From a legacy that now spans three generations of music and ministry comes the band Brothers McClurg. What started out as two bands fronted by brothers Anthony and Chris Hoisington has turned into a group of Christian brothers who share a desire to see lives changed through worship.

Until recently, this six-piece band of worshippers from western New York were known as Relevant Worship, the name of their community-wide ministry. With their recent signing to Integrity Music, the band decided to embrace their musical heritage by taking the name Brothers McClurg, which was the name of a rock band formerly fronted by the Hoisingtons.

The name also pays homage to Anthony and Chris’ greatest influence, their maternal grandfather Pastor Bill McClurg, who led the southern gospel group The McClurg Family Singers.

“We see it as a way of continuing the legacy and ministry while giving it a fresh vision,” says Chris.

Hailing from Buffalo, the band’s mission is to carry Jesus’ message of life, hope and forgiveness to people and places that have been ‘dead,’ hopeless and forgotten. The Brothers want to love people through prayer and acts of service, blessing the Church and uniting the body of Christ in worship. Beginning with the Buffalo area, their goal is to break down denominational barriers, starting with themselves as each band member comes from a different church tradition.

“We want to spur one another on, lifting up the name of Christ inside the church, as well as in the streets,” adds Anthony. “Our goal is to rally the church to action, loving one another and also loving the ‘unlovely’ and replicating this passion in every city and community we encounter.”

Chris explains, “Brothers McClurg is a traveling version of your church’s worship team, with many players and faces each adding to what God is doing in times of worship.”

Brothers McClurg is currently touring the Northeast, with concert stops in Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Shackles (Praise You) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It seems like only yesterday that Mary Mary burst on the scene with “Shackles,” but that was over a decade ago. Since then, the sisterly duo ascended to the top tier of Gospel music artists thanks to a lot of hard work and sacrifices. It’s hard to be in a duo with your sister, and have a husband and several babies, AND to go out in front of huge crowds and be “on,” singing with all your heart. But Erica and Tina Campbell (aka Mary Mary) managed to have a very, very successful career not only in Gospel music, but in the entertainment industry in general.

Now, though, it’s time for the duo to take a break, and Erica is doing a solo record. Right now, you’ll be hearing her solo radio hit, “A Little More Jesus,” which goes on sale June 25th on iTunes, Amazon and other online retailers. It’s a hand-clapper with a back-in-the-day beat, full of energy and encouraging lyrics.

While her sister Tina takes some time off from the biz, Erica will be hitting the road this summer, including appearances at the legendary Essence Music Festival and New York City’s Central Park! You can visit http://www.myblockrecords.com for details.

Erica’s profile in the media has really gone up since she and her sister showed it all on their self-titled WEtv series, “Mary Mary,” which is now filming its third season. The reality show about the lives of these Gospel superstars show them in good times and bad, allowing the audience to see they’re “real people” who struggle with life issues just like everyone else. -Mark Weber

Tranea is a plus-sized woman, and she’s not afraid of that subject. In reality, most women in America are plus-sized women, too, and they’re looking for love just like Tranea. If you’re a woman, or you know a woman (which pretty much means anyone reading this article!), then you should consider buying “Celibacy: What Was I Thinking?” as the perfect gift for your friend. The reason? Tranea comes at the subject with a comedic sensibility, while also infusing her Christian faith into the writing, coming across as a fun sister who has been through some tough dating times but held on to Jesus as best she could. Her conversational book will make you laugh out loud, and you might get some tears, too, because Miz T keeps it real.

Perhaps the best part of this book is getting to read her list of qualifications for a man, which changes over time, getting more specific. Here are some key qualifications she’s looking for:

1) Jesus Christ is head of his life and he has a personal, active relationship with Him.
2) He is affectionate.
3) He is compassionate.
4) He is considerate of my needs.
5) He spends quality time with me.
6) He makes me feel important.
7) He is an easy conversationalist.
8) He will let me get involved with his activities.
9) He’s willing to do what it takes to make us work.
10) He doesn’t mind me giving him advice.
11) We work as a team.

Even men can benefit from reading “Celibacy,” because you get a female’s perspective on what she (and most every other woman on the planet) wants in a mate!

The book is a quick read, under 100 pages, and toward the end, you get to peek into Tranea’s personal journal entries from the past ten years.

You can buy the book on Amazon for Kindle or Barnes and Noble’s site for Nook. And if your church wants to have a funny lady come talk about sex, love and celibacy, you can book Miz T via her website, www.MizTComedy.com.