Events

Identity Strong Conference: Event Recap

Published

6 years ago

August 11, 2018

Staff

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ArtSoul Radio recently attended the Identity Strong Conference with one of our partnering ministries: New Life Covenant Church on the South Side of Chicago. It was an amazing weekend full of developing young people and providing them with a space to have fun just before the start of the school year. We love being apart of these type of events where we get to get a closer one on one connection with youth in our city. When people wonder about what Chicago communities are doing to pour into their youth, we can guarantee that they do a lot year round. This conference focused on reminding youth of who they are, their worth, and flooding them with fresh wisdom for living for the new year. Keep reading for my take aways from this event in the recap below:

By Ashley White:

I remember what it was like being a teenager in high school. If I wasn’t concerned about wearing the latest fashions, then I was most likely trying to work up the courage to talk to the guy I had a crush on. Add peer pressure and maintaining good grades to that and I can confidently tell you that high school was not that great of an experience for me.

Sometimes we forget the pressure teenagers face and it’s significantly different from what previous generations went through. The Identity STRONG Conference at New Life Covenant Southeast was a great way to wrap up the summer vacation and gear up for the school year ahead.

The focus for the conference came from Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The workshop sessions included Strong Together, Strong Education, Strong Mind, Strong Guy and Strong Lady. Art Soul Radio was on the scene and here are key takeaways from the conference…

Strong Together

This workshop facilitated by Minister Shammarie and Imani Brown kicked off with a fun exercise showing the importance of equal effort going into a relationship. That principle not only applies to dating relationships, it’s the same for friendships, colleagues, or any other relationships you’re in. Also, you want a good friend, you have to be a good friend.

Strong Education

Taught by Educator Jacqueline Horbrook, this workshop spoke to the importance of staying focused on your purpose. It’s so easy to get distracted, but you have to be intentional about everything you do before there are consequences to your actions, whether they’re good or bad.

Strong Mind

So many teens are dealing with mental issues including depression, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, etc. and it’s an issue that can’t be swept under the rug. Author Richard Taylor shared his testimony of overcoming depression and addressed the various ways teens can deal with negative thoughts that consume their minds. A lot of us, especially in the African American community, grew up with the mentality, “What happens in this house, stays in this house,” which can no longer be our mantra. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to someone you trust or seeking professional help.

Strong Lady

Maritza Eru wasted no time tackling the hard issues such as life after a traumatic experience. Oftentimes traumatic situations come with shame and that can lead to destructive behavior. Maritza advised the young women to not stay in a victim mindset after a traumatic situation happens because it will keep you from being victorious. Maritza also encouraged the ladies to know their worth. That’s key because when you know your worth, you know when to leave relationships, friendships or situations that do not serve you.

Strong Guy

Vondale Singleton, Founder of Champs Male Mentoring, had an empowering message for young men in this workshop. At the beginning, the men read a powerful statement declaring, “I am greatness in the making.” Vondale let them know that every life experience enhances their greatness. “You have been called to greatness for the simple fact that God created you.

Yes, you’re going to be challenged but God’s DNA is on the inside of you. You’ve been knocked down but you haven’t been knocked out,” said Vondale.

In addition to these informative and insightful workshops, there were two breakout sessions—Strong Dance by Dedrick Banks and Strong Words by Chachetta Potts.

The conference closed out with spoken word by Matthew Strange and a hilarious yet encouraging keynote message by Joey Quinones, Pastor of New Life Covenant Northside Campus. Kierra Sheard hit the stage performing our favorites and she left the teens with this reassuring message:

“Go for your dreams. It doesn’t matter what someone else has fed you with their opinion or their idea of life, just keep going forward and find God for yourself and you’ll see that a lot of things are different.

Be careful who you have conversations with—remember Eve had the wrong conversation. So be very mindful of who you surround yourself with. Also the word of God says iron sharpens iron so it’s very important that you are particular. They can call you sadiddy, stuck up or whatever. Be selective with who’s in your circle.

Not only that, remember what Jesus did when Peter got out of whack or out of line. We call it vibe now but Jesus did not identify Peter by his name but by the spirit that was using him. So make sure you aware of the vibes around you. Jesus said get thee behind me Satan for you are a stumbling block to me, so have that same authority and audacity as well to correct whatever’s wrong but at the same time be ok with being held accountable.

Fight Depression – Don’t Believe It

To defeat depression, it all comes down to who you surround yourself with, your circle, your village. Remember, God loves us through people. He give you that one on one relationship but God loves us through people. So make sure you have people who will push you back into your destiny, to encourage you and to pour into you. Also be careful too because it might be somebody who might be hating on you and they may be intimidated by where you’re going.

Also, don’t be afraid to talk to someone. Don’t hold it in. You don’t have to be Superman or Superwoman. You can talk to someone and it doesn’t make you weak, it actually makes you stronger. If you’re depressed, get out of the past and live in the moment and if you’re anxious, get out of the future. Let God be there. He got it. And don’t let your past hold you hostage. Be encouraged!”

RESOURCES:

If you need help for depression, anxiety or thought of suicide, we have included a couple resources for you to find help below: www.anthemofhope.com www.twloha.com
Follow ArtSoulRadio social media for more poetry clips, music and encouraging content, event news and other informative content:
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Follow New Life Covenant Church:
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ArtSoul Spotlight

GodKulture Is Bringing Christian Professionals Together Through New Sports Tournament

Published

12 months ago

May 15, 2023

Art Soul

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The Chicago Inter-Church Sports Tournament is a highly anticipated annual event organized by GodKulture. GodKulture is a new community in the Chicagoland area designed to help bring Churches together through fellowship. Their overall mission is to inspire Christian professionals to discover their purpose, develop their leadership skills, and grow their platforms while fostering unity and growth within local churches.

One of the staple events of this organization is their Inter-Church Sports Tournament. This tournament is an annual event that takes place each year on Memorial Day. This summer, 2023 marks the fifth year of this innovative event that brings churches and believers together to compete in various sports activities!

GodKulture Founder, Rotimi Kehinde shares the mission of their organization:

“Our vision for this event is to promote unity, fun, and fellowship among church members through healthy sports competitions. This year, we have an exciting lineup of games, including soccer, volleyball, video games, basketball, flag football, chess, ping pong, and many more. We believe these games will provide a fun and competitive environment and create opportunities for people to connect with each other and build lasting relationships.”

Celebrating the 5th year of this tournament, this year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever!

CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THIS ANNUAL EVENT

4 Things You Should Know About GodKulture’s Inter-Church Sports Sports Tournament

#1) When and where

The Chicago Inter-Church Sports Tournament 2023 is always held on Memorial Day 2023. Many people spend this time at home or visiting friends. However, we believe that you can do a lot more on this special day.

This event seeks to bring together Christians and churches in Chicago together to enjoy fellowship and fun. Check below for the details of when and where this event will take place:

Date: May 29, 2023 (Memorial Day)

Venue: ComEd Recreation Center 434 South Loomis St. Chicago, IL 60608

Time: 9 am – 4 pm

#2) Activities To Expect

The Chicago Inter-Church Sports Tournament features several sports activities that are designed to foster unity, fellowship, and fun among Christians in the Chicago area. (The games begin at 11 am, the pre-game activities begin by 9 am.)

Soccer
Basketball
Ping Pong
Chess
Volley Ball
FIFA 23 (video games)
Fitness Training
Mini Golf

#3) Not Into Sports? Come to Network!

For those who may be concerned about not athletic enough to engage in sports, there will also be time for networking, prayers, worship, and a picnic.

This edition will feature a wide range of sports and activities, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, tug of war, and relay races. The CICSC provides an opportunity for participants to showcase their athletic abilities while also fostering a spirit of sportsmanship and unity among different churches. It also includes fun activities such as music, food, and games for spectators and participants.

#4) Volunteer Spots Are Available

The Chicago Inter-Church Sports Tournament is a big event! Because of this, they are always looking for volunteers to help the event run smoothly. If you are interested in volunteering, simply click this link to register as a volunteer.

Register Your Ministry Group Today!

Simply click this link to register as an individual or a church. Get your ministry departments together and show up ready to play!

Follow GodKulture on Social Media for more information about their community and coming events:
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

ArtSoul Spotlight

Jor’Dan Armstrong & Adia Team Up for Chicago Stop of New Tour!

Published

1 year ago

January 10, 2023

Art Soul

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Chicago is headquarters for the ArtSoul Radio team. So, you know we had to hook up our home city with this news! On Wednesday, January 11th, Jor’Dan is bringing his full band and team all the way from ATL to the Chi this week! And he’s bring the incomparable Adia with him! DON’T MISS IT!

This is the night out you’ve been looking for! Hosted at the City Winery in the West Loop, this location will already have the vibe set. Come ready for a night of Gospel Soul with R&B vibes, good food, great atmosphere, a full band, DJ and an all around amazing experience with some of the best people in Chicago.

This is the “night out” to kick off the New Year you’ve been looking for! It will definitely give you the kick you need to help finish off the work/school week and inspiration for year! Tickets start at only $20. So, get your friends together, put on your best outfit and come through!

EVENT DETAILS:

Location: City Winery 1200 W Randolf, Chicago, IL 60605
Time: Show starts at 8pm CST
Cost: Cost starts at $20
Purchase Tickets here: Click here to buy your tickets

ABOUT JOR’DAN ARMSTRONG

Jor’Dan Armstrong has been a leader in the genre style of Urban Christian Inspiration with the R&B sound for over 8 years. He is multi-nominated and award winning artist and his latest single “Call” featuring Erica Campbell recently hit #1 on the Billboard charts! This is his second single to have Billboard success. His single “My God” hit #1 on the Billboard charts and remained there for several weeks!

Jordan has been a leader in this sound for almost 10 years. We are excited to have him coming to our home city this week!

This style has had many names over the years such as Gospel Soul, Gospel Neo Soul, Christian Soul, R&P and the latest trending terms such as Christian R&B and Urban Inspirational music. Jordan has been a leader in this sound for almost 10 years. Now he’s taking it all to a city near you via his “Church Girls Love R&B” tour! Named after the title of his latest album, Church Girls Love R&B, Jor’Dan is using this tour to continue to help continue to build the Urban Inspiration genre by featuring key leading vocals in every city.

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ABOUT ADIA

Award-Winning singer/songwriter ADIA, has just released her newest album, Hold it All Together. Famously known for her collaborations with some of gospel music’s biggest names including Pastor Mike Jr., Kierra Sheard, and Deitrick Haddon, ADIA is one of the industry’s fastest rising stars.

Her newest project, Hold it All Together is sleek R&B sound that gives a new take on what gospel music can be presented to the world. When asked about her inspiration, ADIA says, “This is a very special transparent project for me. I really dug deep on this project as a songwriter. I share my pain, joy, insecurities and liberation.” She continues, “I invite the listener to have a glance at who God has been to me and hopefully empower them to believe that God can ‘Hold it All Together’ for them as well.”

Follow us below on social media for more!

ArtSoul Spotlight

David Michael Wyatt Is Coming To Chicago!!

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2022

Art Soul

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David Michael Wyatt is rightfully known as “The Velvet Voice”! He has most currently been known for singing on tour with Tobe Nwigwe where he has received praise from artists such as Beyonce, Erica Badu and more! But, now he’s making his own pathway as a solo artist.

On August 26th, the ArtSoul Radio team is partnering up with Aspire Booking to bring David to The Promontory in Hyde Park Chicago! We are excited to have been asked to help create and plan this event while also taking on the full promotion of it for this date. Supporting both local artists and mainstream is our passion and something we have done on a regular basis for almost a decade. So, saying “Yes” to this invitation was easy! Our team is excited about pouring all of our efforts and resources into this partnership to help make it a success!

In addition to David Michael Wyatt, we made sure that the night will include a few top tier Chicago local artists such as Rahkii (a Previous ArtSoul Spotlight artist), Ephraim Bugumba (an Aspire Booking client) and Jasmine Sims (another ArtSoul Spotlight artist). Our host for the night is one of Chicago’s favorite Gospel Radio personalities Keno Greer! It’s going to be a great night! You don’t want to miss it!

While it’s true that David Michael Wyatt has a growing fan base that includes some of the greatest artists we’ve ever seen to grace a stage, this Texarkana native has spent years perfecting his musical talents to get where he is today. This Berklee College of Music alumni, is a singer, songwriter and actor whose music fits perfectly into multiple genres including Gospel and R&B. Wyatt was part of BET’s Sunday Best gospel talent show, has shared the stage with well-known singers such as Kirk Franklin and has been been featured on Grammy Award Winner Israel Houghton’s albums and has entertained leaders such as the previous President-Elect Barack Obama. Outside of his solo endeavors, David can be seen touring with Brian Courtney Wilson and Ledisi.

This is the first in person event ArtSoul Radio has done since before the Pandemic and it has been an exciting experience for us to team up with Aspire Booking so our team can get our creative juices running again by helping to create this event for fans and taking on the full promotion for it.
This is also the first time some of the featured local artists have performed live in Chicago since the start of the pandemic. Needless to say, we’re ALL excited to be back outside y’all!

So, we’re inviting all ArtSoul Radio supporters, and fans of all of the artists being featured to come out to support this event! You don’t want to miss it!

CATCH A SNEEK PEEK OF EACH ARTIST BELOW

David Michael Wyatt