06 NEWS
Christian advocacy organisation celebrates 10th anniversary
Forthcoming book aims to help gospel artists succeed Roy Francis, a leading figure in the UK gospel scene, is putting the finishing touches to How To Make Gospel Music Work For You - his first ever book.
Christian Concern, an organisation that provides legal representation for Christians who are treated unfairly because of their faith, recently celebrated their 10th anniversary at a special service at the Emmanuel Centre in Central London. Up to 600 guests were in attendance, and listened as co-founder and chief executive, Andrea Williams, challenged UK Christians to “build a movement of people passionate to see Jesus at the heart of society.” Other speakers during the service included co-founder Pastor Ade Omooba and Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. Speaking after the event, co-founder and chief executive, Andrea Williams, said: “Jesus Christ is the heartbeat of the Christian Concern family. Bringing the life of Jesus to the heart of society is what drives us. We long to see His love, justice, truth, freedom and hope transform the heart of our culture.” Co-founder and director, Pastor Ade Omooba, stated: “The last ten years have flown by, and so much has happened in that time. It’s been an amazing journey and a remarkable story of God’s sustaining power and goodness, since a small group of Christian leaders from diverse backgrounds decided to take a stand and start Christian Concern. But we’re conscious that this is only the beginning. We’re looking to grow the Christian Concern family, so that we can be even more effective in bringing the good news of Jesus to the heart of society. I pray the Lord grants us great grace and pace for the race ahead.” Visit www.christianconcern.com for more details.
Documentary to challenge help for the hurting A new Christian production company is looking forward to the screening of their first ever documentary that deals with a subject often talked about privately: being hurt by the Church. The Recitent Ones Production, the Church Hurt Documentary, is set to be screened in February 2019, and will feature Christians sharing their experiences of being hurt by the Church, and the support - or lack of it - they received. Samuel Baleera, one of the documentary producers, shared: “This is our first documentary, and has been two years in the making. One of the goals of the documentary is to challenge the Church on how they handle those who have been hurt. As Christians, the most important commandment is to love our neighbour, but we don’t see that enough. When people are hurt, it oftentime ends badly, affecting the individual in ways that shouldn’t be associated with the Church. We all know ‘things happen’ within church, but what happens after that? We want to help restore that balance.” Recitent Ones Production have already started trailing clips of the production on social media. Visit Facebook: @Church Hurt – The Reticent Ones; Twitter: @reticentones; Instagram: @reticentones to watch the documentary. Find us on Twitter and Facebook: @KeepTheFaithmag
Scheduled to be published in 2019, the book will contain useful tips and advice on how UK gospel artists can build a successful music ministry and provide a history of gospel music in Britain and America. Roy decided to write the book after hearing gospel artists share their frustrations in trying to make headway with their music. A gospel veteran, Roy has many years’ experience working in the UK gospel scene. In his youth, he was a celebrated keyboardist, and was a teacher working as a TV producer, firstly on groundbreaking gospel music television series ‘People Get Ready’ on Channel 4 in the 1980s, and then on BBC’s ‘Songs of Praise’. He also directed the successful and multi-million selling ‘Donnie McClurkin Live in London’ recording and DVD. He has worked as an agent, promoter and consulter. He believes it is possible for UK artists to have successful music ministries. He told Keep The Faith: “Any artist desirous to have a successful gospel music ministry has to be intentional and strategic about it. How To Make Gospel Music Work For You gives the reader insights they need to develop a winning strategy. I trust people will find it useful when published.” Visit www.rfproductions.co.uk for more information.
