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    jackieholness

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    Will Pastor of Dr. King Jr.’s Church, Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, Leave Pulpit for Senate Race?

    Hello World,

    The New Year is a time for new direction and from what I’ve heard, the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was once the pastor, may be heading in a new direction.

    According to the AJC, “the Atlanta pastor is expected to soon announce a challenge to Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and his stemwinder of a sermon at this week’s Martin Luther King Jr. ceremony may as well have been a preview of his campaign message.

    What the Democrat hasn’t said yet is whether he plans to remain on the pulpit of the historic church that serves as King’s spiritual home. But if the last time he pondered a Senate run is any guide, he’s likely to serve double-duty as both a candidate and a clergyman. “

    While Pastor Warnock could theoretically do both, here’s the issue, according to the AJC:

    “But Warnock would have to steer clear of overtly politicking on the pulpit and using church resources for his campaign. The church could not endorse Warnock or collect cash for him. Any political activity such as forums or get-out-the-vote efforts must be done in a nonpartisan way.

    Violating those rules would risk penalties from the Internal Revenue Service, which classifies churches as tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations that don’t pay federal income tax but also can’t actively engage in political campaigns. “

    Read the rest of the article HERE.

    As we just celebrated the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday on Monday, Pastor Warnock’s potential announcement and all that it entails is definitely news.

    What do you think he should do if he runs?

    Any thoughts?

     

     

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    ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel’ Executive Producers & Cast Attend Television Critics Association Panel (PHOTOS)

    Estranged Sister Denise Clark-Bradford did have input in the movie...

     

    Kierra Sheard, Shelea Fraizer, Angela Birchett, Queen Latifah, Raven Goodwin and Christina Bell attend TCA in
    Pasadena, CA on behalf of Lifetime’s “The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel.” All photos are from Getty Images for Lifetime.

    Hello World,

    I’m sooo looking forward to seeing The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel when it airs on Saturday, April 11th at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on Lifetime!

    Below is the movie synopsis:

    From executive producers and Grammy Award winners Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott, comes the authorized musical tale of the incomparable gospel singers, The Clark Sisters. The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel recounts the story of the highest selling female gospel group in history and of their trailblazing mother, Mattie Moss Clark (Aunjanue Ellis). Credited with bringing Gospel music to the mainstream, the five Clark sisters (Christina Bell as “Twinkie,” Kierra Sheard as “Karen,” Sheléa Frazier as “Dorinda,” Raven Goodwin as “Denise,” Angela Birchett as “Jacky”) overcame humble beginnings in Detroit, enduring abuse, loss, rejection, betrayal, and sibling rivalries to achieve international fame as icons of the Gospel music industry.

    Recently, executive producers and the cast from the movie appeared at the TCA panel held in Pasadena, California. Below are a few photos from the panel.

    The cast and executive producers on stage…

    The cast performs. Look at Queen Latifah getting hype in the background…

    Angela Birchett who portrays Jacky…

    Christina Bell who portrays Twinky…

    Kierra Sheard who portrays her actual mother Karen. Isn’t that wild?

    Raven Goodwin who portrays Denise…

    Sheléa Frazier who portrays Dorinda…

    Queen Latifah, one of the executive producers, just “queening.” I love her…

    According to Deadline.com, there was some tea spilled at the TCA panel, “… one question was gotten out of the way early:  Was estranged sister Denise Clark-Bradford consulted in the making of the movie? ‘Yes, she was absolutely given the opportunity to participate in her story,’ said Executive Producer Holly Carter, who was joined on the panel by Executive Producer Queen Latifah (Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott are also EP’s) and cast members Christina Bell, Kierra Sheard, Sheléa Frazier, Raven Goodwin and Angela Birchett.” Read the rest of the article HERE.

    If you haven’t seen the trailer for The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, check it out below…

    Will you be watching The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel come April?

    #TheClarkSisters
    @LifetimeTV

    Any thoughts?

    Posted on

    OWN Network Cancels ‘The Book of John Gray’ Reality Show & More…

    Hello World,

    Welp, there is one less pastor on television as of 2020…For some that may be the good news but for others, not so much. I will let you be the judge of that…

    Pastor John Gray’s local newspaper The Greenville News reported that the Relentless Church pastor’s show The Book of John Gray is “not being renewed for a fourth season on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

    The website of the show at Oprah.com describes The Book of John Gray as a ‘dramedy docu-follow hybrid about the life of John Gray and his uniquely humorous way of helping people.’

    Officials at the network did not respond to follow-up questions about why the show was discontinued.

    Gray and his wife, Aventer, meanwhile, are considering other TV and film opportunities, according to Holly Baird, their spokesperson.

    John Gray has been associated with celebrities, renowned musicians and star athletes. On Wednesday, Aventer Gray shared photos on Instagram of her and John Gray on a yacht with actor Tyrese Gibson and his wife, Samantha Gibson, during a recent vacation.”

    But frankly, Pastor Gray’s show being canceled is not even the worst of his current troubles…

    You can read the rest of the article HERE and another one HERE.

    And it was a year ago that I wrote this post: Why Pastor John Gray & His Wife May Not Be Wrong to Host A Relationship Conference in February After Cheating Rumors & Divorce Discussions…

    And then there was this post I wrote last April: Hope Carpenter, former First Lady of Pastor John Gray’s Relentless Church, Threatens Greenville News With a Knife, Saying ‘I Cut People!’

    If you’ve lived a few years by now, you know that the book of all of our lives have inspirational chapters, tragic chapters, fast-paced ones and slower than slow ones. From the looks of it, Pastor John Gray and his family have had a series of chapters that I’m reasonably sure that he hopes the “author and finisher of our faith” didn’t have to write. Here’s hoping that Pastor John Gray carefully reviews these past chapters of his life (as we all have to do) and continues to seek God’s direction what has yet to be written…

    I wish all of God’s people well in this chapter of 2020.

    Any thoughts?