Verizon’s
How Sweet the Sound Attracts over 100,000 attendees!
The national Gospel competition “How Sweet The Sound” presented by Verizon Wireless, was touted as the “American Idol” for church choirs, with a strong focus on celebrating the Gospel community. The program featured hosts Donald Lawrence and Lisa Kimmey Winans, with judges including Marvin Sapp, CeCe Winans, James Fortune, Dorinda Clark Cole and many more. Tickets were only $5 and $7!! The competition concluded at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Nov. 7 where choirs from 11 U.S. cities vied for the title of “The Best Church Choir in America” and $25,000 in cash and prizes. The 2009 National Finale Winner: Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir (Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir) More than 100,000 people attended the regional competitions across the right l-r Judges - Byron Cage, Dorinda Clark Cole, Marvin Sapp; below, Winning choir, Atlanta West Pentecostal Church
country, enjoying nights of great music and community spirit. The winners from each regional competition selected to compete in the Detroit finale include: · Houston – Resurrection Baptist Church Mass Choir from Resurrection Baptist Church · St. Louis – Faith Celebration Choir from Faith Baptist Church · Washington, D.C. – The Remnant Concert Choir from Mt. Ararat Baptist Church · Newark– Marble Community Gospel Choir from Marble Collegiate Church · Philadelphia – Anointed Voices of Ford Memorial Temple from Ford Memorial Temple
· Detroit – Selected of God from Praise Tabernacle · Chicago – Evangel Celebration Choir from Evangel World Outreach Center · Atlanta – Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir from Atlanta West Pentecostal Church · Memphis– Greater Community Temple Voices from Greater Community Temple Voices COGIC · Los Angeles – City of Refuge P.S.A.L.M.S. Choir from City of Refuge · Oakland – Angelic Voices of Deliverance Center Choir from East Oakland Faith Deliverance Center gt
Stellars Preps for 25 Year Amid Controversy th
Members of Gospel Industry Voice Concern
gos p e l today |
By E. J. Gaines
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On October 29, 2009, Central City Productions (CCP), the company responsible for producing the Stellar Awards, and the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA), the official voting body of the Stellar Awards, announced the nominees for the 2010 Stellar Awards—its 25th anniversary awards show. Alleging gross misconduct by CCP and SAGMA because of several artists who made the nominee list, and some who did not, a large
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Ever since I was a young kid growing up in Chicago, I’ve looked forward to watching the biggest event in gospel music—the Stellar Awards—on television each year. For much of my life, it was the only opportunity I had to see my favorite gospel artists in one location, at one time, performing my favorite songs of the year.
Over the years, the Lord has granted me opportunities to grow from an aficionado to an active laborer within the gospel music industry—in both the creative and business aspects, with major and independent artists. In that time, I’ve also learned that no awards program is without its flaws, as dissatisfaction with the Stellar Awards, and its voting process, have risen from mere whispers to major rumblings within the gospel music industry.
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majority of the gospel community took to social networking sites and blogs to publicly denounce the voting process and, ultimately, the Stellar Awards. My heart broke as I watched artists, execs, tastemakers and consumers within the gospel community mock and ridicule the organization that has sought to recognize excellence in gospel music for the past 25 years. Days later, I wrote and posted an open letter/petition to CCP and SAGMA. In the letter, I attempted to summarize three key issues that I saw recurring among the gospel community’s outcry—a ne ed f or enf or ce me nt of cur r e nt r ule s and ac count ability of SA GM A; an in-de pth r e view of SAGMA’s voting membership criteria; and a mor e fail-pr oof public voting system. Since that time, I’ve experienced kudos and condemnation for writing the letter. Still, my passion for the health of the gospel music industry is paramount to our respective feelings about this issue. Many have misinterpreted the letter, seeing it as a representation of some battle between major artists and independent artists. Others have received it as a personal attack on their own nominations. Fortunately, the majority of the gospel community understood the letter as an attempt to foster a respectful and edifying dialogue about the state of our only awards show. In the coming weeks, I believe we will hear an official response from Central City Productions that will answer many of the questions that have been asked. At that time, the gospel community will be met with the challenge of accepting those answers—if they find them acceptable—or pushing for a continued dialogue in order to make the system better. In either case, I will continue to labor for the industry that I love. And, in the meantime, I’ll be sitting in the audience along with every other fan for the taping of the 2010 Stellar Awards to celebrate 25 years of gospel excellence. gt
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Holy Land Pilgrimages to Israel and Egypt Planned for 2010 & 2011 Special Offers for Churches
‘tis the season to travel!
gos p e l today |
Enjoyment & Education!
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Studies have shown a strong correlation between good health and staying mentally engaged, socially connected and physically active. As health disparities among African Americans continue to grow, more avenues of health are being pusued. Kathy Taylor, associate vice president for Exploritas, an educational travel agency, sees her mission as promoting educational travel as a means to a healthy lifestyle – especially among aging Americans.
Taylor explained, “In the African American community, education is highly valued as a means out of poverty.” She joined Exploritas in 2007 to oversee the African American outreach initiative, and has since also headed up the community outreach and volunteer initiatives, as well as charter programs. Charged with expanding the Exploritas small but loyal African American participant base, Taylor has reached out to communities across the U.S. to introduce the
Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. “I am especially proud of the 2010/2011 special program into the Holy Land (Israel and Egypt) which we have created as a specially priced program for the church community,” Ms. Taylor added. Churches throughout the USA are offered a free trip incentive when a group of eleven takes advantage of the travel opportunity. The twelve-day program, In the Footsteps of Jesus, is currently being offered in November 2010, and March 2011. Recently, Taylor served as emcee on behalf of Exploritas for the Lincoln Town Hall series in Boston — part of the official Lincoln bicentennial celebration — which highlighted the role education played in the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and encourages people of all ages to rededicate themselves to personal, community and national educational goals. This project is being presented in Atlanta and other cities during the month of December (2009). gt For more information on Taylor’s initiative at Exploritas, visit www.exploritas.org/globaldiscoveries.
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benefits of educational travel to this particular community. Exploritas has seen a significant increase in African Americans who are taking advantage of the many adventures for lifelong learning that are representative and inclusive of the Black American experience. “It’s been exciting — from creating our own URL to developing new programs that appeal to African Americans.” Exploritas offers year-round travel program with special appeal to the African American traveler; such programs have included the Life and Works of Richard Wright in Natchez, Mississippi; the Many Colors of Paris; and more recently the “Taste of Martha’s Vineyard” event featuring Ambassador Andrew Young and other upcoming programs such as Understanding Obama’s Hawaii. The Black History Month series, initiated in 2008, has provided a unique opportunity to highlight destinations that persons of all ethnicities have visited to learn about African American history. The 2009 Black History program will include a genealogical seminar on tracing ones African ancestors using DNA which will be held in Atlanta,
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Roland Hairston Pastors