Mass at the Hip-Hop Church in Harlem

Every Thursday evening, at the Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church in Harlem, Reverend Pogue holds a hip-hop mass.

With hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow acting as MC and Reverend Ferguson directing the Hip-Hop Choir, he puts on a two-and-a-half hour service "that's all about the Lord" complete with rappers, turntables and loudspeakers set up by the altar.

The idea is to reach out the local youth in a language they understand and bring them back to church. It...
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Every Thursday evening, at the Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church in Harlem, Reverend Pogue holds a hip-hop mass.

With hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow acting as MC and Reverend Ferguson directing the Hip-Hop Choir, he puts on a two-and-a-half hour service "that's all about the Lord" complete with rappers, turntables and loudspeakers set up by the altar.

The idea is to reach out the local youth in a language they understand and bring them back to church. It seems to be working. Since the first hip-hop mass in December 2004 and despite disapproval from some quarters, the congregation has grown every week and is now over 200-strong.

Word!
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