Owings Mill, MD: Grammy® Award nominated and R.I.A.A. gold-certified recording artist VaShawn Mitchell, president of the Gospel Heritage Foundation, will present the International Worship & Arts Training Summit Wednesday, April 2 - Saturday, April 5, 2025, in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. The daytime events take place at the Marriott Ownings Mills Metro Centre complex in Owings Mills, MD and the evening events will take place at Morning Star Baptist Church in Gwynn Oak, MD. A few of the luminaries participating will be the founder of the Gospel Heritage Foundation, Dr. Teresa Hairston-Jackson; and radio personality and producer of the nationally syndicated Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell program, Cheryl Jackson. 

The summit will feature a who’s who of gospel music experts and luminaries discussing every major topic related to a career or ministry in the worship arts. This year’s summit theme is “Cloud & Fire” and everything kicks off April 2nd @ 8 pm with a Jazz & Jokes event hosted by VaShawn Mitchell. The evening will feature smooth jazz performances and Christian comedy. It will be held at the Hook & Reel Cajun seafood and bar, 10200 Grand Central Avenue, Owings Mill, MD, 

On Thursday and Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM, there will be a series of musical or educational sessions. Among them will be worship sessions with the likes of Billboard No. 1 artist Jason Nelson, worship leader Benita Jones, and vocalist Darrel Walls of the Grammy® Award nominated Walls Group. There are also classes on mastering the music business, worship dance ministry and working with choirs. 

On Thursday, there will be a 7 PM evening session with speaker Bishop SY Younger, the charismatic senior pastor of the RAMP Church International in Lynchburg, VA. It will be followed by The Musicians & Singers Shed event featuring a variety of talented recording artists and groups. 

On Friday during the day, the Gospel Heritage Honors Luncheon will celebrate the ministries of evangelist Peggy Carmichael music minister Buddy Lakins, Bishop Carl A. Pierce Sr. (pastor of Carter Memorial Church of Baltimore C.O.G.I.C.) and producer Kenneth Shelton (Kim Burrell, Marvin Sapp). The 1:30 PM event will be hosted by Pastor Lee Michaels, a 40+ year Baltimore radio veteran with iHeart Media, and TV host, Miss Ericka J. 

Friday’s events will be capped with a 7 PM session that features guest speaker Dr. Valerie Moore. Also known as Dr. Val, she is an in-demand motivational speaker with a quarter of a million Facebook followers. She is known for helping people realize their God-given potential. That event will be followed by a 10:30 PM late night musical featuring a dozen, dynamic artists including VaShawn Mitchell, Charles Butler & Trinity, Zak Williams & 1Akord, and Vincent Bohanon, among others. 

View the full schedule here: https://www.gospelheritage.org/schedule-of-events 

Attendees can register for events at https://gospelheritage.regfox.com/iwats-cloud-fire-2025 The registration fee for various events or sessions range from $25 to $75. The daytime sessions take place at Mariott Owings Mills Centre, 10101 Grand Central Avenue, Owings Mills, MD 21117. All the evening events take place at Morning Star Baptist Church, 1512 Woodlawn Drive, Gwynn Oak, MD 21207. The Thursday and Friday evening events are free of charge and open to the public. 

ABOUT VASHAWN MITCHELL. For over two decades, VaShawn Mitchell has been one of the leading songwriters and recording artists in contemporary gospel music. As a songwriter, his songs have been recorded by Maverick City Music, Bill & Gloria Gaither, Ricky Dillard and Donnie McClurkin, among others. His song “It’s Only a Test” was a huge hit for Bishop Larry Trotter. As a recording artist, Mitchell has released a dozen albums that have earned him two Grammy® Award nominations and seven Billboard Top Ten Gospel Airplay hits. Among those hits are four No. 1 smashes such as “See the Goodness,” “Lifted Up,” “Joy” and “Nobody Greater” which was No. 1 on the chart for nine weeks. The Nobody Greater album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 27, 2019. 

ABOUT GOSPEL HERITAGE FOUNDATION The foundation was birthed in 1994 when Dr. Teresa Hairston-Jackson, the founder of the influential Gospel Today Magazine, presented the Queen of Gospel Music, Albertina Walker, with a plaque of achievement on behalf of the gospel music industry. The gesture and Walker’s appreciation, inspired Jackson-Hairston to launch the Gospel Heritage Foundation in 1995 to recognize the achievements of the often-neglected members of the gospel music community. The foundation was fueled by three factors: celebration, education and empowerment. The 501C3 organization celebrates the achievements of various members of the gospel community, educates members of the gospel community and then empowers them to use what they’ve learned and achieved to influence their own communities and the nations at large. In 2017, Hairston-Jackson transferred leadership to multi-talented recording artist and entrepreneur VaShawn Mitchell who has rebranded the Gospel Heritage 2nd Generation. 

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