The planning meeting for next January’s Apopka gospel music festival will take place on Tuesday, November 1, at Word of Life Church, 1853 Vick Rd., Apopka, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
The South Apopka Ministerial Alliance and the Apopka Christian Ministerial Alliance are sponsoring the Apopka Faith, Family, and Food Gospel Festival, scheduled for January 7 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Amphitheater at the Jason Dwelley Parkway, Apopka.
The ministerial alliances are seeking individuals to sit on the festival’s planning committee.
“Please be advised that in the spirit of inclusion, we are inviting all faith leaders, community leaders and concerned citizens to provide input during the gospel planning meeting,” reads the Monday, October 31, email from ministerial alliance leaders.
The ministerial alliances decided to organize a community gospel festival after the City Council did not motion to vote on a $60,000 contract with a Mount Dora event promotional firm for what would have been Gospel Fest. Without a motion, the City Council can’t vote, and therefore Gospel Fest failed to pass.
The commissioners at the October 5 City Council meeting were not against the idea of Gospel Fest in itself, but rather what they perceived as hasty timing in mounting the event for Saturday, November 12, if the City Council approved the $60,000 contract.
The rush to schedule Gospel Fest for November might lead to a less-than-successful event, the commissioners said.
At the October 5 meeting, Mayor Joe Kilsheimer said city staff had planned Gospel Fest for months, but it was a matter of getting the fiscal year 2017 budget approved last September so the city could sign off on the contract.
At the October 19 City Council meeting, Pastor Hezekiah Bradford said he was out of town but when he got back, he learned about Kilsheimer’s intent to have Gospel Fest without the ministerial alliances’ help. After reviewing the City Council meeting, he got a call from Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson. The alliances got together and after one meeting, decided to sponsor the gospel festival.
In regards to the gospel festival, Bradford filed an application for a special events permit with the city, which the Development Review Committee will go over at their Wednesday, November 2, meeting.
If the application is approved, the city will notify Bradford about the total rental fees to include police and fire, according to an email from the city, which the ministerial alliances included in their gospel festival planning protocol.
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