Preachers of LA: Will you watch?

 

 

By: Denise Young, ED.S

I love to watch reality television it is a hidden pleasure. I can say the fall season is something different with a little new shows out there for everyone taste of drama. One of the reality shows that I had a pleasure in watching before it hit his premiere date on October 9 is Preachers of LA that will air on Oxygen at 9c/10 Wednesday. Well, let’s get right into it without giving a lot of details away. First, to be honest I was a little worried about the show coming out and how Christians would be seen now with this reality show displaying spiritual/ religious world. When you talking about the church it is a serious matter and God it becomes more serious. What will Christians think, what will nonbelievers think is my question. Nevertheless, I hope this show will help believers understand how hard it is for men and women in ministry.

  I have my favorites already but, I will wait to tell you who is the star in my eyes. I am looking at this show as entertainment ,but it is like being a fly on the wall of the preacher’s lives as they balance ministry, family and woe the of gossip, souls and relationship with God. Now when I think of ministry I think of serving God and wining souls for the kingdom of heaven.  I pray this show does not become all about drama and they forget about God and him getting the glory. This show documents a journey of transparency from one man to the next as they endeavor to lead others to their own truth and self-discovery. It’s a dose of reality and a pound of redemption coming from a creative team reared in the church. I really encourage you guys to watch it with open eyes and not judge any of the men due to everyone is human. We have all done things we are not proud of their mistakes are out in open and ours are still in the closet.

In ending this post, I want to say that Deitrick is my favorite with his new wife. On the show he was not married  yet and newly divorced coming off a scandal, but I love Deitrick and his music. I love how he is so real and transparent though out the show. However, the other cast members have great stories such as Bishop Ron M. Gibson who was an ex-gang member and Pastor Jay Haizlip who was on drugs. Those men of God had a Damascus road type call, when God calls you though dramatic event in your life like death or in jail. All the men on the show have a perceptive I think needs to be heard and you will be surprise how each one is different but have a purpose in the body of Christ.

Please check out the cast and tweet them sending encouragement.

 

MEET THE CAST OF “PREACHERS OF L.A.”:

Bishop Noel Jones (@BishopNoelJones)

A Jamaican born into poverty, Bishop Noel Jones has made his way to the other extreme, now living on a hilltop with a view of the Pacific Ocean, Malibu at his feet, and across the street from the former home of the late L.A. Lakers owner, Jerry Buss. The pastor of a church full of celebrities, and the brother of Grace Jones, Bishop Jones is headed towards retirement and looking for a successor who he can entrust his life’s work.  But finding the right man is harder than it sounds.

Deitrick Haddon (@DeitrickHaddon)

The son of a bishop and an evangelist, Deitrick was preaching at the age of eleven and conducting the church choir at thirteen.  At twenty-three he married the woman he was expected to marry – the lead soprano of the church choir.  However, everything didn’t continue as perfectly as the church had hoped. Deitrick and his wife got a divorce and the members of the church shunned him.  Aside from the call on his life, the one thing that helped him from hitting rock bottom was his music. A dynamic personality, singer, songwriter, and preacher, Deitrick finds himself at an impasse in life. Which road will he choose?

Bishop Clarence McClendon (@BishopMcClendon)

Bishop Clarence McClendon appears throughout the world on his weekly international broadcast, which is available in 250 million homes worldwide.  This charismatic and ubiquitous bishop has been noted for his contemporary and relevant approach to the Gospel. He believes the Gospel is not only for the down and out but for the up and out. His ministry spans from skid row to the estates of Bel Air.  When challenged about what many have called his prosperity Gospel, Bishop replies, “there is no other kind of Gospel.”

Pastor Wayne Chaney

At the age of twenty he got the call from God and has grown to become a prominent pastor of the church his grandfather built.  Fast-forward 10 years later, Antioch is the leading church in its community. With an ability to communicate complex truths in a simple way, Pastor Chaney has helped remarkably grow the church, along with the help of his secret weapon, his wife, gospel artist Myeshia Chaney. While Antioch is poised to become the next mega-church with the ability to reach millions worldwide, there’s an obstacle in the way and it comes from within Pastor Wayne’s own family.

Bishop Ron Gibson

Born and raised in South Central L.A. and Compton, to many, Bishop Ron M. Gibson seemed to be the least likely to end up a preacher. Although he was raised by a Christian mother in the Church, Ron succumbed to the pressure of the streets and became a Compton Crip by the age of sixteen. This led to a life of crime and drug addiction, until Christ changed his life. He started Life Church Of God In Christ with nine members, which has now grown to a congregation of approximately 4,000 members. Through it all he’s accumulated great wealth, power and purpose, but the one thing that he and his wife have not experienced is the joy of having children. However, he finds fulfillment by passionately leading people into the same deliverance that he experienced through the Gospel – whether they were in gangs, drug addiction, or simply living empty lives.

Pastor Jay Haizlip (@jayhaizlip)

One of the pioneering greats of competitive skateboarding, Pastor Jay Haizlip, originally from Gadsden, Alabama, collected big trophies, bigger paychecks and high-end sponsors, but fell deep into drugs, and into the crack houses of Huntington Beach and Long Beach, California.  Back in the crack houses again, this time he’s not there for drugs – he’s helping rescue souls for the Kingdom.  Serving as Senior Pastor of The Sanctuary of Huntington Beach, Pastor Jay Haizlip reaches out to troubled youth, finding them in prisons, skate parks and the same crack houses he once shot dope in. 

“Preachers of L.A.” is produced by L. Plummer Media in association with Relevé Entertainment, with Lemuel Plummer, Holly Carter and Chris Costine serving as Executive Producers.

About Lemuel Plummer

The son of parents who owned and operated three television stations, Lemuel Plummer, 26, grew up surrounded by television and film production, and gained his first hands-on production experience producing, directing and editing nationally syndicated programs.  By the time he was 23, he had a first look deal with BET Networks, producing for several series, including but not limited to “The Mo’nique Show” and “The Family Crews,” and creating/executive producing the docu- series “Vindicated,” which premiered in December 2012.  Lemuel has also produced for WeTV’s hit show, “Mary Mary,” and produced BET’s “The Sheards,” which premiered in April 2013.