By: Isaiah S. Showell, Follow South Jersey Multimedia Journalist/’What’s Good’ Host
CAMDEN, N.J. — When it comes to events bringing communities together in South Jersey, we can add the ASEM Gospel Explosion to the list!
Apostle Arnold and Pastor Iris Steward opened the doors of their church for this event and allowed Cainaan NoNonsense Cooper to orchestrate and pick the artists to perform. Among those artists was Jonathan Wallace.
“I was introduced to free basing cocaine on my fifteenth birthday, I was shot three times, and stabbed twice, and tied to the back of a car and dragged 27 blocks,” said Wallace.
Wallace, who is from Camden, was involved in drug use and was homeless for several years until he decided to allow God into his life. Wallace loved to rap and rarely wrote down his lyrics when he raps because they come by way of God, he claims. Performing at events like this and encouraging people to surrender their life to God is what Wallace is passionate about. He has been drug free and off the streets for seven years since giving his life to God.
“The God we serve is a jealous God,” Wallace said. “I surrendered and gave him everything I had, and he showed up, and he showed out.”
A rap group by the name of Qoheleth also performed at the event They are current college students who decided to rap to influence college youth to give their lives to God because they equate being on campus to being on the devil’s playground due to the mischievous activity they’ve witnessed while on campus.
“Sin is so easily available,” said Qoheleth. “It’s a place where you could lose yourself. Once I found out Jesus was a real man that actually walked on the Earth, I needed to know more, and everyone should know about this.”
Every gospel artist in the building performed that night in hopes of uplifting the City of Camden and prepping the audience for another ASEM Gospel Explosion next year!
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