support for legalizing same-sex marriage. Opponents of same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia have vowed to lobby Congress to overturn the decision. Harry Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in suburban Beltsville, Md., and an outspoken supporter of Religious Right causes in the African-American community, has emerged as the leader of antigay-marriage forces in the Washington area. He has vowed to develop a strategy to fight same-sex marriage in the District. If the bill becomes law, Washington would join New York in recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states. If the District then legalizes its own gay marriages, it would join four other states in allowing same-sex couples to marry: Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and Iowa.
Same Sex Marriage..cont
Same-sex marriage advances in Maine; N.H. and N.Y. next AUGUSTA, Maine (ABP) — With its governor’s signature May 6, Maine became the fifth state in the nation — and the fourth in New England — to legalize same-sex marriage. Gov. John Baldacci (D) signed the bill shortly after the Democrat-dominated state Senate followed the House’s lead in voting overwhelmingly for a bill that removes heterosexual-specific language from the state’s marriage code. Baldacci, a Catholic, had previously stated his opposition to gay marriage. But, in a statement issued after he signed the bill, he said he had reconsidered his position. “In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” he said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.” “This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls
outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees,” he said. “It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.” Conservatives, led by the Maine Family Policy Council, have vowed to get the measure on the ballot. “Five citizens can take out a petition, and if they gather 60,000 signatures in 90 days, then there is automatically a statewide vote,” Michael Heath, the group’s director, told the conservative website OneNewsNow May 5. “And if the vote goes in favor of the veto, then the law is repealed.” Same-sex marriage bills are poised for approval in two other Northeastern states — New Hampshire and New York. Iowa’s Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage there in April. If New Hampshire approves gay marriage, then Rhode Island will be the region’s lone holdout on the issue. In New York, Democratic Gov. David Paterson is pushing for a gay-marriage bill. Although it is likely to pass the Empire State’s House of Representatives, its fate is unclear in the Senate.
gospel today |
may 4,
2009
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