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Contact: Sabrina D. Guice Guice Media Communications (678) 565-7539 (EDT) [email protected]

Gospel Heritage ’05 Conference Drawing A Who’s Who To Atlanta

Kirk Franklin, Andrae Crouch, Donnie McClurkinHezekiah Walker, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, to headline Black History Month’s largest national Gospel celebration.

January 10, 2005, Atlanta, Ga. – The founder and publisher of Gospel Today magazine, Teresa Hairston, will host the Gospel Heritage Foundation’s annual Praise & Worship Conference in the city of Atlanta February 10-12, 2005. Some of the world’s most renowned musicians, singers and praise and worship leaders will all converge on the city for three power packed days. Participating in the conference will be Grammy, Stellar and Dove award winning artists. In attendance will be , Andrae Crouch, Donnie McClurkin, , Hezekiah Walker, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Fred Hammond and a host of other gospel music pioneers. Conference seminars, workshops, banquets and events will be held at two locations in Atlanta – Word of Faith Worship Center in Austell and the Airport Renaissance Hotel.

Historically, this will be the fourth year the conference will be held. Making it even more special this year is the McDonald’s® Corporation hosting of the Youth Division. Highlights will include the Youth/Choir competition to be held at the Renaissance Hotel on Saturday, February 12th at 2:30 p.m. Prizes for the competition will be cash scholarships totaling $10,000. As an incentive to the community, Ms. Hairston has opened all of the conferences evening sessions to the public free of charge. The evening sessions, which will be hosted at Word of Faith Cathedral (Austell, GA), include the Gospel Heritage Awards on February 10th, a live CD recording on Friday, February 11th, and the closing conference celebration with Bishop Noel Jones on Saturday, February 12th.

Back in 1996, Hairston formed The Gospel Heritage Foundation as a 501 (c) 3, not-for-profit organization with a mission to educate people from around the world about the history and significance of America’s Gospel genre. The big picture is crystallizing with each passing year as more and more young people are given an opportunity to learn about Gospel as well as share their talents in the genre on a national stage. Key leaders in the Gospel industry have united to make the vision of the GHF reality. In the future, the organization plans to establish an International Center for Gospel Heritage (ICGH), which will stand as a physical monument to those who have pioneered in the Gospel field. The International Center for Gospel Heritage will also become a place where Gospel musicians, singers, songwriters, producers, marketers, promoters, publishers, writers and publicists for Gospel can find resources of information, education and empowerment to perpetuate the great Gospel legacy.

Ongoing efforts to establish this location include fundraising at the annual Gospel Heritage “Praise & Worship” Conference and publishing royalties and a percentage of sales from a CD recorded at the Conference. For more information about the upcoming Heritage ’05 conference or the Gospel Heritage Foundation: ghf05.com or 866.864.5611.

Gospel Heritage ’05 Sponsors: GHEDI Enterprises, McDonald’s Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Owner/Operator Association (GAMOA), SGN The Light, Integrity Gospel, Gospel, Gospel Today Magazine, Gospel Today Entertainment, Verity Records, GospoCentric Records, The Word Network, Axiom Entertainment, Glory Communications, Inc., Gospel City.com, Gospelflava.com, blackgospelpromo, Nextel Communications.

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