Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News, December 2008: PAUL COLMAN RELEASES SECOND SOLO ALBUM “HISTORY” JAN. 27

WOW AND BELMONT UNIVERSITY BAND TOGETHER WITH “FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN” TO GIVE HOPE TO THE HUNGRY

EMI Christian Music Group, Provident Music Group, Word Entertainment and Belmont University to Package More than 400,000 Meals for Distribution

Lunchtime Concert Features Performances by:
“New Artist of the Year” Brandon Heath, Francesca Battistelli and Josh Wilson

NEWS SOURCE: Provident Music Group
December 2, 2008

(Nashville, Tenn.) December 2, 2008 – EMI Christian Music Group, Provident Music Group and Word Entertainment have long collaborated in the marketing and distribution of WOW compilation projects. This year the companies extend their alliance through a charitable event called “WOW Shares.” On December 10 the collective staff of the three companies, together with students from Belmont University, will sponsor a “food packaging event” benefitting non-profit hunger-relief organization, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). Minnesota-based FMSC delivers food around the world to malnourished children in schools, orphanages, refugee camps and hospitals. (http://www.fmsc.org)

Hundreds of employees from each of the three companies, along with Belmont University employees and students, have signed up to work in shifts packing specially formulated meals in assembly-line fashion. Each FMSC meal provides the key nutrients a child needs to survive and thrive.

Packing sessions, each beginning with a 10 minute overview of FMSC’s work around the world, will take place at the following times on Thursday, December 10 in the Curb Event Center on Belmont’s Campus:

Packing Session No. 1: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Lunch & Concert: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Packing Session No. 2: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Packing Session No. 3: 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Packing Session No. 4: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Over the Noon-1:00 p.m. lunch break, Brandon Heath (Reunion Records/Provident Music Group), Francesca Battistelli (Fervent Records/Word Entertainment) and Josh Wilson (Sparrow/EMI CMG Label Group) will perform a concert for volunteers.

About WOW and WOW Shares:
“WOW Shares” is a newly created effort formed by the WOW companies to mobilize Christian music industry employees to serve others this Christmas season. EMI Christian Music Group, Provident Music Group and Word Entertainment have coordinated their efforts to pack food for starving children in Thailand. Funds for the meals have been provided from proceeds from the sale of WOW CDs.

About Feed My Starving Children:
Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s starving children hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: volunteers of all ages hand-pack meals designed specially for starving children, and FMSC ships the meals to more than 60 countries around the world. This year, FMSC will send 75 million meals around the world thanks to the work of 325,000 volunteers. For more information, see the attached fact sheet and visit http://www.fmsc.org.

About Brandon Heath (Reunion Records/Provident Music Group):
Christian music’s New Artist of the Year Brandon Heath recently released his anticipated sophomore album What If We. The new album features the No.1 single “Give Me Your Eyes,” which has held the top spot at Christian AC radio for 11 consecutive weeks. The hit song has also held 18 weeks at No.1 on iTunes Christian Top 100 Songs Chart with more than 160,000 tracks purchased.

Off stage, Heath seeks opportunities to merge his public platform with his heart for community and serving the needs of his neighbors around the world. He regularly works with organizations such as YoungLife, Blood:Water Mission and Restore International. Heath has been a respected songwriter in the Nashville music community for years, collaborating with well-known artists like Bebo Norman, Matt Wertz and Dave Barnes, to name a few. Heath first began writing at age 13 and credits the town’s legendary hotspot for songwriters, the Bluebird Café, as the place he first experienced music that moved him. (www.brandonheath.net)

About Francesca Battistelli (Fervent Records/Word Entertainment):
New Fervent Records/Word Entertainment artist Francesca Battistelli is no stranger to the stage, having been raised by parents immersed in the arts and Broadway, she developed a love of music, theatre, and performance at a young age. But instead of using these talents for applause and accolades, Francesca prefers to point people much beyond herself - towards hope in Christ. Her debut project, My Paper Heart, released to rave reviews in July and Francesca became the most added new artist at Christian radio in 2008 with her first single, “I’m Letting Go.” (www.francescamusic.com)

About Josh Wilson (Sparrow/EMI CMG Label Group):
Singer/songwriter Josh Wilson grew up a preacher’s kid in Lubbock, Texas. Learning to play both guitar and piano at a young age, he began leading worship for his church’s youth group. After high school, Wilson attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., where he won the Christian Music Showcase his junior year. He signed to Sparrow Records in 2006 and released his major label debut, Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup, April 29, 2008. The album was met with critical acclaim, hailed by Christian Retailing as “the future of Christian pop.” Wilson’s current radio single, “Savior Please,” is vying for adds at Christian AC and CHR radio. (www.myspace.com/joshwilson)

About Belmont University:
Belmont University, host of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate, is a fast-growing community of 5,000 students who come from almost every state and more than 25 countries. Committed to being a leader among teaching universities, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service. The university’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. With more than 75 areas of study, 12 master’s programs and three doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual's horizon. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.

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