We're not Pentecostals, so we don't make it a habit of attending Sunday services at Christ Temple Church, a grand 1927 limestone monument at 3400 Paseo that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Not that we have anything against Pentecostals, and if we were of that denomination, we'd be at Bishop Mark Tolbert's church every Sunday -- we swear. Instead of at church, though, we get to see the city's best singin' preacher at other events around town. This year we especially loved him in January at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at St. Stephen Baptist Church. The theme of this year's celebration was "Music: The Soul of the Movement," so, as master of ceremonies the Reverend Nelson "Fuzzy" Thompson said by way of introduction, there was absolutely no one else to headline the event but Tolbert. The Bishop then took the microphone and began to preach, but it wasn't long before he was breaking into a euphoric "When the Saints Go Marching In," which he followed with the gospel standard "Take My Hand." The preaching and the singing blended together, and folks in the audience rose up in ecstasy. It was a joyous moment for sure -- and Tolbert didn't let his captive audience get away before he mentioned that his latest CD was for sale out in the merchandise room. We picked it up a few months later at the church, though, and take it from us --
Bishop Mark Tolbert & Temple Worship LIVE (in stores now, or available through bishopmarktolbert.com!) absolutely rocks. We're rejoicin'.
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