Rev. Pastor Gilbert

As result, the church is embarking on an aggressive evangelical
thrust for 2006. With this and other infra structural changes in the mind, several revenue earning ideas have been proposed. One of them is an extra ordinary night of gospel music to take place on Sunday Dec, 4th at Prospect Height High School Auditorium. Reminiscent of some traditional Caribbean style Christmas celebrations, the concert features internationally renowned praise and worship leader and recording artist, Alvin Slaughter.

In efforts to increase its revenue earning potential, the leadership and congregants of Trinity Methodist have agreed to begin the New Year with the sacrificial giving of what they call a  “First Fruits” offerings. Members have pledged in various degrees to give a one time special offering of their first pay check in January 2006 as the church moves toward expanding its world view and community involvement. And leading the charge in this regard is the church’s Pastor, Terrence Gilbert who has pledged his entire earnings for the month of January to the offering.

Pastor Gilbert assumed the pulpit of the 77-year-old church just three years and ago and since then has moved the church from strength to strength. An accomplished musician, he has given new life to music in the church. On a Sunday morning, the music that can be heard even filtering onto the streets of the busy intersection at Utica Avenue and Eastern Parkway is almost heavenly. But at the same time Pastor Gilbert has also brought life to the church’s  outreach ministry. As result, the church is embarking on  an aggressive evangelical thrust for 2006. With this and other infra structural  changes in the mind, several revenue earning ideas have been proposed. One of them is an extra ordinary night of gospel music to take place on Sunday Dec, 4th at Prospect Height High School Auditorium. Reminiscent of some traditional Caribbean style Christmas celebrations, the concert features internationally renowned praise and worship leader and recording artist, Alvin Slaughter.

“Though the church is 77-years-old, a lot of people have not heard about us,” says Pastor Gilbert. “For 2006 we are about to embark on a mission of evangelism and community outreach and change the dynamics of how we have been functioning.” This concert “Songs In the Night” is a celebration of gospel music at its best, as well as a way to recognize the God-given talents which abound in local churches. Presented in conjunction with church Pastor Gilbert, the concert also features the Haitian Mass Choir, Trinity Praise Dancers, Trinity Voices and Angelic Host.

According to Pastor Gilbert, the concept of songs in the night was introduced to the local congregation at Trinity Methodist about three years ago as a veritable in-house talent show. “I  challenged the congregation to form themselves into groups and give themselves names and uniforms as a way of fostering healthy Christian social interaction,” he says. “This led to a night of social activities in which the various groups performed anything from skits, poetry, song or instrumental and basically put their talents on display.”

With a predominantly Caribbean congregation, the congregants were already familiar with the kind of activities that take place during the months of November and December (like nine mornings in St. Vincent) in their respective homelands. Therefore, it was not difficult for them to develop their own structure which they called: “Songs In The Night.”

The long range plan is to develop two city wide concerts in June and December 2006 and also to make “Songs In The Night”  a concept that is integrated into other congregations throughout the city. “We do not just want this to be a “Trinity thing,” says Pastor Gilbert, adding, “It must evolve into something belonging to the body of Christ.”

The week following the December 4th concert, “Songs In The Night” will return to the church for its local version in which members are still able to put their talents on display.

Gospel music fans are expected to crowd the auditorium for this lively praise and worship experience and to hear Slaughter render some of his popular songs like “Yes,” “God Can” and a number of selections from his current album, “The Faith Life.” Slaughter, best known as the lead male vocalist with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, travels around the world touching lives with a concert ministry that crosses racial, cultural and denominational lines. His is a compelling tale of rebellion and redemption and tells of an intense struggle with God before he could fully realize his calling to minister to the world in song. He is now featured regularly on Trinity Broadcasting Network and at national evangelical crusades and Christian conferences.

The concert takes place on Sunday, December 4th  at Prospect Heights High School Auditorium and tickets are on sale at Trinity Methodist Church. Showtime is 5:00 p.m. Prospect Heights High School is located at 883 Classon Avenue Brooklyn, between Union and President Streets. For further information call 718-756-2374.

*****
To subscribe to or advertise in The Black Star News, the world’s favorite Pan-African news weekly, please call (212) 481-7745. Contact us via
[email protected] if you have any questions or news tips.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *