‘THY will be done on earth…as it is in Heaven’

Days!!

We are finally in the last week countdown to the first ever official Uk Gospel Music Festival, just 6 days to go.

The last few months have absolutely flown by and we are so excited to  finally be revealing UGMF to you all.

The hope of this festival is that it becomes an annual event so we want to make this as successful as possible and that calls for you all to get involved; So whether that’s just letting your friends and church know or volunteering to work with us on the day, all are welcome just have a look for opportunities on our website www.ugmf.co.uk.

Gods says “For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them Matthew 18:20 – And that is exactly what we are expecting; the presence of God is going to be in full force, this is not just another music event being that God is the centre of the proceedings and the reason that everything has come together, we are thankful for his blessing and this is our chance to thank him.

The UK definitely needs an event like this, not just for Christians but for everyone who lives in this city and all the surrounding cities. When Christ died he didn’t just die for those who gave there lives, but for every single person saved or un-saved; we really hope you bring your non-christian friends and tell your work colleagues about this event, let them hear a message, give them a chance for God to move in their lives; Jesus died for mankind through nothing but the love he had for his people, let it not have been in vain but lets draw together to really acknowledge this and give thanks.

As in the parable of the lost sheep, if you have 100 sheep and one goes missing, Jesus said wouldn’t you leave the 99 and go after that 1 lost sheep? well he is  looking for his sheep, and if only one is found on that day the angels will still rejoice for that one soul has returned home; this is going to be an awesome event so come with your hearts and minds open.

Make your way down nice and early so not to miss any of our amazing line up, the event will open @ 2pm and finishes at 9pm and as previously mentioned is FREE, FREE, FREE so there is no excuse for not coming.

We can’t wait to see you all there!

Continue to register online @ www.ugmf.co.uk and don’t forget to order our official pre-sale UGMF t-shirts.

“When the spirit of the lord comes upon my heart, I will dance like David danced”

Fred Hammond

We  have reached the middle of the week and we have so much to celebrate; mainly that today signifies ten whole days until we are down at Hyde park praising and worshiping God.

It has been such a wonderful journey, and  I am sure for everyone involved in this festival, especially its founder Atim Obot who through prayer birthed this project, that it is both daunting and humbling that finally the fruits of our labour are about to be revealed.

Fruits...

It has been such a blessing to be apart of something so God inspired, and to see all aspects of this event coming together;  Gods wonderful plan has been faultless and well executed and UGMF are in awe of his greatness.

In exactly 9 days we will be seeing the stage erected in all its glory, whilst final arrangement will be being made to accommodate 5000 people coming along to share in the glory of our Lord and Saviour; to say this is humbling is an understatement.

God has a way of taking control which is above any human comprehension, without a doubt his presence will be felt on the day, we invite the holy spirit to descend amongst us, we pray for revival and souls to be saved, we pray that hearts are moved but above all else we pray the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ is going to be the lasting effect.

Once the music stops, the lights fade and the last person has left the park; when the stage is dismantled and the last van packed up and on its way, all that will be left are hearts full of love and full of  the knowledge that no matter what we think we know, or what we achieve in this life it means nothing if we do it without Christ, because it’s all about Jesus and he will reign on forever in our hearts, minds and spirits, Amen.

 On the 24th July we will be facing the music, so lets dance like David, never seizing in worship and praise of our Lord, through Christ we have been given the gift of life, not through works but by the grace of God; if that’s not something to dance about I don’t know what is.

 We encourage you register if you haven’t already; get involved if you haven’t already, and check out our website as we have launched our pre sale UGMF t-shirts! available @ our online shop http://www.ugmf.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&Itemid=98

Make sure you are repping them proud, we can’t stress enough how amazing this event is going to be, how often are you ministered to in Hyde park?

Great venue, fantastic acts and the presence of God all FREE, you will not want to miss this event.

We cannot wait to see you all there.

“Beloved, are you God’s elect, to the elect God multiplies Grace and peace (1 Peter 1:2)

This week UGMF are stepping out the way to allow you to get to know our artists a little better, we have previously given insight into their musical style and where they have come from in terms of  their journey through music, but beyond that lets talk a bit about what the day will have in store.

Music ministry is such a big part of the message God has to share with his people; through music we are able to penetrate both the hearts and souls of people.

It’s not just about praise and worship but about fighting fire with fire, many of our youth today are deeply influenced by the music and lifestyles of the celebrities who ram consumerism, profanity and big money desires down their throats.

Without realising we have made idols of the people who stand before us on stage and worship at the alters they have made, Kanye West  went so far as to state “Hip Hop is a religion to a certain extent, and the rappers are the preachers, and the music is the scriptures. You know, it is just like church, you know; because you go to a concert. You raise your hands in the air. You get dressed up. You sing songs and you definitely pay some money. Just like church.”

If we leave our young people with no moral guidance being raised in the streets and by the stars of today, what hope can we have in reaching them?

God gives his children the gifts and skills they need to reach the people that need it most, all we have to do is step out the picture and allow his spirit to take control, so where do our acts come in.

There has been a lot of discussion about the way music moves us, our whole body responds to rhythm a lot more effectively than any other form of learning, which is why we are able to learn through poetry and song a lot better – in the same way we learned nursery rhymes at school.

With young people growing increasingly restless and unobtainable due to low concentration, music ministries might just be the right tool to reach them.

When our artists take to the stage on the 24^th July, entertainment, though a big part of the day is not the only thing that will be on their mind; Each song an ode to a life they left behind in search of a truth that goes far beyond anything we could ever comprehend, Jesus saves!

Each person who comes to God has a testimony of what God has done for and in us and this can be found in the lyrics of our artists on the day; when Marsha Garrick tells us “she was a prisoner too” as saved souls we can relate, we were all prisoners once, slaves to sin held in bondage of whatever sort, but through the blood of Christ we are saved and healed.

Imagine the souls on the day which may not be at a place in Christ where they can acknowledged this, may not even know the power in his name and may not know what he done for their lives, without knowing it they will have a seed planted that day which has the ability to change their lives.

Our artist have all come from a place where they can minister and reach out to us all, after all there is no one without fault or need of relief;  from Shekinah Glory to E-Tizz we will be able to reach everyone with a message.

When we listen to these artists it’s not about ego but humility, not about money but being rich in our knowledge of salvation, there is so much more in God than what we can find in the world.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Through the artists on the stage Gods perfect will is done, through music such as Jahaziel, Coco Dupree and Faith Child and ALL the artists on our line up we will have fresh revelation and insight into the Gospel.

Jahaziel puts it best when he said “Putting an album out… it was much more than a dream, it was a vision I was given before I was birthed, called to communicate the greatness of the Lord and his work…” This sums up music ministry in all its greatness, God calls his elect and gives them the ability to reach his people.

Every artist that hits the stage of UGMF has their own story, it’s a journey through God as we learn to rid ourselves of our pride and live for the purpose of God.

When each of our artists take to the stage lets allow the spirit to take hold and deliver a message; This is without a doubt a perfect event to bring unsaved friends to, intercede for them and pray for their hearts and souls then await the mighty harvest.

“Do not say, it is still four months until the harvest time comes? Look! I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields and see how they are already white for harvesting” John 4:35

God knows souls will be saved; take a look around the harvest is ripe for the picking.

For our entire artist line have a look at our website www.ugmf.co.uk

With less than a month to the festival we are asking what does UGMF means to you?

UGMF is much more than just another music festival, there is an awesome presence of God surrounding this event and we are expecting big things come July the 24th; So here is a little taster of what you can expect from UGMF…

UNITY – As you may be aware  the theme of this years festival is unity -  One Stage (in) One City (for) One Stand! As one body of Christ we need to stand together because there is so much power in unity. Divide and conquer is the most effective form of attack, but togetherness brings power, we want to see people from all kinds of backgrounds enjoying this event, lets come together and unite in the gospel of Christ.

GOD – The fact of the matter it whatever we think of this event, or what it means to us the will of God will always be done, he is the creator and through Jesus Christ the finisher, when we descend upon Hyde Park there will be an awesome presence of God. I truly believe this event will be a lot more than what we could ever hope for, lets pray for a revival!

MUSIC – Of course this event is about the music; soul enhancing and edifying sounds are on the menu at  2011, we are so blessed to have such an array of amazing artists ranging from soulful singers, choirs and emcees, this is going to be a truly amazing line up, remember you can find out more about our line up at http://www.ugmf.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=2.

FELLOWSHIP – We want everyone to come out and share a time of fellowship not necessarily with your immediate family and friends but everyone in the park, there will be an amazing atmosphere – talk, share and encourage!

 This is a chance to give God praise and worship, not just in the confines of the churches and behind closed doors  but in the centre of London for the whole world to see, lets show the world that Gospel music isn’t just for the church , we want people who are not familiar with the word of God to come away from this event with a change having taken place, not just in regards to what they think of Gospel music but a change of heart also.

Join us on the 24th July, ONE STAGE, ONE CITY, ONE STAND!

UGMF 2011 www.ugmf.co.uk

We are literally 32 days and counting down to the first ever UK Gospel Music Festival, hope everyone has already booked their place!

We are really excited to announce Rachel Kerr is  joining the line up for UGMF 2011.

Having shared the same stage with US megastars Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Musiq Soulchild and Donell Jones, and over the past year has performed at Wembley arena and at various venues through out the U.K Rachel Kerr is already being compared with likes of Beyoncé Knowles and Toni Braxton.

Rachel Kerr is the sensational new talent certified to be Britain’s own national treasure. With her Album coming out this summer Rachel is really one to keep your eyes on. She is proof that first-class performers are not solely limited to the United States. Her music is epic, honest, infectious and she comfortably strides the tightrope-fine line between gospel and and a mainstream style of music.

We can’t wait to see what she has in store  at UGMF, for more information check out our website: http://www.ugmf.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=96

With the festival fast approaching serious work is being done to make sure the news of it is far reached across all communities and all the major cities.

There is going to be an amazing presence of God on the 24th of July as we come to hear his children glorify him, so we are calling on all churches and all Christians to bring and let Non- christians know; We are called as members of one body of Christ, for one day there will be no divide by denomination or race and age, neither Christian or Non- Christian, but we are calling for unity as we gather together in the name of Christ to celebrate and enjoy the presence of God.

How amazing will it be to see thousands of people all standing together lifting their hands in unison as we hear the amazing  sounds of the gospel choirs, singers and emcees as they take to the stage to minister to us; I for one am so excited and so inspired.

We are called to stand in the gap

I hope that you all join us in prayer that on that day whatever we hear will fall on the good soil within us and that of the people around us; take a look around you in search of the non-Christians among us and stand in the gap for them praying that as the artists minister to the crowds they don’t harden their hearts but come away from this event wanting something much more than they already have, desiring and longing for the words that they hear to continue to minister to them long after the concert is over.

We are especially hoping for a huge number of young people who may have  never heard the word of God before, lets pray that a seed is planted. The harvest is ripe!

So we welcome you all down to Hyde park as we take to One Stage (in) One City (for) One Stand www.ugmf.co.uk

Let us carry each other as we are called to do, god bless you all!

” So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependant on one another]” Roman 12:5

This week we are shouting our everyone who is supporting  the UK Gospel Music Festival.

Your voice and what you think about this event is very important to us;  this festival is as much about the people attending as it is about the organisers and the performers, we want you there in your thousands to be apart of something great, which will only get bigger and better as the years go on.

So in light of this we are giving you a platform and a voice,  we are offering you the chance to jump on your soap box and take over our very own speakers corner for one whole week; we want your views, what  do you think about UK Gospel music? Who would be on your fantasy line up ? we want to hear your views, so get on our Facebook and Twitter, we will be posting the best comment on this blog all week.

As well as this we are asking you to find your voice, whether it be throughout your churches, youth clubs and youth ministries or just at the hairdressers, are you telling people about this event? we want it to be the talk of the town so make sure you mention it whenever your out, bless someone, it is a free event so the more the merrier.

For UGMF the importance of Gospel music having a voice in the community is not just about reaching out to the churches but far beyond, this is about grabbing hold of the sterotypes that surround Gospel music and tearing them down.

Gospel music as a whole has found a  very different voice  to what we may have considered to be traditional Gospel music maybe twenty or so years ago, as generations have come up we have gained a number of styles from indie, hip hop and grime, no less sanctifying or glorifying than the choirs who came before them, but  instead it offers something different for the next generations who are used to hearing these particular styles of music.

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With the likes of Victizzle, E-Tizz, Jahaziel, Faithchild  and Tom and Olly to name but a few, entering into the  new realms of Gospel through rap, indie and grime as well as the beloved choirs who paved the way for praise and worship such as John Fisher & IDMC and Noel Robinson & Nu Image there is surely something for everyone at UGMF, there is a huge diveristy that is happening in Gospel music at the moment and we want to showcase that.

There are so many media streams and outlets for Gospel music but is it fair to keep it to ourselves? Gospel music should have the same platform as mainstream music, not just kept within the confines of Gospel radio stations and magazines but glorified wherever people happen to like good music.

We hope to give Gospel another voice on 24th July; with the numbers of people expected from Christian to non- Christian, from young to old, lets find our voices because we really do have something to shout about.

www.twitter.com/ugmf

Find us on facebook :UGMF fan page and UGMF Group page

or just befriend us UKGospel MusicFestival

Be sure to book you place @ www.ugmf.co.uk 

“Never trust spiritual leader who cannot dance.”  ~Mr. Miyagi, The Next Karate Kid

So we’re 7 weeks and counting, not long to go before people will be descending upon Hyde Park in their masses, for what has been promised so far to be a day of UNITY, LOVE, PEACE and RESPECT  amongst many other things.

We have told you what you can expect; you thought you knew who was going to be there…..

…but now we have even more for you; If anyone has seen our recent news they will know that not only are we giving you 18 UK, and 1 US acts to sing and dance along to, not only will there be food and merchandise stands to feast your eyes on, but we are now presenting to you the Time 2 Shine winner who will be taking to the stage to give you a little taster of what is to come.

If you have not heard of Time 2 Shine, then seriously, where have you been?

It is a talent quest much in the likeness of the X-Factor, only, instead of churning out another pop act into an already saturated market; they are instead looking for the next UK Gospel sensation, and all without the aid of  Mr Simon Cowell.

Don't look so glum...you can't judge every panel *sad face*

“The aim of the organisation is to preach through music, as minister of songs MercyB believes strongly in touching people’s lives by sending the message of God through music.
The core work of Time2Shine is to empower people and build confidence of those who feel that they are not able to achieve”

And rightly so, it’s so important that Gospel has a platform far beyond the reaches of our individual churches, but also that it touches the hearts of everyone not just Christians but Non- Christians. The word of God is alive in music and it would be selfish of us not to share it, which is why Hyde Park is such an important venue to have, its open to all.

 We are so excited about this year’s festival, we can’t wait for you to see the final product, it is going to be such an anointed day.

The stage is brilliant ; stay tuned  we might have a sneaky picture as we get closer to the 24^th July.

We are praying for gorgeous whether and as many music lovers as possible, so do let your ministries, churches, friends and networks know.

This event is not to be missed…and yes it’s still FREE!!!

So check out our website and register @ www.ugmf.co.uk  be apart of history!

“So let us then definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual up-building (edification and development) of one another” Roman 14: 19

Peace, Love and Respect; possibly three of the most common used words in the English dictionary.

What these three words have in common is that at one point or another in our lives, we will at some point be seeking to fulfill at least one, if not all of them;I mean everyone wants to be loved, everyone wants to be shown respect and if anyone is at all like me, they are in desperate need of peace… and quiet.

Peace in the dictionary is described as freedom from quarrelling, the ending of hostility or public security and order, but that’s not the kind of peace I’m talking about, I’m talking about Gods peace, a supernatural peace which isn’t of this world. It allows us to be free from fear and agitation and above all the feeling of being care free.

 Gods peace come from us truly submitting ourselves to him and relying solely upon him, its about faith and having a good fear of God, respecting his will in our lives.

Respect is one of those words that can bring about instant destruction, everyone is seeking respect from someone whether it be an employer or our peers, we all demand to be respected, but what does it actually mean to give or receive respect?

When we consider respect what is it we’re actually asking for, to be esteemed amongst our peers and recognised? or maybe we just want an ego boost, an act of pride. 

Deep down I think its just the pleasers in us that want to be acknowledged and therefore respected; however God calls us to be pleasers of him not each other, if we carried out each task we completed as a service to God - as we are required to do, and not to people maybe we wouldn’t need to demand respect at all.

The biggest misinterpretations of the word respect is fear, which is ever present within the school playground or the work office, people often use intimidation to get respect, but there is a very big difference between the two.

A lot of problems  we all face from young to old  is that we don’t really understand what respecting each other means, we think that it should be earned or traded, you respect me and i’ll respect you, but if we adhere and take heed to the word of God there would almost be no need to utter the word respect at all, because at the centre of respect we find  LOVE and we are called to love  everyone regardless.

..LOVE is such a powerful word and should be at the centre of every action we make, God calls on us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves,  because  if we merely love those who love us then what use is that, “as don’t the sinners love the people who love them also”.

We are called to love each other and to live and aim for harmony, when Paul speaks of the love chapter in Corinthians he calls on us to eagerly pursue this as the greatest of gifts which can be given to us, far above that of any other spiritual gift.

Love has the power to cover a multitude of sins and is at the centre of everything; Corinthians 13:4 says love endures long and is patient and kind, it’s not conceited or arrogant…what that chapter tells us is that love is the antedote, if we bring love into everything we do we can’t really go wrong; this is because God is love and he calls on us to make him centre of our lives.

Trouble is, our love comes withs terms and conditions, we love because of… but God loves us despite of…Gods love is far greater that anything that we could possible seek in this life because is it agape – unconditional. 

On the 24^th July we will be taking to London’s Hyde Park to host the first ever UK Gospel Music Festival; what’s different about this event?  

 That we have God at the centre of it, what this weeks theme words have in common is that God is the centre of each of them, to be able to seek peace we must first find God, in order to gain and most importantly respect others we must live as God called us to live and in order to love we must have God in us as God IS LOVE.

UGMF welcomes EVERYONE down to Hyde Park to enjoy a PEACEful environment where we come together RESPECTing our fellow neighbour and above all where we embrace LOVE .

Gods says where two or three are gathered for my name sake there I will be in the midst, well we are expecting 5000 people all joining together  to hear beautiful music that has one purpose…

This is going to be an event you won’t want to miss register now www.ugmf.co.uk

So last week was the official release of the UGMF promotional video.

Do you know where your going to be on 24th July? to ensure your going to be @ UGMF 2011 go to our website @ www.ugmf.co.uk and book you place now!!!

You can expect great music, delicious food and a relaxed and peaceful enviroment.

On 24th July we are promoting unity through music and offering you the chance to be at Londons Hyde Park for the first of many amazing UK Gospel Music Festivals.

Better yet, we are giving you the chance to win a meet and greet with Shekinah Glory Ministries back stage at the festival; to win this plus many more prizes to be announced as we count down to UGMF 2011, go to our FB fan page – http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/pages/UK-Gospel-Music-Festival-UGMF/201779719835490  and follow the instructions, good luck.

One Stage, One City, One Stand – www.ugmf.co.uk.

Pass it on, this isn’t to be missed.