NEWS

A NOTE FROM THE RAISE STAFF

For the past 23 years Raise has developed specialized curriculums and offered classes in the Gospel Arts with the intent of some day establishing an accredited school and center for the gospel arts. In order to more effectively pursue our vision, Raise decided to take a sabbatical from teaching in 2007. This temporary leave has enabled us to more clearly focus upon the establishment of our long-term vision to build this accredited gospel arts program. It has allowed our teaching staff to pursue additional degrees and credentials.

As we moved into the fall of 2008, we realized that the time has come to take yet another step toward the fulfillment of this vision. In the Fall of 2008 Dr, Wise will also move away from teaching at the Ohio State University and Denison University in order to begin preparing to implement a year around gospel arts curriculum at the Raise Center for the Gospel Arts.

Over the past nine years, Dr. Wise was developed and implemented 8 gospel music courses at the university level. As a means of moving toward an ongoing program at the Raise Center we plan to offer each course as an intensive weekend training course over the next two years. By offering weekend sessions will be able to serve those members of the local and national community who are in need of immediate gospel musical and ministry skills while we yet prepare to launch our ongoing program. It is our hope that we will be able to collaborate with accredited universities to offer academic credit for some of these courses. Listen out and check the website regularly for further details.

We plan to initiate a teacher training certification program to train persons to instruct the specialized gospel arts curriculums that we have developed over the past 23 years. By training and developing teachers we will be able to serve not only our local community with our gospel arts programming but we will be able to expand our teaching staff to instruct and mentor musicians all across the nation and globe.

We plan to launch our online virtual academy and training center this year through which many of our gospel arts courses and lectures can be made available on demand through a variety of electronic and computer based methods. Look for the online gospel piano course and series of 1-2 hour lectures on various topics related to music ministry.

While Raise is not ready to resume regular weekly classes Dr. Wise and the other Raise Instructors will continue to offer workshops, seminars, and concerts for other sponsoring organizations locally and across the country. Be sure to check our web-site itinerary for the schedule of workshops, concerts, and other performance or learning opportunities in which you may participate.

Dr. Wise is often requested to develop community choirs for religious and civic events throughout Franklin and Licking counties. Since Dr. Wise will no longer conduct choirs at OSU and Denison, Raise will initiate some new programs as means of continuing to provide gospel music performance opportunities for the community.

One such program “So You Want To Sing Gospel” will enable us to develop interfaith, interracial, and intergenerational community based gospel choirs for special events throughout the Franklin and Licking County areas. Be sure to check the website to see the events for which choirs will be formed and to sign up to participate.

Another program “So You Want To Play Gospel” will allow Raise to collaborate with an existing community orchestra or to develop a community orchestra to perform a concert of gospel music with orchestra. If you play and orchestral instrument, read music, and would like to play gospel music we invite you to sign up to participate in our community orchestra.

We have also begun to develop our plan to build a gospel arts performing complex. Be prayerful that we will be able to announce our progress toward this end as well. Be sure to check the Raise website periodically to learn more about our progress toward the vision and ways that you can help.

As you can see, the task before us is great, but we serve a great God who is able to do great things. We have dreamed this dream and sown seed toward its development for 23 years. It is now time to work to make it a reality. We solicit your prayers and support as we move toward the fulfillment of this vision and our dream. Pray that God will give us direction and lead us to open doors as we prepare to lift up His body in a greater more effective way. We are confident that when we return we will be even more prepared and equipped to train minstrels and psalmists to work in the service of the Lord. To God Be The Glory!!

Sincerely,
Dr. Raymond Wise, President
Rev. Frank Lane, Vice President
Raise Staff