“The Bible declares that the mind of person given over to homosexuality becomes depraved or spiritually worthless. This was on full display when pop star Elton John declared, ‘I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.’ This is an outrage and the height of blasphemy and an offence to all those who are Christians,” said Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission.

“Sodomy is a pernicious sin and to assert Jesus was a homosexual is to allege he engaged in a most wicked and perverted activity. It denies the Christian doctrine of the sinless life of Christ who died as an innocent man on behalf of the guilty human race. If Jesus was a sodomite then there is no atonement or forgiveness of sin,” said Cass.

“To assert that Jesus was a homosexual only serves to confirm the twisted and depraved mind of Elton John,” Cass continues. “This is an obvious case of someone projecting their own corrupt lifestyle onto Christ in an effort to justify their own unrepentant buggery. Elton John owes all Christians an apology.”

Helping Hands To Haiti (HHH), is the vision of The Bridge, Southwest Community Christian Center of Houston, Texas.  Thorough the leadership of its, Pastor, Dr. Gregg J. Patrick, the church has begun a monumental effort to get humanitarian aid directly to the hands of the Haitian people; where it is so desperately needed.
The 20 year old church, has established and supported many charitable events over the years, and distributing over 98% of the funds directly to the agencies involved.
During the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Pastor Patrick and The Bridge were one of the first (and only) churches that consistently came to the aid of the displaced Americans who had to flee to The Astrodome in Houston.  Pastor Patrick worked tirelessly with the Red Cross and other agencies to help and insure physical comfort and spiritual aid to thousands that were there; many of whom have remained in Houston, as members of the church.
Pastor Patrick, a major gospel artist, had a top-ten CD “Crossover” in 2009 (Billboard).  Through his gospel industry contacts, HHH will produce a major gospel concert to support these efforts.

HHH Divisions of Relief:
    1.    Humanitarian – support and provide relief to the people i.e., food, water, staples, clothing.
    2.    Community – fundraisers stateside to secure local support to assist in all efforts.
    3.    Missionary – to travel to Haiti to help rebuild, restore and minister to the people.

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Verity Gospel Music Group artist Marvin Sapp‘s latest single “The Best In Me” has just set a new Billboard record by jumping from #78 to #14 on the Hot R&B/Hot Songs Chart. This meteoric, one week jump is the largest position jump by a gospel track since the chart began using Nielsen SoundScan data 18 years ago. In addition, this is also the largest jump in four years among all genres. “The Best In Me” is the lead single from Sapp’s forthcoming live album Here I Am, which hits stores on March 16, 2010.

Best Gospel Performance

For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.

Free To Be Me

Francesca Battistelli [Fervent Records/ Word Entertainment]

Jesus Is Love

Heather Headley Featuring Smokie Norful Track from: Audience Of One [EMI Gospel]

I Believe

Jonny Lang With Fisk Jubilee Singers Track from: Oh Happy Day [Vector Recordings/EMI Gospel]

Wait On The Lord

Donnie McClurkin Featuring Karen Clark Sheard Track from: We All Are One (Live In Detroit) [Verity]

Born Again

Third Day, Featuring Lacey Moseley Track from: Revelation [Essential Records] 

Best Gospel Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see the Song Of The Year award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Born Again

Tai Anderson, David Carr, Mark Lee & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day, Featuring Lacey Moseley) Track from: Revelation [Essential Records; Publisher: Consuming Fire Music.]

City On Our Knees

Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan & Jamie Moore, songwriters (TobyMac) [Forefront Records; Publishers: Achtober Songs, Emack Music, Jamnu Music, Castle Bound, Bummerman Music.]

Every Prayer

Dayna Caddell, Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey & Ricardo Sanchez, songwriters (Israel Houghton & Mary Mary) Track from: The Power Of One [Integrity Music; Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing, Aaron Lindsey Publishing, Integrity’s Praise! Music, Sound of the New Breed, gnidybab music, Ricardo Music Dot Com.]

God In Me

Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary Featuring Kierra "KiKi" Sheard) Track from: The Sound [Columbia Records; Publishers: EMI April Music, Wet Ink Red Music, That’s Plum Song, It’s Tea Tyme.]

The Motions

Jason Houser, Sam Mizell & Matthew West, songwriters (Matthew West) Track from: Something To Say [Sparrow Records; Publishers: Word Music/Songs For Lulu/Simple Tense Songs/Wyzell Music/Songs of Extreme/Cedar Sides.] 

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album

For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.

The Big Picture

Da’ T.R.U.T.H. [Cross Movement Records]

Crash

Decyfer Down [INO Records]

Innocence & Instinct

Red [Essential Records]

Live Revelations

Third Day [Essential Records]

The Dash

John Wells-The Tonic [Cross Movement Records] 

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.

Speaking Louder Than Before

Jeremy Camp [BEC Recordings]

The Power Of One

Israel Houghton [Integrity Music]

The Long Fall Back To Earth

Jars Of Clay [Gray Matters/Essential Records]

Love Is On The Move

Leeland [Essential Records]

Freedom

Mandisa [Sparrow Records] 

Best Southern/Country/Bluegrass Gospel Album

For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.

Jason Crabb

Jason Crabb [Spring Hill Music Group]

Dream On

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound [Gaither Music Group]

The Rock

Tracy Lawrence [Rocky Comfort Records/Artist2Market Distribution]

In God’s Time

Barry Scott & Second Wind [Rebel Records]

Everyday

Triumphant Quartet [Daywind Records] 

Best Traditional Gospel Album

For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.

God Don’t Never Change

Ashley Cleveland [E1 Music]

The Law Of Confession, Part I

Donald Lawrence & Co. [Quiet Water/Verity]

Oh Happy Day

(Various Artists) Bill Hearn, Ken Levitan, Ken Pennell, Jack Rovner & Cedric Thompson, producers [EMI Gospel/Vector Recordings]

The Journey Continues

The Williams Brothers [Blackberry Records]

How I Got Over

Vickie Winans [Destiny Joy Records] 

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.

Audience Of One

Heather Headley [EMI Gospel]

Renewed

Sheri Jones-Moffett [EMI Gospel]

Just James

J Moss [GospoCentric/ Verity]

Smokie Norful: Live

Smokie Norful [EMI Gospel]

Bold Right Life

Kierra Sheard [EMI Gospel]

Andrae Crouch, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Shirley Ceasar, Donnie McClurkin, Clark Sisters, Marvin Sapp, Dottie Peoples, Cece Winans, Byron Cage and many other music legends & today’s hitmakers part of GMC’s Black History Month line-up in February

Gospel Music Channel (GMC) will celebrate Black History Month this February with music and artists that have inspired the world.

In addition to major premiere programming and specials, GMC will also present special vignettes throughout the month featuring artists including Marvin Sapp, Byron Cage, Canton Jones, Ricky Dillard, Beverly Crawford, The Murrills and Angella Christie reflecting on the events and historical figures in the Black Community that have shaped their lives personally and professionally.

Other highlights of GMC’s Black History Month Celebration include:
— The basic cable television premiere of the 25th Anniversary of The Stellar Awards, the premier Gospel event that recognizes and honors Gospel artists, on Sunday, Feb 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Vickie Winans, Kirk Franklin and Donnie McClurkin co-host this memorable evening. Legendary vocalists Tremaine Hawkins, Shirley Caesar and Dottie Peoples appear on stage together as do Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp and Byron Cage. The show also features piano collaborations from Smokie Norful and Richard Smallwood, Hezekiah Walker with his Love Fellowship Choir and Ricky Dillard and New G with a Choir Collaboration. Other performers include BeBe & CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin singing a medley of hits, Crystal Aikin, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Israel Houghton performing with Mary Mary, and Donald Lawrence with the Verizon Wireless “How Sweet the Sound” winners, the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir.

The world premiere of the 2010 BMI Trailblazers Awards Tribute to Donnie McClurkin & Andraé Crouch (Sunday, Feb. 21 at 8:00 p.m ET.) The all-star special — recorded Jan. 15 in Nashville as part of The 2010 Stellar Awards festivities — includes appearances and inspired live performances from a selection of contemporary stars and gospel powerhouses. Byron Cage hosts the tribute to McClurkin, which features inspired live performances by Latice Crawford, Micah Stampley, Pastor Marvin Winans, and Yolanda Adams, who is joined by McClurkin for a rousing rendition of “We Fall Down.” Adams then hosts the musical homage to Crouch. Spine-tingling performances are delivered by stars including Adams, BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans, TaTa Vega, Mary Mary, Pastor Marvin Winans, and Dorinda Clark Cole.

GMC world premieres A Love Song for Haiti: The Making of ‘Are You Listening’ (Feb. 21 at 9:30pm) an exclusive special that goes behind-the-scenes of the gospel community’s answer to “We Are the World.” Kirk Franklin wrote and produced the song to benefit Haiti and assembled a who’s who of gospel greats for the recording.

For a complete schedule of GMC’s BHM programming, go to www.gospelmusicchannel.com/schedule. GMC can be seen in 46 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.

The highly anticipted third offering from the soul-stirring James Fortune & FIYA will be out tomorrow.  At press time the group has planned an album release party on Wednesday, January 27th in Houston, Texas at "The Bridge" – Southwest Community Christian Center.  It will be Free admission and plenty of fans & media will be on hand to celebrate the upcoming release which goes on sale nationally Tuesday January 26th.  Path MEGAzine will be in the house.  Make sure you grab this one you guys.  I can tell by the snippets that it’s hot!  See below.

I have the entire CD titled "The Winner in Me."  The 2009 release was full of inspirational songs that was very personal to the R & B turned Gospel Artist Coko.  The production was top notch, and I love anything that the Nashville String Machine puts their hands on.  Watch the video of the title cut "A Winner in Me." 

Read Also: James Fortune Releases New CD Titled "Encore"

Grammy-winning gospel singer, Kirk Franklin, is the latest celebrity to step up to the plate to lend a helping hand to the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Franklin took the lead for a special performance of "A Song for Pain" during last weekend’s Stellar Awards in Nashville. Franklin gathered many Gospel stars and fans together to contribute vocals to the song that he wrote and produced.

The song, which has been recorded and will be available for purchase via iTunes, also features the vocal talents of Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Fred Hammond, Karen Clark-Sheard, KiKi Sheard, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Smokie Norful and Mary Mary, among them. All of the artists, musicians and engineers donated their talents to make this project a reality.

All of the proceeds from record sales will go towards Haiti. In addition, The Gospel Music Channel will air an hour-long special on January 23, 2010, which will include footage of the live studio recording. A music video for "A Song for Pain" will also be created using the video footage gathered at the recording.

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