MR. ROD BLACKSTONE, our Musician for the evening, is currently Music Director of The Church of the Good Shepherd in Willingboro, New Jersey. He has been a professional musician and entertainer for more than 25 years having performed for President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore and numerous mayors and governors throughout the country. He has entertained at the famous Hotel Nationale in Moscow, Russia and can sing in German. He has appeared in concert with such notables as Bobby Jones, Tom Joyner, Sharee Ralph, Teddy Pendergrass. He has conducted gospel music workshops at U.S. Air force bases such as McQuire in New Jersey, Eglin AFB in Pensacola, Florida and army installations through New Jersey.

SHARAEL NICOLE MOORE

 
Sharael Nicole Moore is 19 years old. She is a sophomore at University of the Arts located in Philadelphia, PA. Her major focus in school is vocal performance.

Sharael is a member of Cathedral International located in Perth Amboy, NJ where Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. is her Senior Pastor. She has been an active member since 1990 from the age of five (5). Sharael began dancing with the Kingdom Dancers, as well as, singing with the Joy Bells choir. Upon her teenage years, she began singing with the New Generation Choir, stepping with the Step Ministry, and has led Praise and Worship as a Praise Team Leader in Teen Church. Sharael is a multi-talented young woman.

Sharael is in high demand in the church community. She has performed her character as Mother Jones at numerous events. She has performed for the National CEFCA (Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies) Women’s Conferences, Birthday Parties, Youth Conferences, and Street Ministries to name a few.

The character of Mother (Pronounced Mauva) Jones is a comedy routine designed to make you laugh. Her character is a mother of a church that loves Jesus and will not allow you to make her feel ashamed. She is bold and ready to let anyone know about her love for Jesus.

Mauva Jones’ character is not designed to offend anyone. Her character is purely over dramatized to show different expression of the southern boldness of a church mother.

She uses physical and verbal demonstrations to take you back south and she reminds us that class, education, and intellect does not give us a monopoly on knowing whom Jesus is.

More than anything – Sharael has named Jesus Christ to be Lord of her life and has given her gifts over to be used by Him.

THE IMMANUEL MIME MINISTRY

The Immanuel Mime Ministry was birth 5 years ago on Father’s Day, under the leadership of Rev. Harry L. Isaacs, Youth Minister at Bright Temple A.M.E. Church located in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. The group started out with seven young men expressing their Joy of the Lord through mime. Since then, the ministry has grown and young women were added. These groups of young men and women growing in grace have dedicated their time and talent to remind the world that God is still with us, as we take the gospel to Infinity and beyond.

TONY SMITH – GOSPEL SAXOPHONIST

This year Tony was nominated at the 2005 Urban Gospel Industry Awards for Best Gospel Jazz Album and Best Gospel Jazz Male Artist. He was nominated at the 2004 Urban Gospel Industry Awards for Best Gospel Jazz Male Artist and was nominated in two categories in 2003 at The American Gospel Music Awards for Best New Gospel Jazz Artist and Best New Artist of the Year. Tony won Best New Gospel Jazz Artist for that year. Tony has been spotlighted on several television shows including appearing twice on Bobby Jones Gospel, The Jazzspel, New Mercies Café TV, Gospel Central Video Music TV, Parade Of Quartets, Making Great Strides and the Nevin Cummings Staten Island TV show. He has shared the stage with such artists as Ted & Sheri, Out of Eden, Tonex, Hezekiah Walker, Regina Belle, Nancey Jackson-Johnson and Donald Hayes to name a few. Tony has played for such dignitaries as members of Parliament in Bermuda, The National Baptist Convention and for Bishop Richard F. Norris of the AME Church.

This talented artist hosts his own gospel jazz radio show on WFDU 89.1FM in Teaneck, New Jersey where he focuses on the musician’s side of gospel music. Tony wants listeners to know that Christian musicians have an anointed gift just like vocalists, to spread God’s message through their instruments.  He has interviewed many celebrities including Allen & Allen, Ben Tankard, Kirk Whalum and Angella Christie. Tony is also “the voice” for Ben Tankard’s TV show Tuned For Destiny.

Parishioners at Macedonia AME Church in Flushing, Queens where Reverend Nicholas Genevieve-Tweed is the pastor, have the honor of hearing his horn playing during morning service and afternoon programs as well.

Through the grace of God, and the support of his fans Tony's ministry continues to grow. "I want to give back to God the talents and gifts that he has given me; it doesn't matter how you lift Him up, as long as you lift Him up with your whole heart, as you praise His name". More information can be found on Tony’s websites, tonysmith.com and gospeljazzations.com.

UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY CADET GOSPEL CHOIR

President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy in 1802. Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, the "father of the Military Academy," served as Superintendent from l8l7-l833. He upgraded academic standards, instilled military discipline and emphasized honorable conduct. Aware of our young nation's need for engineers, Thayer made civil engineering the foundation of the curriculum. For the first half-century, USMA graduates were largely responsible for the construction of the bulk of the nation's initial railway lines, bridges, harbors and roads.

In recent decades, the Academy's curricular structure was markedly changed to permit cadets to major in any one of more than a dozen fields, including a wide range of subjects from the sciences to the humanities.

A favorite expression at West Point is that "much-of the history we teach was made by people we taught." Great leaders such as Grant and Lee, Pershing and MacArthur, Eisenhower and Patton, Westmoreland and Schwarzkopf are among the more than 50,000 graduates of the Military Academy.

Today, the Academy graduates more than 900 new officers annually, which represents approximately 25 percent of the new lieutenants required by the Army each year. Academy graduates are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving a minimum of five years on active duty.

Since its founding two centuries ago, the Military Academy has accomplished its mission, by developing cadets intellectually, physically, militarily, and moral/ethically.  The Cadet Gospel Choir aides in that mission "To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country; professional growth throughout a career as an officer in the United States Army; and a lifetime of selfless service to the nation.”  Through performances locally and elsewhere, the choir has become an important element in the recruitment and retention of African-Americans at the Academy.  Composed primarily of minority cadets, the choir provides an opportunity for cadets to share experiences in a setting other than the rigorous academic program environment. The Gospel Choir is credited with causing many minority cadets to stay at the Academy and complete the academic and military programs and encouraging them to become leaders of character.

 The United States Military Academy Gospel Choir originated as a satellite of the Cadet Chapel choir in 1974.  It consisted of four dedicated members and was known as the Cadet Gospel Chorus.  The Gospel Chorus later became its own entity, no longer a satellite creation of the Chapel choir.  For more than three decades, the Cadet Gospel choir has grown.  Choir members have found a family and a home away from home in the choir.  The Cadet Gospel Choir is pleased to share its history and tradition of praising the Lord’s name in song with you.  We have found that God is good all the time, and are happy to share that message with you.  It is our charge to “Save the World, One Song at a Time.”

WARWICK VALLEY CHORALE

The oldest continuously operating choral organization in Orange County, Warwick Valley Chorale has provided our area with more than six decades of vocal music. Under the direction of Dr. Stanley Curtis, the Chorale performs a wide range of musical styles, from classical to popular, early to modern. They have sung backup for Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, joined the Jonathan Griffith Singers for performances in Spain and the Czech Republic, and appeared ten times at Carnegie Hall.

In addition to being the central chorus of Goliard’s Warwick Music Festival for many years, they have performed at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, at West Point, and at many other venues in the Hudson Valley and beyond. They have joined other area choruses to perform with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Rockland Symphony Orchestra, the New England Symphonic Ensemble, and the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Members of the chorale love to share their voices and their joy with others, and present two free-admission concerts each May and each December, in Warwick and nearby communities. From high school students to senior citizens, singers of all ability levels are welcomed.

AN EVENING WITH ALVIN SLAUGHTER

From local churches to world renowned arenas, from best selling recordings to worldwide television appearances, Alvin has traveled the world with the healing, loving, empowering message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, through the preaching of the Word and through concert ministry.

An international recording artist and songwriter, a passionate worship leader, dynamic speaker and successful entrepreneur, Alvin transparently brings a life of victories and defeats to center stage as a living testimony of God's rich mercy and awesome power to transform a life that was once bound by fear, despair and mediocrity, to now living a life of purpose and service to God.

Crossing racial, cultural and denominational barriers, Alvin powerfully sings, speaks, and leads others to a heartfelt pursuit of God and a fresh experience with the Holy Spirit.  For more about Alvin Slaughter Concert Ministries visit alvinslaughter.com