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Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Erica Campbell, Pastor Marvin Sapp, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Lester Love and more!

The Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. will hold its 48th Annual Convention at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 26 through July 31, 2015, it was announced today by the GMWA.

The GMWA, founded by the late Reverend James Cleveland, is the world’s premier independent gospel music convention.

In March 1996, Bishop Albert L. Jamison was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. Bishop Jamison currently serves as Pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Tabernacle in his native Brooklyn, New York; is President and Founder of Pentecost at Any Cost Ministry; is Chairman of the Board of Governors, Perfecting Christian-Pentecostal Connection; is Bishop of Finance, Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship and is on the Board of Directors, African-American Religious Connection.

As a leader in the church, Reverend Jamison exemplifies the powerful ministry of gospel music. With his guidance, the choir, “People United to Save Our Children,” has developed a rich and far-reaching ministry. The choir received the 20th Annual Dove Award for Contemporary Black Gospel Album of the Year. Bishop Jamison is nationally known as Founder and President of the Triboro Mass Choir. The choir has recorded eight albums and in 1979 was nominated for a Grammy Award for their recording, “In God’s Own Time My Change Will Come.” Under his direction, the New York State Chapter of Gospel Music Workshop of America performed a live recording and video entitled, “Moving On,” in 1994.

Ministers, speakers and evangelists confirmed for this year’s GMWA include Dr. E. Dewey Smith, Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Pastor Marvin Sapp, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Bishop Noel Jones, Bishop Lester Love, Dr. Stephen J. Thurston, Rev. Clay Evans, Bishop Willie James Campbell and Daily Intercessory Prayer with Bishop Julia Whitehurst Wade.

This year’s GMWA musical events include an inspirational Choir fest with Bishop Hezekiah Walker on Sunday, July 26 and gospel music spectaculars each night of the conference.

Schedule of Nightly Musical events is as follows:

Sunday @ 9 PM – 11PM Evangelistic Service

Sunday – Wednesday @ 11 PM – 1:30 AM Youth Nightly Musical

Wednesday @ 11Pm Good Ole Days Concert

Thursday @ 7 PM National Youth Presentation & Concert

Friday Times TBA – Live Recording Session

In March of 1967, the late Rev. James Cleveland called together his friends and colleagues from across the United States to brainstorm the concept of producing a viable ongoing venue for the presentation of gospel music productions. From these early meetings, Rev. Cleveland developed the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. where the perpetuation and promotion of gospel music has been and remains a primary purpose of the organization.

The original selection of people Rev. Cleveland called together was chosen due to their individual contributions in gospel music. This association formed the Gospel Music Workshop of America with a national convention motto of “Where Everybody is Somebody.”

Rev. Cleveland stated, “There are young folk that have talent but have nowhere to get instructions as to how to put that talent to work. And so I thought how could we help upgrade the music in the church and bring sometime of education to the youth since there is no formal education in schools where they can get the training…so I had the bright idea to get all the best exponents of gospel from all over the world together, asked them what they thought about the idea of coming together forming a workshop to try to teach the young folk whatever they wanted to know about gospel.”

The Gospel Music Workshop of America is a Christian organization convening annually, where national performers, recording artists, new and inspiring songwriters, educators, liturgical dancers, the young and old, pastors, and others minister to each other and to the needs and directions within the African American religious experience. It has opened its doors to welcome and receive people of all races, origins, influences and cultures.

The object of the association was to perpetuate, promote and advance the Christian ideal through the medium of music by joining together gospel choirs, choruses, singers and songwriters throughout the US in a voluntary association for education, cooperation, promotion and the communication of ideas and ideals. The Gospel Music Workshop of America was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan.

The GMWA convention remains one of the most popular destinations in the year for gospel music lovers. Thousands of individuals, both registered delegates and newcomers, head to the annual meetings to get a taste of gospel’s finest and this rich tradition continues to foster the many generations of gospel music with powerful ministry, excellent training, industry networking and hours of great singing.

Since the passing of Rev. James Cleveland in 1991, the organization still marches on as one of America’s treasured music institutions. To this day, it is the largest artistic organization of its kind in the world with 75,000 members in more than 185 chapters stretching from the United States to Asia. The Gospel Music Workshop of America, also called GMWA for short, has a beautiful history that finds some of gospel’s greatest paying their dues to eventually become legends in the evolving forms of traditional and contemporary gospel.

Courtesy of http://www.thebellereport.com    http://www.twitter.com/thebellereport    http://www.youtube.com/thebelletv

The Gospel Music Workshop of America Announces 48th Annual Convention: Hilton New Orleans Riverside JULY 26-JULY 31, 2015  was originally published on praiserichmond.com