A vision of gospel praise and song

Top South African gospel artists such as Nqubeko Mbatha, Ntokozo Mbambo and Xolani Sithole will perform in East London on Saturday at the One Night Experience in Worship show.

The event will be held at the City Life Church in Quigney and will also feature leading East London artists including Sharon Mvandaba, Simthembile Nkunzi and Sibu Mbuku.

Organiser, Pastor Gugu Mbuku from the Word and Worship Life Centre, said his vision was for East London to become a hub of worship through various shows they host.

In October, Mbuku was part of the team organising the Take Me To Church music festival.

He also brought East London the Find Me A Minstrel Chapter 2 show last month.

Mbuku said Saturday’s event was a continuation of what he had started.

“The phrase ‘praise and worship’ has lost it’s meaning and we need to go back to basics. Worship revival will start here in East London and spill over to our neighbouring cities and provinces.

“We need to work at building this city and also link up with other nations,” he said.

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch this week, Sithole said he was bringing authentic worship to God’s people. The former Joyous Celebration member said he would perform songs from his debut album as a solo artist.

“The name of the album is called Calvary Encounter and every song touches on the life of Jesus and his resurrection.

“I’ve noticed in the past that we have all these gospel events but none ever talk about evangelism, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Events have become about performances and no purpose,” he said.

Mbuku said he was working towards opening an academy of worship in East London next year. He said a lot of people were not able to differentiate between worshippers and singers.

“True praise and worship will revive the conscious of the people and that is what we need right now,” he said.

Mbuku’s church is currently hosting The Worship Closet Conference this week which will run until Saturday.

The conference, which is aligned with Mbuku’s revival vision, is aimed at equipping worshippers with all they need to know about praise.

lTickets for Saturday’s show, which starts at 6pm, cost R150 and are available from Computicket. — poliswap@dispatch.co.za