The Gospel Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit founded by Dr. Teresa Hairston (of Gospel Today magazine) fifteen years ago, is adding regional conferences to its ever-popular annual Praise & Worship Conference, the first of which begins TODAY in Cleveland, OH.

Each regional conference will consist of Friday evening ‘Worship and Word’ services, followed by an artist showcase featuring local talent. From that talent pool, local artists may receive an invitation to perform at an upcoming annual conference or live recording.

Regional conferences end  on Saturday mornings with a three-hour seminar featuring Dr. Teresa Hairston, along with national speakers and recording artists, including Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Wess Morgan, Joe Pace, JJ Hairston and Dr. John Guns.

A quick look at the cities/churches sponsoring a regional conference:

Aug. 19 – Aug. 20 | Cleveland, OH | New Spirit Revival Center
Sep. 23 – Sep. 24 | Bloomfield, CT | First Cathedral
Sep. 30 – Oct. 01 | Washington, DC | Mt. Calvary Holy Church
Nov. 11 – Nov. 12 | Sacramento, CA | This Is Pentecost Fellowship Ministry

Next year’s annual conference will again take place in Jacksonville, FL, from February 16-18, 2012.

For more info about the regional conferences and the annual conference, visit Gospel Heritage’s website at http://www.gospelheritage.org.

Be there!

If you good people happen to get a copy of the May/June issue of Gospel Today magazine, you might find a little article called “The NEW Gospel Music Industry” in it, written by a young man named EJ Gaines.

My article focuses on the state of the changing music industry economy– explaining where we were 10 years ago, where are are today, and what changed during that time to affect the industry as it has.

The magazine, published by Dr. Teresa Hairston, is the leading magazine in the urban faith-based community, reaching over a quarter of a million people.

Click here for a preview of the editorial… let me know what you think!

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Gospel Heritage Foundation’s Praise & Worship Conference in Jacksonville, FL, which is the vision of Gospel Today’s Dr. Teresa Hairston.

I was a featured speaker on two panels for the youth and college division along with Carla Williams (General Manager of Kirk Franklin’s Fo Yo Soul Entertainment), Monica Coates (author/speaker/industry vet), Asaph Ward (super producer), Grant Jenkins (artist manager/artist development consultant, the point5ive agency) and Myron Butler (artist/songwriter/producer).

On the first panel, we talked about the “new” music industry and how the current industry differs from what it used to be.  And we talked about what it means for people, in both the short-run and long-term.  After a quick break, the second panel featured us sharing more about our unconventional careers in this “new” music industry.  Of course, we had lots of time for Q&A, which is generally my favorite part of any panel discussion.

I can’t recap all the nuggets of wisdom that each of the panelists gave– you shoulda been there. In short, we really tried to equip and challenge people to be better, not just to do “business as usual.”  And the audience was of a perfect age to take it and run with it (cuz some of you “seasoned” saints get so set in your ways!).

I’ve been thinking about the panel discussion since then, and I wanted to share some concepts from it with the general readership of GospelPundit.com.  One thing I wanna stress is that it is not enough to look the part– you actually have to be competent.

The “do-it-yourself” theme of the industry is both a good thing and a bad thing.  It’s good because the playing field is being leveled– anyone can promote, market and further their careers from a home computer.  Trust me, I love it.  However, the unfortunate reality is that, of those who do it themselves, only a handful are actually artists or executives of substance.

Don’t be fooled by the current music industry’s resources, now replete with social networking and opportunities galore… you STILL have to do the work, lest you be found severely lacking when the spotlight is on you.  And don’t think that a bunch of views on your YouTube video automatically translates to album sales, ministry bookings, OR (most importantly) impacted lives.  Remember– your shortcut doesn’t speak for you.  You’ll still have to be a person of substance once your arrive at the destination.

That goes for everyone.  It’s not enough to just “look like one,” whatever the “one” is.  Songwriters need to dig deeper; artists, musicians and producers need to be more creative; executives need to actually be educated in what they’re doing.

This is an age of information– but anyone laboring in the gospel industry needs to be more than just informative, they must be transformative.

So, as you’re carving out your niche in this industry, do the gospel community a favor– be a person of substance and refined professionalism, not just someone who grabbed an opportunity and fooled people into buying your hype.  Do your work, beforehand and during, so that you’re actually contributing to, not just taking from, the Kingdom of God.

Cool?

In a couple of weeks, Dr. Teresa Hairston (Gospel Today) will be hosting her annual Gospel Heritage Praise & Worship Conference in Jacksonville, FL.  It’s gonna be a two-day event that you do NOT wanna miss, featuring worship services, musical offerings, workshops and panels that’ll inspire, encourage and equip you.

Check out the flyers below to see just a SAMPLE of some of the folks participating– from Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and Kirk Franklin to Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Jonathan Nelson and Paul Morton… on and on and on.

During the conference, I’ll be speaking on two panels geared toward young adults (peep my lil’ photo on the second flyer, top right… LOL).  One panel discussion will focus on what the “new” music industry looks like, the other talks about careers opps in that new music industry.  My panel peers will include some of the best and brightest in the gospel game and I’m excited to be a part of it.

Anyone ever attended one of the annual conferences?  Anyone planning to attend THIS one?  Talk to me!

Planning for the Gospel Heritage Foundation’s Praise & Worship Conference, the popular annual gathering spearheared by Dr. Teresa Hairston of Gospel Today Magazine, is in full swing.

The two-day conference will take place on February 18th and 19th, 2010 in Jacksonville, FL.  Guest speakers include Dr. Rudolph McKissick, Bishop Noel Jones and Kirk Franklin.  There will also be workshops and panel discussions, artist showcases and a huge concert with artists TBA.

And… *drumroll please* You’ll never guess who’s been asked to speak on TWO panels?!

Now clearly, I’m not the only reason you should consider coming, but I’d definitely love to see some of you there!  Cool?  Cool.

Registration is open NOW.  Check out the official website to register and for more details: http://www.gospeltodayonline.com/GHF/.

Some streets in Nashville are confusing.  I drove RIGHT past stuff so frequently… but by the time we made it to the swank, reception-style gathering at the ASCAP offices, all was well.  Gospel industry powerhouse, Neily Dickerson, coordinated the event and it was great.  I grabbed some hors d’oeuvres and got ready for the showcase, hosted by Darlene McCoy.

First up was Darrel Petties & Strength In Praise.  They did a great job.  The choir was tight and Darrel Petties was rather engaging.  I don’t own any of his stuff, but I may have to make a quick purchase.  This one song they sang, “Down At the Cross”… good Lawd!

After that, we were blessed by Jessica Greene (multiple Stellar Awards nominee and, ultimately, winner of the Best New Artist award).  Though she’s a “new artist,” she gave it to us like a seasoned professional.  She commanded the attention of that whole room– yes, folks, put your sushi down and gather ’round.

Finally, mega-producer Tommy Sims got up with an acoustic guitar and, with Daniel Weatherspoon on keys, performed “Sinner’s Prayer,” which he wrote for Marvin Winans’ recent solo release.  An amazing performance!

Also in the house were artists Andraé Crouch, Darwin Hobbs, Isaac Caree, Kevin LeVar, David Ivey and industry folks Sheilah Belle, Teresa Hairston, and Monica Coates.  There were tons of other folks, too, but I can’t name ‘em all.  Great job, ASCAP and Neily!

No time to waste, though, cuz I had to run to the Red Carpet event.  Stay tuned!

And look for photos SOON in the 2009 Stellar Awards Weekend Photo Gallery!

Mark Douglas Sanders, the older brother of Gospel Today publisher Dr. Teresa Hairston, passed away on Monday, December 1st, after battling liver disease.  Let’s remember to keep her and her entire family in prayer.

My wife suggested that my first blog be about Olivia…

Though I didn’t “report” it, Olivia McClurkin passed away on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 and her homegoing service was held this past Tuesday, the 11th, at Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, New York.

She was eulogized by her younger brother, Pastor Donnie McClurkin, and the service was an incredible tribute to her amazing life.

I want to give you details, but I wouldn’t remember it all.From all of the words spoken to all of the songs sung, the service was fitting and phenomenal.

A host of family, friends and church members showed their love for Olivia that night.

Reflections were made by many, including her three daughters, Daesa, Crystal and Jada, and two of her sisters, Marlene and Andrea.

Also speaking about Olivia were Kirk Franklin, Cissy Houston (Olivia used to provide background vocals for Whitney Houston), Teresa Hairston (Gospel Today), Andraé Crouch and Sandra Crouch.

Perhaps one of the most moving tributes came from the doctor who treated her for the past decade, as he discussed how Olivia’s fight shaped his own posture in medical treatment– one of reliance on the master Healer.

And I won’t even talk about the music.

Or, maybe I will… Folks who grabbed the mic in honor of Olivia included Pastor Marvin L. Winans (co-officiant), Pastor McClurkin, Kirk Franklin (with a special group of vocalists in “My Life, My Love, My All”), Andrea Mellini, Sheila Carpenter, Arnelia Lomax and Andraé Crouch.

To cap it off, Louis Mellini (Olivia’s brother-in-law) compiled an awesome video presentation about Olivia, which included some hilarious home videos and inspiring documentary footage.

On a personal note, I am going to miss Olivia terribly.

She had a remarkably quick wit and was an absolute riot. While I often enjoyed just sitting around, waiting for her to do or say something stupid, I also looked forward to hearing her speak words of wisdom and faith.

It was by that faith that Liv battled and beat cancer many times over, for nearly a decade.

She is the true definition of a Christian soldier and I’m excited to see her again in glory.