Long Beach Gospel Fest Resonates With Twice As Many People as Last Year

Looking out at thousands of people clapping and swaying to gospel music in the middle of a city street, Pastor Wayne Chaney Jr. smiled as he recalled that the Long Beach Gospel Fest and Downtown Worship Experience began a year ago as a modest grassroots show for local congregations.

By contrast, this year's celebration of the Gospel Fest was a sprawling, daylong outdoor event based on the snappy rhythmic swirls of a repertoire that rings strong in the heart of black culture.

Bouquets of white roses decorated the stage on the corner of Pine Ave. and Broadway, where choir members from more than 35 churches belted out visceral solos and dazzling collaborations that spread the message of Jesus.

A block-long stretch of Pine Ave. was closed to traffic for the event last Sunday, and spectators sitting at sidewalk cafe tables and folding chairs raised their hands in prayer and appreciation.

"Last year, we had less than three weeks to pull it together and we ended up with about 3,000 people," said Chaney, pastor of Antioch Church of Long Beach, a co-sponsor of the festival. "Look at us now: We have twice that many people, and you can hear us a quarter-mile away."

"Against the backdrop of a big-city skyline, it has an especially beautiful resonance," he said. "Beyond the gospel music, we are witnessing the addition of something new and wonderful to Long Beach."

Hosted by the church, the office of Long Beach City Councilman Dee Andrews and downtown Long Beach business owners, among others, the fledgling Gospel Fest appears poised to become a regional attraction in a city known for its homegrown jazz and blues festivals.

"From now on, when someone on the other side of the nation asks, 'What do you know about Long Beach?' " Chaney mused, "the response will be, 'It's the home of the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary ... and the Gospel Fest.' "

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