The
Brianna Fund for Children with Physical Disabilities
presented
their 12th annual Gospel concert on Saturday,
January 16th at the beautiful Evangelical Covenant
Christian Church in Springfield. This free
fundraising event showcased schools, churches, and
individuals, who volunteered their gifts and talents
by “wowing” the community once again! By the end of
the evening $10,000 in donations was received! On
behalf of the children of Haiti, $3,000 will be
donated to the Shiners Hospital to assist those
injured from the earthquake. This year’s community
recipient was William Dowell, who will receive
monetary assistance, as well as
other disabled children whose families have applied
for help.
The warm connection of hosts Kelly & Melissa Jones
was evident from the start. The opening prayer by
Denise Ridley was very powerful. The evening was
filled with music, singing, dancing, and spoken
word. “Breaking Down Barriers in the Spirit: Unity
in the Community – Part II” was the theme. The
evening speaker, Rev. Dr. Velva Burley-Flowers asked
a very important question: Do you really care?
She shared that sometimes people don’t always need a
hand out, but maybe a hand-up or just a helping
hand. Do we really care about our community, our
region, or even the world? It has been said that
people don’t know you care until you show
them how much you care.
Crystal Senter Brown started off the night with an
inspirational poem about letting your light shine,
emphasizing community power and unity. She asked the
audience to raise their fists as if to fight for it.
Crystal left me wanting to hear more. The Daughters
of Praise and Iglesia Apostolica Renovacion Creative
Arts Ministry danced to “Holy Visitation” with mime
and flags that really set the tone for the evening.
The St. John’s Fellowship & Praise Choir dressed
very colorfully and sang just as vibrantly,
performing two selections with an especially
excellent rendition of “My Help.”
Four singers from Revival Time Worship Ministries
Choir sang so loud and beautifully “I Have No Other
Choice,” that if you closed your eyes you would have
thought you heard a mass choir. The T. Robinson
Chorale was a group of singers led by an organist,
who sang original songs that I apologetically do not
have the titles of. They sounded great, but I was
unable to clearly hear the enunciation of words of
one of the soloists.
Shooting Star Dance Center gave a professional and
moving performance to Mariah Carey’s “Hero” that
brought the audience to their feet. The evening
ended with Recording Artist Jackie Powell, who along
with her singers almost sang the roof off with many
songs, including “It Shall Come to Pass.”
Unfortunately the time grew lengthy and people began
to leave, but not before Pastor JP Morgan Jr. was
called to sing the song “Go” with her. Words cannot
describe his incredible voice. In fact, Pastor
Morgan was asked to conduct the appeal for
contributions from the audience, which he sang
through – and very well I might add!
What I took home with me that night was that we
all matter. We can be a help to our fellow man
both near and far, by uniting and breaking down
barriers.
n