New African-American music group to tour.

A brief tour in late February will mark the performance debut of a newly formed "African American Community and Family Project." The project will give worship concerts in three congregations in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Concerts are free and open to the public. Freewill offerings will be received.

Music will include original songs by group founder and ordained minister James Washington of Whitehouse, Texas. The group was created to present African American music to the Church of the Brethren and was initiated at the 2006 Cross Cultural Celebration in Lancaster, Pa. Other members are Scott Duffey, pastor of Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Sandra Pink of Atlanta, Ga.; Robert Varnam, pastor of Papago Buttes Church of the Brethren in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Greg Reco Clark of Los Angeles; Larry Brumfield, licensed minister from Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Don Mitchell of Harrisburg, Pa.; and Joseph Craddock, a community minister at Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia.

The tour kicks off Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and continues Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. with a performance at Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren, closing Sunday morning, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. with a worship concert at First Church of the Brethren, Baltimore, Md.

The African American Community and Family Project also will be part of the next Church of the Brethren Cross-Cultural Celebration on April 19-22 in New Windsor, Md., and will perform at Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in early July.

The tour is one of an ongoing series of similar events happening across the Church of the Brethren to promote racial and ethnic diversity. Contact Duane Grady, Congregational Life Team, 3124 E. 5th St., Anderson, IN 46012; 800-505-1596; dgrady_gb@brethren.org.

Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline