Baptist Church Hosts Pop-Up Event With Kirk Franklin

October 13, 2023182 views0

Baptist Church Hosts Pop-Up Event With Kirk Franklin

2023-10-13T09:56:24+01:00

By Church News

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church hosted a free performance featuring Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Kirk Franklin on October 9.The pop-up performance came on the heels of the release of “Father’s Day,” Franklin’s critically acclaimed studio album.“We are beyond thrilled to host this special pop-up performance and listening experience featuring one of the most internationally acclaimed and revolutionary artists of our time,” said New Birth Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant. “Kirk’s unique ability to transcend generations, race, culture and music genres speaks to his undeniable gifts in music and ministry. We are blessed to have him at New Birth for this enlightening, uplifting and life-changing experience.”New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is a megachurch in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, near Lithonia. It has embraced a Pentecostal theology not typically found in African-American Baptist churches.The church was founded in 1939 in Scottdale as Travelers Rest Baptist Church. In 1983, it moved to Decatur and adopted its current name. Eddie Long took over as pastor in 1987. At the time, the church had only 300 members. Since his installation, membership has grown to 25,000.In 2002, New Birth was chosen to host the live recording of Dorinda Clark-Cole and was chosen by the family of rapper and R&B superstar Lisa Left Eye Lopes to host the funeral for the rapper, who was killed in a car accident in La Ceiba, Honduras.In 2003, New Birth planted a branch called “New Birth Charlotte” in Charlotte, North Carolina. That church no longer exists and has since sold its building. Mecklenburg County records show the church defaulted on its payments to Evangelical Christian Credit Union for a $10 million loan.On August 15, 2004, the church opened a branch called “New Birth Memphis” in Memphis, Tennessee. The church has since closed and New Birth Memphis no longer exists.Then in the future years, there were more churches such as New Birth Metro, New Birth Knoxville, New Birth Oakland, and New Birth California.In 2006, the church was chosen by the family of Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King Jr., to host and officiate her funeral. The event was attended by four Presidents (George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter).ALSO READ: Kentucky Baptist Church Reaching Lost Through Counseling