State officials have enlisted Baptist volunteers to support the efforts of workers battling Texas wildfires that have caused four deaths and destroyed more than 1,000 homes.

Texas Baptist Men was asked to cook 5,000 meals per day for firefighters and first responders in the hardest-hit Bastrop area, about 25 miles from Austin. The Tarrant Baptist Association feeding unit began serving meals Sept. 5 staffed by about 30 volunteers.

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention fed about 4,500 emergency responders over Labor Day weekend in Palo Pinto County west of Fort Worth, where wildfires destroyed 39 homes. Wrapping up that operation, the feeding unit also headed toward Bastrop and Montgomery counties.

The Bastrop wildfire is the most severe of more than 180 wildfires reported in the past week across the drought-stricken state. It has destroyed more than 600 home and blackened 45 square miles.

Aided by lighter winds and increased humidity, Texas Forest Service officials said Wednesday the blaze was about 30 percent contained.

Presidential Candidate Govenor Rick Perry shows emotion over wildfires

Texas is home to many Gospel artists including Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Myron Butler, James Fortune, Fred Hammond, Kurt Carr, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and many others.  None of whom have been seriously effected by the tragedy.

Read More by Associated Baptist Press

Oprah Winfrey has announced plans for a one-hour Facebook Live streaming video interview at 4:30 P.M. Eastern Time, 1:30 P.M. Pacific this Thursday! Oprah will answer questions shared by visitors to the Facebook Live event wall. Fans are also invited to share their questions now on Facebook, with a chance to hear Oprah answer their question during the live show.

Oprah is no stranger to Facebook. Her official Oprah Winfrey page is liked by more than 6.2 million fans. Oprah has a booming Twitter account as well, where she has 7.2 million followers!

This is also the same date that the NFL season kicks off and President Obama addresses a joint session of congress! September 8^th will be one busy day! 

Source: www.eurweb.com and www.mashable.com.

The sister duo of Mary Mary recently tweeted that they landed the theme song for Pillsbury Grands Biscuit and Egg Scramble.  The TV spots started Monday. The song “Brand New Morning” is the jingle for the new products.

According to the General Mills, fourteen dancing Pillsbury Doughboy’s and Mary Mary gave out free breakfast recently in Chicago’s Union Station to mark the launch of the Grands Biscuit Sandwiches and Egg Scrambles.

Congrats to Erica and Tina!

Three weeks after a Georgia church was burglarized, an anonymous donor stepped in to help with a winning $80,000 lottery ticket the Associated Press reports.

Click Here to Purchase!

One thing is undeniable, that gospel music is synonymous with Choirs.  Good choir music can set the atmosphere, sooth a hurting soul and inspire a stomp and a joyful shout of praise!  Many great church choirs go unheard beyond the walls of their own sanctuaries.  This will change for one of the most vibrant choirs on the east coast – The Mount Lebanon Baptist Church Unity Choir of Chesapeake, VA. 

Sounds of Blackness (SOB) has been bringing hope and inspiration to people through their music for the past four decades. As the group celebrates 40 years in music and entertainment, it offers another soaring anthem to resilience of the human spirit. “Fly Again,” the first single on the group’s tenth and self-titled CD, The Sounds of Blackness, reassures the listener that no matter how bad things seem, you’ve got to “just hold on and be strong,” because together we will all soon be able to “FLY AGAIN!”

The group dedicates the song to all of the people of the cities across America and around the world, who have recently suffered unfathomable devastation. As the U.S. and the world mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorists attacks, this song perfectly expresses the sentiments of the nation—that together we can survive and even “celebrate a new day.”

We urge you to put this song into rotation on your stations, online site(s)/Internet portal, or utilize as a music bed for your television broadcast starting the week of Septembers 4th. As we look back at the horror of the past events, this song will remind us that we have a brighter future.

The Sounds of Blackness is a multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning group of singers and musicians. Under the direction of Gary Hines, the group has performed before millions of people on five continents since 1971. It has a repertoire that includes music ranging from soul to spiritual, R&B to rock, and jazz to world beat, hip-hop, and classical. The new CD, The Sounds of Blackness, features three generations of singers. It contains new songs, as well as new arrangements of popular classics such as The Beatles’ hit “Hey Jude.” Special guests appearing on the CD include GRAMMY winner Norman Brown, jazz vocalist Doris Hines, XROSS, and the Dreamers Union Choir. “Fly Again” features the phenomenal lead vocalist Jamecia Bennett, daughter of the incomparable Ann Nesby, a former lead singer with SOB, and mother of Paris Bennett, a finalists on American Idol Season 5.

Sounds of Blackness recently signed with Jackson Mississippi-based Malaco Music Group. Much of the historic label was destroyed in a tornado in April, 2011, however the company too will “Fly Again” and will release the SOB CD on October 18, 2011.

Atlanta, GA-based songwriter Darius Paulk, 27, is enjoying the biggest success of his young career with the song, “Nobody Greater.” Recorded by EMI Gospel recording artist, Vashawn Mitchell, the song hit the #1 spot on Billboard magazine’s Hot Gospel Songs chart last fall and has remained in the Top 10 for a solid year and become one of gospel music’s most popular songs ever. It’s also appeared on Sony Music subsidiary Verity Music Group’s best-selling CD, “WOW Gospel 2011.”

A Pittsburgh man, Travis Malloy, has now filed a lawsuit against Paulk and named EMI Christian Music Group and Sony Music Holdings, Inc. as co-defendants, claiming that he co-authored the song with Paulk. In his lawsuit, Malloy argues that he has not received writing credit nor royalties from radio airplay or music sales for the song. Paulk, who is aware that an action has been filed but has not actually seen it, adamantly denies that Malloy has any claim to authorship.

“I wrote Nobody Greater during a very traumatic period in my life in 2008,” Paulk says. “It’s my testimony. I was laid-off because of downsizing at my job. I had just gotten a car and a new place. Also, my grandfather had been diagnosed with cancer. The message of the song reflects my personal struggles and victories. Travis Malloy did not contribute to the creation of this song. I wrote the lyrics and melody by myself in the privacy of my home. His claim is baseless and I am confident in the fact that justice will soon prevail. Truth always comes to light and the truth that this entire song was created by me will be revealed in due time.”

Gospel music legend Andraé Crouch will be releasing his first CD in five years on September 27, 2011. The title of the CD is The Journey and the artists included in the project is quite impressive.

Special guests include Kim Burrell, Take 6, Rance Allen, long time Crouch vocalist, Tata Vega, fellow legendary artists Chaka Khan and Sheila E, and Pastor Marvin Winans who appears on the new single “Let The Church Say Amen.”

From Andrae Crouch:

“The making of this CD along with my producer and arranger Luther “Mano” Hanes, “my son,” was an incredible experience,” said Crouch. “I cried, I danced, I laughed, I prayed, and I worshipped … and you’re going to do the same. My prayer is that this CD will bring you into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.”

“As a producer you dream of working with the true legends. I have had the ultimate honor in working with one of the greatest legends and songwriters in Gospel Music history, Pastor Andraé Crouch. It doesn’t get any better than that,” says Hanes of Crouch. “As a songwriter, hands down, Andraé is the KING, Period! I have never ever experienced a God-given gift like Pastor Andraé Crouch.”

We will just have to wait to see who is crowned Sunday’s Best! 

According to BETs The Gospel According to Torrence: The finale episode scheduled to air on this Sunday, September 4 at 8:00 p.m. will now air on Sunday September 11. Here’s why. During Episode 9, an incorrect voting phone number was given for one of the contestants and, as you know, there were significant power outages along the East Coast.

That said, we decided it would be best to re-air last week’s episode with the correct information and extend the voting process. Voting will continue online and via text but if you voted by phone you will have to do it again beginning on September 4 at 9:00 p.m. Votes casts by phone during the period of August 29–August 31 will not be counted.

Our two finalists worked extremely hard during the season and we want to ensure they both have a fair shot in the competition. Unfortunately, these things happen sometimes but we want to make sure the results of the show are correct as the futures of two young ladies are riding on your votes. Thanks for understanding and we appreciate your continued support. So tune in on September 4 at 9pm and VOTE!

Now that voting has been extended be sure to make your vote count! Check out last weeks episode from Sunday’s Best which showcases the final two finalists Amber Bullock and Andrea Helms!  Also check out James Fortune & FIYA and Richard Smallwood.  Click Here for voting information.