The Greater Atlanta Church of Christ hosted their 3rd bi-annual global Shrewd 2013 Arts & Entertainment Conference for rising Christian artists and entertainers in Atlanta and around the world. The GACC is a church of the International Churches of Christ that has a heart for ministry to those in the arts.
Since the conference, 21 people have been baptized in the GACC!
The conference took place downtown Atlanta at the Sheraton Hotel and featured inspirational artists such as two-time Grammy award winners Arrested Development, Tina Crawley (inspirational jazz, soul & gospel singer and songwriter), Cjay Philip (director, producer and choreographer), Kara Ramos (celebrity make-up artist), Natasha Garcia (artistic director of AGI Entertainment), Sanford Greene (graphic artist) and professional athletes such as Ellis Hobbs (former NFL cornerback) and Terry Allen (former NFL running back). See some great pictures on our Facebook Page
Guest speakers at the conference included Marcos Mercado, acclaimed Radio One Relationship Specialist and host of weekly radio show, “Marriage Beyond the Vows,” and Dr.Tommy Shavers, accomplished speaker, author, minister, radio host, and consultant. Attendees of the conference came from France, the Bahamas, London, Bermuda, New York, Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas.
This is the third bi-annual Arts & Entertainment Conference hosted by the GACC. The conference welcomed more than 650 attendees as artists and media hopefuls sought to glorify God as they grow in their industries.
“SHREWD 2013 was life changing…we built upon the previous themes of artists using their talents for the good, and this year focused on how to be SHREWD for Christ,” said Speech Thomas, lead singer of the band, Arrested Development. “We had four baptisms during the conference and three more the week after. The movement has just begun!”
The event began Friday night with the conference’s first Shrewd Film Festival, which offered a cash prize of $500 and a scholarship worth $4,995 to participate in Actors, Models & Talent for Christ (AMTC). The Grand Prize went to Anita Jones for her film “Poverty: Not So Invisible.” Saturday started off with Zumba and Capoeira classes, a morning show featuring Radio One’s Marcos Mercado interviewing industry leaders in various art and entertainment professions, and panel discussions about being successful in those professions.
“The Arts & Entertainment conference is not only for artists! It’s for anyone who understands the power of arts and media and wants to learn to wield that power to change the world!” said Speech on the topic of who was invited. “Our next event is 2015, so people should sign-up for our mailing list to stay informed.”
The main event on Saturday night began with the Mixtape Mixer, a professional networking event, hosted by Radio One’s president of inspirational stations, Elroy Smith. Shortly after, Fashion on Fire amazed the audience, as did Magician/Mentalist Daniel Macaluso. Speech and his band Arrested Development shared the stage with a number of phenomenal performers for the much-anticipated “Speech & Friends” concert.
On Sunday, the conference wrapped up with a worship service including highly-charged singing, fellowship and an inspirational message by the lead evangelist of the GACC and 11 Alive/NBC TV producer, Angel Maldonado.
“The conference was all about using our God-given talents to make a positive impact in the world around us,”said Angel Maldonado. “We believe every person has a specific purpose from the Lord and our goal is to encourage them to discover what that is and live it out.”
The GACC plans to continue the conference and host the next event in 2015.
For more information on the GACC, please visit www.TheGACC.org.
