Missouri lawmakers celebrate gospel music, with its hall of fame coming to St. Louis

Missouri lawmakers this week celebrated gospel music as the Gospel Music Hall of Fame is set to be built at a former Baptist church in St. Louis.

“I remember as a kid growing up in that local church,” Gov. Mike Parson said. “I think how much gospel music has affected me, When I see people sing the gospel, I see what it means for that faith. You know, it’s not always a preacher giving the message.”

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft dedicated a plaque to the people who run the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

“Most of the time when people ask me what my favorite type of music is, I say, ‘gospel music,’” he said. “They don’t know what that is. They think gospel has its roots in jazz or roots in blues. They don’t understand that it has its roots in the real gospel.”

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Ashcroft said gospel music changed his life and that he hoped it could to the same for others. “I hate to say it, but I think most of the scriptures I memorized have been because of those songs,” he said.

Ashcroft said the museum being in the state will “strengthen our state and our nation and people’s lives.”

“I want to take this moment to honor the past and present generations of gospel singers who spread God’s word beautifully,” Sen Karla May, D-St. Louis, said. “The quickest way to get the word of God in the hearts of individuals is through a song. You sing that song over and over again and it becomes a part of the spirit.”

May said the Hall of Fame would create a new influx of jobs in the recording industry in Missouri. Ashcroft agreed, saying it would bring new job opportunities, recording studios and cultural institutions into the state.

For more information about the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, visit www.mogospel.com.

–Dwight Widman | Metro Voice