Series to reintroduce power-packed Sunday night service
A local preacher and an Oklahoma City-based gospel recording artist are reclaiming Sunday night for the Lord.
The Rev. Baron Hopgood and recording artist and radio personality Montrae Tisdale have teamed up to offer “Sunday Night Lit,” a monthly series of events that feature worship, musical performances and messages inspired by God.
Tisdale said the first event was Aug. 4, and each subsequent “Sunday Night Lit” will be on the first Sunday of each month.
The next one will be Sept.
1 at Kingdom Life Church, 900 N May Ave. The event will feature Tisdale's group, Montrae Tisdale & The Friends Choralem, with special guest recording artist Le'Andria Johnson, of Atlanta. Johnson, a Grammy Award winner, was the Season 3 winner of BET's
musical competition reality TV show “Sunday Best.” “Deliver Me (This is My Exodus),” her song with Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers, recently was at the top of the gospel charts and she is known for singing the song “Better Days,” which has been featured on the OWN TV show “Greenleaf.”
The Sept. 1 Labor Day weekend event also will include Hopgood, pastor designate of City of Refuge Church of God in Christ, and host pastor, Bishop Malcolm Coby.
Hopgood said he came up with the idea for the monthly series based on his childhood routine of attending church services on Sunday nights. He said in the days of yesteryear, many Christian families attended worship services on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. He said the Sunday evening services generally were less formal but always included Scripture and music.
Hopgood said with Sunday Night Lit, he and Tisdale are bringing in nationally known recording artists, as well as preachers for an inspiring evening of God's Word and gospel music.
“We wanted to reintroduce a Sunday night service that is power-packed, full of energy, spirit-filled and full of life,” he said. “It's designed to get the saints energized and prepare them for the rest of the month.”
Hopgood said other sessions in the series will be offered on Oct. 6 and Nov. 3, and the venues may change from month to month depending on the program.
Meanwhile, Tisdale said the new series is a natural offshoot of his radio show “The Montrae Tisdale Show” on Perry Broadcasting's Power 103.5 FM. The show is broadcast from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday. Tisdale said the show will be a year old in December and continues to attract listeners with its blend of interviews and current gospel music.
He said people may attend the “Sunday Night Lit” events for $20 general admission, and a VIP ticket also is available for those who want reserve seating and an opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet with the recording artists.