Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, a South Side institution known as much for its gospel music as its ministry, has released a new album, continuing a musical tradition stretching back to the church's founding in 1950.
Senior Pastor Reginald Sharpe Jr. released "The Flow" on April 3rd, becoming the third pastor in Fellowship's history to lead the church into a recording project. The church, affectionately known among its congregation as "The Ship," is located at 4543 S. Princeton Ave.
Fellowship was founded by the late Rev. Clay Evans, who built the church from five original members into one of Chicago's most prominent congregations. Evans recorded more than three dozen albums over his 50-year tenure and charted eleven projects on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. His recordings, including "I've Got a Testimony" and "What A Fellowship," earned the church a national reputation.
Pastor Charles Jenkins succeeded Evans in 2000 and extended that musical legacy with the 2012 album "The Best of Both Worlds" and the gospel radio anthem "Awesome," which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Top Gospel Songs chart.
Sharpe, a Morehouse College graduate, has led Fellowship since December 2019. He says "The Flow" is built to honor that legacy while reaching a new generation.
"You're going to get some of those classics, and we're going to put a little bump on some of those," Sharpe said. The album's appeal, he says, is intentionally broad.
"Grandmamas are going to get in on this. Millennials, Gen Z can bop to this. "At its core, though, Sharpe says the project is rooted in something bigger than any one generation.
"It's timeless because that's what the gospel is. It's good news. So, hopefully, The Flow helps you find your flow throughout all of the ups and downs that come with being human. "
Under Sharpe's leadership, the church has welcomed more than 1,500 new members, awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors, and retired more than $2 million in church debt.
"The Flow" is available now on major streaming platforms.
