Christian Music

While other groups create anti-drug programs to combat a rising tide of substance abuse, Carroll County Heritage Foundation is responding with a prayer-filled rally.A Rally for the Faithful on Saturday in Westminster City Park can give youths direction and a sense of belonging, said organizers. While William J. McKenna, executive director of the Westminster-based foundation, lauds education and drug awareness programs, he wonders "where God fits into all this?""Our primary purpose is to pray for young people of Carroll County as they begin the school year," McKenna said.

Perryville High School of 1972 graduation is invited to a reunion. The date is Oct. 20 in Bel Air. For more information, email Linda Land Vest, vestshelton@aol.com An end of summer musical concert will be held on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Havre de Grace Presbyterian Church, 551 Franklin St. in Havre de Grace. Featuring the musical groups of Christian Community Presbyterian Church from Bowie; Youth Orchestra; Cornerstone Choir featuring contemporary Christian music; Chinquant, three and a half octave bell choir; and Chancel Choir presenting traditional Christian anthems.

When 16-year-old singer Marc Scott of Oakland Mills steps to the microphone, the lyrics are cleansed of sex, obscenities and nonsense.As a Christian rocker, his words praise the Lord instead.A senior at Howard High School, Marc is lead singer for a new teen-age Christian rock band called IX, a name band members derived from the word "crucifix."Formed last December to spread the gospel and to show the members' love and appreciation for music, the group hopes to tap into a growing market for rock music with Christian themes.

Parton, others join gospel music hall of fame Dolly Parton, Michael W. Smith, Dr. Bobby Jones, the Dixie Hummingbirds and producer Lari Goss will be inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame on Feb. 2 in Nashville, Tenn. Parton is known for her country and pop hits, but she's also released gospel records and mainstream songs with Christian themes. Smith is one of the best-known artists in Christian music with 18 albums and many hits, including some pop crossovers. Jones is a singer and host of the long-running Bobby Jones Gospel program on the BET cable network.

With the financial backing of a private foundation worth millions, a small band of local entrepreneurs is ironing out an elaborate plan it hopes will move Maryland to the forefront of the Christian music industry.The first phase began 18 months ago with the opening of Waters Edge, a 1,000-square-foot recording studio in a converted guest house in Annapolis. While it sounds quaint, its size and location don't tell the whole story.The studio houses about $200,000 of state-of-the-art recording equipment and is frequented by Christian musicians who head straight for the national circuit in most cases, such as Dan Polk and Kelly Minter.

`Rappin' Reverend' set to speak at St. John Baptist St. John Baptist Church, 8910 Old Annapolis Road, Columbia, will hold its Spring Revival 2005 at 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. The speaker will be the Rev. C. Dexter Wise III of Faith Ministries Interdenominational Church in Columbus, Ohio. Known as the "Rappin' Reverend" for his recording albums (I Ain't Into That! and Crack Attack), Wise grew up in Baltimore and earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Celebration of lightsHanukkah begins at sundown on Dec. 23, but you can get a jump on this year's festival of lights by attending the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore's Hanukkah celebration this Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Reisterstown Road Plaza's Center Court. Beginning at noon, celebrity judges will critique entries to the menorah-making contest and award prizes. At 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., children's performer David Jack will entertain the crowd. Avraham Rosenblum's show is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the JCC's Brian Singer will lead a sing-along at 3 p.m. Crafts centers will be open throughout the day so participants can create their own Hanukkah decorations and cards.

Tomorrow night, South Columbia Baptist Church will be filled with thumping hip-hop beats, young men rapping and praise for the Lord. Performers KJ-52, Pigeon John and GRITS will show local listeners that hip-hop and holiness can go together when they appear at the church's annual Summer Breeze Concert. "Our music is hip-hop music, rap music. It's more conscious though," said Stacy Jones, whose stage name is Coffee. "We're both believers, and our music is faith-based." Teron "Bonafide" Carter is the other half of the Nashville-based group GRITS, which stands for Grammatical Revolution In The Spirit and also reflects the group's Southern roots.

When Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Larnelle Harris performs at Chapelgate Presbyterian Church in Marriottsville a week from Sunday, he will be joined by the Chapelgate choir for three of his songs. The event might symbolize the shared vision of Harris and Chapelgate, a vision that believes the right music can transform lives. Harris uses his talent to make a point. "I wouldn't even cross the street to sing a song just for its own sake. I want to sing songs that change people's lives," Harris says.

WITH THE HELP of the community and local churches, one man's idea to bring wholesome family entertainment to the area has blossomed into a one-day event that will fill Riviera Beach community park with joyful noise Aug. 19. Bill Williamson, a Linthicum resident and longtime member of Jenkins Memorial Church in Riviera Beach, is the idea man. "I've been involved with music, to some extent, all of my life," Williamson said. Williamson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the volunteer position of the concert's coordinator.

Four years after a Millersville couple founded a nonprofit company to present their son's original plays, Spirited Productions is playing to hundreds of people at Anne Arundel Community College. This summer's offering was The Appeal, a musical dramatization exploring Lucifer's appealing his exile from heaven before a court of archangels. Judging by audience enthusiasm on Saturday, the company is filling a void for Christian audiences. Tony and Debbie Martelli formed Spirited Productions in 2002 to present their son Matthew's first play - a musical called Last Rights that he directed in 2003 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Severna Park.

`Rappin' Reverend' set to speak at St. John Baptist St. John Baptist Church, 8910 Old Annapolis Road, Columbia, will hold its Spring Revival 2005 at 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. The speaker will be the Rev. C. Dexter Wise III of Faith Ministries Interdenominational Church in Columbus, Ohio. Known as the "Rappin' Reverend" for his recording albums (I Ain't Into That! and Crack Attack), Wise grew up in Baltimore and earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Tomorrow night, South Columbia Baptist Church will be filled with thumping hip-hop beats, young men rapping and praise for the Lord. Performers KJ-52, Pigeon John and GRITS will show local listeners that hip-hop and holiness can go together when they appear at the church's annual Summer Breeze Concert. "Our music is hip-hop music, rap music. It's more conscious though," said Stacy Jones, whose stage name is Coffee. "We're both believers, and our music is faith-based." Teron "Bonafide" Carter is the other half of the Nashville-based group GRITS, which stands for Grammatical Revolution In The Spirit and also reflects the group's Southern roots.

THE BROOKLYN Bridge Christian Coffeehouse has found a new home, at the rear of 5517-C Ritchie Highway, in the Arundel Village Shopping Center. Founded in 1999 by Brooklyn native Russ Tenhoff at Maryland's Church on the Rock, Brooklyn Bridge has become one of Baltimore's leading venues for Christian music. "It just spread like wildfire," Tenhoff said. "A lot of it was by word of mouth and by distributing fliers. We are also a member of the Christian Music Connection, which is a national association and a great resource for artists and managers to locate places to play.

When Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Larnelle Harris performs at Chapelgate Presbyterian Church in Marriottsville a week from Sunday, he will be joined by the Chapelgate choir for three of his songs. The event might symbolize the shared vision of Harris and Chapelgate, a vision that believes the right music can transform lives. Harris uses his talent to make a point. "I wouldn't even cross the street to sing a song just for its own sake. I want to sing songs that change people's lives," Harris says.

WITH THE HELP of the community and local churches, one man's idea to bring wholesome family entertainment to the area has blossomed into a one-day event that will fill Riviera Beach community park with joyful noise Aug. 19. Bill Williamson, a Linthicum resident and longtime member of Jenkins Memorial Church in Riviera Beach, is the idea man. "I've been involved with music, to some extent, all of my life," Williamson said. Williamson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the volunteer position of the concert's coordinator.

Parton, others join gospel music hall of fame Dolly Parton, Michael W. Smith, Dr. Bobby Jones, the Dixie Hummingbirds and producer Lari Goss will be inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame on Feb. 2 in Nashville, Tenn. Parton is known for her country and pop hits, but she's also released gospel records and mainstream songs with Christian themes. Smith is one of the best-known artists in Christian music with 18 albums and many hits, including some pop crossovers. Jones is a singer and host of the long-running Bobby Jones Gospel program on the BET cable network.

THE NEW Savage Senior Center has just opened. Across from the Savage Library, the center has a kitchen, a large crafts room -- complete with kiln -- and an even larger dining room/general purpose room.Edith Bennett, the center's director, is gathering information about programs residents would like to see offered at the center.Margaret Smith, senior adults coordinator, will speak Wednesday about programs available through the Department of Recreation and ParksOn Feb. 5, artisan Linda Hicks will demonstrate how to make a Precious Moments sweat shirt.

THE INFORMATION age has caught some of us by surprise. Which is why Pumphrey resident Yolanda Dickerson recently volunteered her talents to conduct an introductory computer class for community residents at St. John United Methodist Church.The idea was to help people get over techno-fears and to encourage them to get further training, said Dickerson. She tried to make it unintimidating."I used the computer terms and associated them with terms that people were already familiar with. Like memory.