Gospel music’s 28th annual event at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry also named special honorees Bishop T.D Jakes, the late Inez Andrew and Kurt Carr

Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago and sister duo Mary Mary were the most awarded artists, each topping five categories at the 28th Annual Stellar Awards, with Marvin Sapp close behind with four wins. Celebrating gospel music at its best, the Stellar Awards were hosted by Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary on Jan. 19 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, and were broadcast live on the Gospel Music Channel.

Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago won Song of the Year for “Awesome” (The Best of Both Worlds); Traditional Choir of the Year; and Choir of the Year, and took home two awards for The Best of Both Worlds (Inspired People): CD of the Year and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.

Sister duo Mary Mary was named Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year and Group/Duo of the Year, and won two awards for Go Get It (Columbia Records/Provident): Contemporary CD of the Year and Special Event CD of the Year. The duo also won Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year for the title track, “Go Get It.”

Sapp was named Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Traditional Male of the Year, and also took home Traditional CD of the Year for I Win (Verity Records/Provident).

Other honorees included Kierra Clark Sheard, Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year; Le’Andria Johnson, New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Female of the Year; Fred Hammond, Contemporary Male of the Year; and The Williams Brothers, Traditional Group/Duo of the Year and Quartet of the Year.

Special honorees were also named: Bishop T.D Jakes, Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award; the late Inez Andrews, Ambassador
Dr. Bobby Jones Legend Award; and Kurt Carr, James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award.

GRAMMY-winning artist’s latest release is only the fourth Christian album on the national chart

GRAMMY-winning and multi-Platinum recording artist Chris Tomlin’s latest album, Burning Lights (sixstepsrecords/EMI CMG Distribution), landed on the top spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart Jan. 16.

The achievement marked only the fourth time ever that a Christian album hit No. 1 on the main U.S. album chart, but the second time in a six-month period as TobyMac’s Eye On It (ForeFront Records/EMI CMG) debuted at No. 1
in September.

With more than 72,000 units sold, Burning Lights marks the biggest first-week sales of Tomlin’s two-decade career, reflecting a 60% increase compared to first-week sales of Tomlin’s last studio album, 2011’s And If Our God Is For Us (sixstepsrecords/EMI CMG), which sold 45,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Released Jan. 8, Burning Lights also claimed the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Christian & Gospel Albums chart. The album’s first single, “Whom Shall I Fear [God of Angel Armies],” also claimed the No. 5 spot the Top 5 on Billboard’s Christian AC, No. 6 on the National Christian Audience, No. 7 on the AC Indicator and No. 16 on the Hot Christian Songs charts the week of Jan. 14.

Tomlin’s Burning Lights Tour began Feb. 19 in Charleston, W.Va., visiting 34 cities, including New York, Seattle and Dallas, before wrapping at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver on May 4.

Besides TobyMac, Tomlin’s chart-topper puts him in the company of country star LeAnn Rimes, whose inspirational record You Light Up My Life reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 1997, and Bob Carlisle, who notched two weeks on the top spot in the same year with Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace).

New direction seen as ‘necessary’ for Gospel Music Association as the organization does ‘a lot of retooling’

The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is moving the Dove Awards back to Nashville after a two-year run in Atlanta, and is switching its marquee event from April to October.

“We have spent a lot of time talking to our members and industry leaders across the board in an effort to assess our environment and create a plan to meet current needs,” GMA Executive Director Jackie Patillo wrote in a letter sent to association members just before Christmas. “Many of you have inquired about the 44th Annual GMA Dove Awards, and I am happy to report that it is corning back home to Nashville. In order to maximize its potential, the Dove Awards will be moving to a new October date in 2013. We are in discussion with strategic partners that will bring needed strengths to the table.”

Patillo told Christian Retailing that “in order to maximize the potential of the Dove Awards, it was necessary to make the moves.”

“It’s necessary for all businesses to not play to the status quo and do things the way they’ve always done it,” added Patillo, noting that the specific Nashville location has not yet been finalized. “We want to be effective for the current economic climate. GMA is doing a lot of retooling right now and this is just a part of it.”

Held for the first time outside of Nashville in April 2011 at Atlanta’s historic Fox Theatre, the Dove Awards sold out in record time, attendance was up 50% from the 2009 show and the event garnered its highest ratings on the Atlanta-based Gospel Music Channel—with more than 1.5 million viewers, GMA officials said.

The showcase event was again held at the Fox and televised on GMC in 2012.

GMA has been working to bounce back since the association experienced a financial crisis in 2009 that threatened its very existence. The association posted a profit in 2010 for the first time in three years, reduced a total debt of $921,000 to a manageable amount and sold its Nashville facility for $697,000 in October 2010.

Meanwhile, GMA has formed a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources to host Immerse, the organization’s annual industry music conference.

GMA’s fifth annual Immerse will be held May 26-29 at LifeWay’s headquarters in Nashville. LifeWay’s 21-acre campus allows the conference to be held in one location, with more than 1 million square feet of space for concerts, conferences, networking events and meals, GMA officials said.

“I am grateful to the leadership at LifeWay for opening their extensive campus to Immerse,” Patillo explained. “Their commitment to excellence and willingness to facilitate this conference is exciting. This partnership is in keeping with GMA’s goal is to bring the music industry together to pour into the lives of our future leaders.”

Mike Harland, director of LifeWay Worship, added: “The heart of our calling is to serve churches in their mission of making disciples that will take the gospel to the world. We believe Immerse does that by equipping young creatives with the tools to spread the gospel through music. We are thrilled to be part of it.”

Immerse offers up-and-coming songwriters and business professionals to get hands-on training from music industry leaders. Programming for this year’s event will include classes in music business, songwriting, artist development and “reVIEWyou,” which combines mentoring with a songwriting and performance competition, feedback and on-stage opportunities.

Sister retailers Hobby Lobby and Mardel Christian and Education discover a way to avoid fines in a separate case on the abortion mandate

Tyndale House Publishers celebrated in November when a federal court stopped enforcement of President Obama’s abortion-pill mandate, but the battle continues. Not to be outdone, the Obama administration filed an appeal in the case Jan. 15.

In a separate but related case, Hobby Lobby Stores and sister retailer Mardel Christian and Education have “discovered a way” to avoid being penalized by the federal government for not covering abortion-inducing drugs in their employee healthcare plans.

The administration argued that the Carol Stream, Ill.-based publisher doesn’t meet the criteria for religious exemption from the mandate, despite the fact that Tyndale House is the world’s-largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles and digital media—directing 96.5% of its profits to religious nonprofit causes worldwide.

“Bible publishers should be free to do business according to the book that they publish,” argued Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman, who is representing Tyndale. “Regrettably, the administration does not want religious freedom to stand in the way of imposing Obamacare.

“The district court rightly halted Obamacare’s abortion-pill mandate against Tyndale House, but the administration continues to argue that a Bible publisher isn’t religious enough to qualify as a religious employer,” he added. “For the government to say that a Bible publisher isn’t religious is startling. We will continue to argue on appeal that the administration cannot disregard the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom to achieve certain political purposes.”

The publisher is subject to the mandate because Obama administration rules say for-profit corporations are categorically non-religious, even though Tyndale House is strictly a publisher of Bibles and other Christian materials and is primarily owned by the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation. The foundation provides grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world.

In its opinion accompanying a preliminary injunction order in Tyndale House Publishers v. Sebelius, the court wrote that “the beliefs of Tyndale and its owners are indistinguishable. ... Christian principles, prayer and activities are pervasive at Tyndale, and the company’s ownership structure is designed to ensure that it never strays from its faith-oriented mission.

“The court has no reason to doubt, moreover, that Tyndale’s religious objection to providing insurance coverage for certain contraceptives reflects the beliefs of Tyndale’s owners,” the court continued. “Nor is there any dispute that Tyndale’s primary owner, [Tyndale House] Foundation, can ‘exercise religion’ in its own right, given that it is a nonprofit religious organization; indeed, the case law is replete with examples of such organizations asserting cognizable free exercise and RFRA [Religious Freedom Restoration Act] challenges.”

Meanwhile, an attorney for the Green family, which owns the Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby and Mardel, said the chains could avoid fines for several months.

Starting Jan. 1, when the new healthcare plan was to take effect, Hobby Lobby and Mardel were to face fines of up to $1.3 million daily for defying the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ abortion-pill mandate, a regulation under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).

However, Peter Dobelbower, an attorney and vice president for Hobby Lobby, said in a Jan. 10 statement that that the effective date had been postponed, but he didn’t elaborate.

“Hobby Lobby discovered a way to shift the plan year for its employee health insurance, thus postponing the effective date of the mandate for several months,” Dobelbower said. “Hobby Lobby does not provide coverage for abortion-inducing drugs in its healthcare plan. Hobby Lobby will continue to vigorously defend its religious liberty and oppose the mandate and any penalties.”

In December, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the request by Hobby Lobby and Mardel for an injunction while the case is pending, saying the stores did not meet the legal standard for blocking the requirement on an emergency basis. However, she said, the companies may still challenge the regulations in the lower courts.

In November, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton said that although churches and other religious organizations had been granted constitutional protection from the abortion mandate, “Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations.”

Hobby Lobby eventually could still face fines, despite for-profit organizations having a record of nine wins and five losses in federal court against the mandate, according to a tally by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the chain.

Hobby Lobby—the largest business to sue the federal government on the issue—is among the five for-profits to have lost in court. So far, each of the nine victories has been limited to the businesses that sued, although if those wins stand on appeal, they could cover Hobby Lobby, Becket Fund said.

Australian worship leader and pastor has become ‘part of the fabric of contemporary worship’ in the church

Christian retailers would be not be surprised if worship leader Darlene Zschech has prayed the prayer of Jabez—“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!” (1 Chron. 4:10). There is no doubt that, in fact, God has done just that for the recording artist who is now known around the globe.

As a pastor and worship leader, Zschech has led millions of Christians in worship around the world. With her songwriting skills, she has penned more than 80 songs, including anthems such as “Shout to the Lord,” a song covered by at least 20 other artists and sung by an estimated 30 million churchgoers every week.

Integrity Music—now owned by David C Cook—has served as the label Hillsong’s U.S. distribution partner from 1995 to 2010 and has signed a long-term songwriting/music publishing agreement with
Zschech. The first album Hillsong and Integrity partnered on was Shout to the Lord, on which she was featured as worship leader.

“To date, over 3 million copies of that album have been sold around the world, not to mention her other recordings, and Integrity Music continues to resonate with the 80+ songs she has written and recorded,” said Steve Nicolle, vice president of sales at Integrity Music.

“Darlene is a true worshiper of God at heart, and also a tremendous singer and songwriter,” Nicolle said. “She is also a pastor, author and communicator who is very exuberant and authentic. When you put all of those gifts together, you have something very special and rare.”

Nicolle sees the Easter-themed “Victor’s Crown” on Zschech’s new album as a standout song. Releasing March 19, Revealing Jesus: A Live Worship Experience (Provident Distribution), is the first album on RGM-NEW BREED Music, which also plans a follow-up album.

“We think it, like ‘Shout to the Lord,’ will be one of those that will be sung around the world for years to come,” he said. “It’s just that good.”

Through Israel Houghton, “we negotiated this live recording of Darlene’s, which Israel produced, wrote songs and lent his voice and incredible talents to,” Nicolle said. “Michael W. Smith and Kari Jobe are also featured on the project, and we couldn’t be more thrilled on how it has turned out. The strength of the songs on the recording, the quality of the production of audio on the CD and stunning visuals of the DVD, together with the guest appearances all combine to make this one of the most significant worship releases we have ever had the privilege of bringing to the marketplace.”

While serving as a worship leader and pastor for Sydney’s Hillsong Church, Zschech wrote for, performed on and helped produce 16 Gold- and one Platinum-selling Australian Recording Industry Association live Hillsong albums.

Shout to the Lord was nominated as Album of the Year and the title song was nominated as Song of the Year in the Dove Awards. In 2000, she was nominated for Songwriter of the Year and received the Gospel Music Association International Award for her impact on the global church.

Dan Michaels, senior vice president marketing and promotions for Fair Trade Services, has worked with Darlene and her husband, Mark, on past recording projects.

As for why she is so successful in music ministry, Michaels said: “Darlene executed the basics with remarkable results. Timeless songs that made a connection to the heart of an individual. Superior performances and production. A vision to serve with passion and purpose that is clear to see whether you are listening to her CDs, experience her live or are fortunate enough to know her personally. Darlene has a burden for global reach with the gospel and charitable efforts, and a work ethic second to none.”

Beyond music, Zschech has written several books published by Bethany House. Extravagant Worship (2004), The Kiss of Heaven (2005) and The Art of Mentoring (2012) have been translated into 19 languages combined.

During the period when she didn’t have any books published, Zschech and her husband, Mark, planted a church in New South Wales, Australia. She was also engaged in some significant mission ventures, including traveling with Compassion International, and with her husband created a new nonprofit.

“They also made a commitment to do whatever they could to bring relief to human suffering,” said Steve Oates, vice president of marketing at Bethany House. “Through this desire, HOPE: Global (www.hope-global.org) was born, a nonprofit organization that helps restore hope and justice to countries devastated by war, genocide and poverty.”

Her latest book with Bethany House, Revealing Jesus, releases this month, with the CD and CD/DVD deluxe set releasing simultaneously with the book. A floor display (pictured) houses the products, and the header from the display can be used as a header for an endcap.

“This devotional was poured out from the pages of Darlene’s personal journals,” Oates said. “Honest, raw and beautifully written, it contains meditations and scriptures revealing the heart of Jesus.”

Revealing Jesus is a fitting title for the project, as she has made it her heart’s quest “to know more about Jesus, to be more like Him and to make Him known, to show His love like I should,” Zschech told Christian Retailing. “The more I read the Word, I continue to read about the authority that we have in the name of Jesus; that the cross was enough, that Jesus paid it all for you and me. And this has caused me to be more bold in my approach to writing songs for congregations to lay hold of, declaring the finished work of Christ and declaring that God is here—that greater is He that is living in me than he that is in the world.”

Because her music is “part of the fabric of contemporary worship within the church,” Michaels said: “Her history with Hillsong, touring and success at radio certainly have played a role connecting to lives of a CBA retail customer.”

Zschech has come a long way from singing jingles for McDonald’s, Special K, KFC and Diet Coke, which she did as a teenager.

“Now that we are pastoring Hope Unlimited Church at the Central Coast, sometimes it feels like I’ve gone full circle,” she said. “My children range in age from 24 to 11. My grandchildren are 3 and 18 months old. My husband and I are now senior pastors, and in our 27 years of marriage, we had never said to each other that we had that desire. We write, travel, teach, lead, but I think I am still the same person deep down—so grateful to Jesus for rescuing me, so grateful to God for my family and friends and so grateful to God for His church that welcomed me home 32 years ago.”

The Christian Authors Network (CAN) gave away more than $3,000 worth of books during the Munce Group's CPE (Christian Product Expo), held Jan. 20-22 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa.

More than 100 retailers attended the breakfast event, where they learned about new releases from CAN authors and how to increase store traffic. Three winners each received more than $1,000 worth of books from Zondervan, Abingdon Press, Tyndale House Publishers and Revell.

"I've never won anything before," said Theresa Hanley of Solid Rock Café in Chalfont, Pa.

Consumers are expected to spend an average $130.97 on Valentine's gifts and merchandise—up from $126.03 last year, according to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2013 Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey conducted by BIGinsight.

Total Valentine's Day spending is expected to reach $18.6 billion, up slightly from last year.