Radio Broadcast - Gospel & Mission

Asami Odate, director of five choirs in Japan and leader of the Gospel Origins Tour, and Abi Lowther were interviewed on 94.5 FM in Helena - West Helena, Arkansas on October 14, 2008. This interview was broadcast on Thanksgiving Day as a Thanksgiving Special, to spread the word of how God is using gospel music to bring people to himself around the world. The Japanese gospel choir then sang on the radio. Click on the two movies below to hear the broadcast.

PART 1

PART 2

Pictures from the trip

The group also enjoyed picking cotton, shooting guns, riding in the back of pick-up trucks, riding a huge rice picker, singing on the radio, and sitting in the cockpit of a crop duster. Here are some pictures from the trip along with music recorded at one of their events.

Gospel Voices of Japan

October 10-20, 2008, a group of 10 Japanese came over to find the roots of gospel music in Mississippi and Memphis. It was an extremely powerful trip where God moved in so many ways. Here is some of the group singing at Greater Community Temple COGIC in Memphis.

Gospel Voices of Jackson Come Back

The Gospel Voices of Jackson (Mississippi) came back to Japan in May 2008. Singing at schools like this one is a great way to make the church known in the community. Many of the parents also come to be part of this event.

The picture to the right shows the group singing with all of the Japanese gospel choirs that they came to help support and attract more people to join. Choir rehearsals are year round and meet twice a month. It is great chance for non-Christians to hear the gospel for the first time through explanations of the lyrics and gospel preaching in the middle of each rehearsal.

Gospel Voices of Jackson

Black gospel music is tremendously popular in Japan. Abi's sister Christel Horlings pulled together the Gospel Voices of Jackson to bring to Japan from Mississippi. They came May 17-29, 2007.