12-03-2008

SCORE

Now home from the Fall leg of the Free To Fly Tour, the ladies of Point of Grace will be placing the finishing touches on their texts for the upcoming Girls Of Grace conferences. During these one-day events in Dallas, Houston, Denver and Orlando in the fall of 2002, Point of Grace, along with special guest speakers and artists, will talk with young girls and teens about peer pressure, dating and self-esteem. You may find more detailed information on these events at GirlsOfGrace.com.

Jaci Velasquez knows how to celebrate Christmas. Having just released her new English and Spanish language Christmas albums, Christmas and Navidad respectively, Jaci is helping people remember the reason for the season with the "Season of Love" campaign to collect hats, coats, scarves, and gloves for the less fortunate in Nashville. But the goodwill doesn't stop in Nashville! The High Adventure Global Broadcasting Network is also broadcasting Jaci's Christmas album from Jerusalem to the nearby US troops and allies. And, Jaci herself will be sharing her holiday music with thousands of merry fans at several Christmas concerts in December.

Rachael Lampa's fans are primed and ready for more of the music they love! And they'll get it in Kaleidoscope, her new studio album set to release in March 2002.

Fans in Wisconsin had a chance to get to know debut solo artist Pete Orta last weekend. Pete shared his personal testimony and his new music on WORQ - Q90 FM, NBC Channel 26 morning news, and WLUK Fox 11 news -- all in the Greenbay area. Friday evening Pete performed two shows to warm crowds at the Cup O'Joy Coffehouse; and Sunday morning Pete sang in two services at the New Hope Community Church in Manitowoc.

Word Artisan artist, Wes King participated in a Pentagon Memorial service this past Saturday at Hylton Chapel, just outside Washington, DC. The event, sponsored by Salem Communications and WAVA radio, had over 3,300 people in attendance and raised more than $25,000 to aid victims of the Pentagon attack and their families. Also taking part in the service were Ashley Cleveland, Selah, and Charles Stanley.

Shirley Caesar will host the grand opening of her new church sanctuary on November 25. Mt. Calvary church in Raleigh, NC, will now seat 1,500 people. Revival services will be held in the new sanctuary on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings for three weeks following the opening service. Shirley has been pastor at Mt. Calvary for the past 11 years.

After taking last year off, Amy Grant is again hosting her annual Christmas tour featuring husband Vince Gill and this year's special guests Nickel Creek, labelmate Rachael Lampa and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. The 13-city tour kicks off in Houston, TX, on November 30th and travels through major cities on the east coast, ending December 16 in Minneapolis, MN. Oh, and when you're tempted to start complaining about how all the Christmas presents, clothes for a week, kids, dogs, and cats won't fit in your minivan for the annual trip to Grandma's house, remember this: since they're travelling with an entire symphony orchestra, there will be over 60 people on stage each night of the Amy Grant Christmas Tour; they will be travelling with 14 buses and 12 semi-trucks; and, by the end of the tour, they will have stayed in at least 1,600 hotel rooms. It's a spectacle not ! to be missed! For a list of tour dates, check out WordRecords.com.

In a recent stop on the Sonicflood Resonate Tour, Kelly Minter took a time-out with her tourmates to chat with the legendary Lou Holtz, Head Coach of the Univeristy of South Carolina football Team. The 36-city tour ended November 11 in Mobile, AL.

Jaci Velasquez recently returned from a whirlwind tour of South America, where she performed concerts in Aruba, Maracaibo-Venezuela, Guatemala City-Guatemala, San Salvador-El Salvador, Tegucigalpa, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras. At each show, Jaci sang 13 songs in Spanish and 2 in English. The audience sang along with her throughout the concerts! Jaci and her band were overwhelmed by the audience response. With press conferences in each country as well as an in-store event in San Pedro Sula, it was a very tiring trip! But, full of boundless energy, Jaci always found time to take pictures with admirers and to sign autographs. Jaci and crew were also excited to hear her song "Como Se Cura Una Herida" (from her latest Spanish project, Mi Corazon) over the airplane speakers prior to take-off on a flight from Guatemala to El Salvador!