His death was confirmed by his longtime music director, Bruno Miranda, who described Kenoly not as an entertainer, but as a faithful servan

“He was never an artist, never an entertainer. He was a worship leader,” Miranda wrote in a tribute. “For over 20 years, I had the honor of walking alongside him… as a witness to a life marked by faithfulness.”

Born in Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1944, Kenoly served in the U.S. Air Force before initially pursuing R&B music. But his true calling emerged when he dedicated his voice to ministry. He became a pioneering figure in the praise and worship movement of the 1990s, blending high-energy gospel rhythms with deep theological substance.

Kenoly’s 1992 album, Lift Him Up, shattered records as one of the fastest-selling worship albums of its time. His follow-up, Welcome Home, earned the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Award for Praise and Worship Album of the Year in 1997. His music wasn’t just sung; it was experienced, known for bringing congregations to their feet in joyous celebration.

Beyond the music, Kenoly was a dedicated teacher. He served as music pastor at Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose, California, and earned a Doctorate of Ministry in sacred music, emphasizing that true worship is about posture, not performance.

Pastor Tony Suarez remembered Kenoly as a “generational gift” to the body of Christ.

“The anointing would fall on us as he led us to sing out a joyful song and build a palace of praise to the Ancient of Days,” Suarez said.

Kenoly is survived by his family. His music remains a cornerstone of gospel culture, ensuring his voice will continue to lift spirits for generations to come.

• Key Albums: Lift Him Up (1992), God Is Able (1994), and Welcome Home (1996).
• Awards: He won a Dove Award in 1997 for Praise and Worship Album of the Year for Welcome Home.
• Methodology: Kenoly frequently stated he was a "worship leader, not an entertainer," aiming to move worship from the "preliminary" part of a

• Education: He earned a music degree from Alameda College, a Master of Divinity from Faith Bible College, and a Doctorate of Ministry in sacred music from Friends International Christian University.
• Mentorship: He founded the Academy of Praise to train new worship leaders.
• Global Impact: He traveled extensively, ministering in over 100 nations. 

The gospel artist set a record as he won nine categories at the annual event.

The results are in, and Pastor Mike Jr. came out on top at the 2025 Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The Birmingham, Ala. native took home the trophy in all nine categories where he received nominations. With the wins, he scored Artist of the Year for the fourth time, setting a new record and putting him ahead of Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp, who have both won three times.

With the theme, OUR MUSIC, OUR VOICE, OUR CULTURE, Bebe and Cece Winans hosted the 40th annual event. Performances were delivered by Jamal Roberts, Jonathan McReynolds, Nathan Davis Jr., Todd Dulaney, New Direction Gospel Choir of Tennessee State University, Lisa Knowles-Smith, Adia, Donnie McClurkin, Dottie Peoples, Jekalyn Carr, and more. Special guest presenters included Lil Rel Howery, Dominique Perry, Trina Braxton, Tyler Lepley, Serayah, DeVon Franklin, and more. Additionally,  Central City Productions founder Don Jackson received the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award.

View key winners and moments from the 2025 Stellar Gospel Music Awards below. Tune into the annual program on Saturday, August 30th at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET and Sunday, August 31st at 8 p.m. ET on BET. Catch another replay on September 28th at 1 p.m. ET on Bounce TV. For the full list of winners, visit the Stellar Award’s official website.

2025 Stellar Award Winners:

• ARTIST OF THE YEAR – Pastor Mike Jr.; I Got Away EP; Rock City Media Group
• SONG OF THE YEAR – Amen; Michael McClure Jr., Adia Andrews, Terrell Anthony Pettus, Andrea Crouch, & David “DLo” Outing; Pastor Mike Jr.; Rock City Media Group
• MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR – Pastor Mike Jr.; I Got Away EP; Rock City Media Group
• ALBERTINA WALKER FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR – CeCe Winans; More Than This; Pure Springs Gospel/Fair Trade Services
• DUO/CHORUS GROUP OF THE YEAR – The Group Fire; About Last Night; Jet Records North/East
• NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR – ADIA; On the Way; Rock City Media Group
• ALBUM OF THE YEAR – I Got Away EP; Pastor Mike Jr.; Rock City Media Group
• CHOIR OF THE YEAR – Ricky Dillard; When I Think; Motown Gospel
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR – Michael McClure Jr., & David “DLo” Outing II; Pastor Mike Jr.; I Got Away EP; Rock City Media Group
• CONTEMPORARY DUO/CHORUS GROUP OF THE YEAR – The Group Fire; About Last Night; Jet Records North/East
• TRADITIONAL DUO/CHORUS GROUP OF THE YEAR – Brandon Camphor & One Way; Hymn Medley; Tomii Entertainment
• CONTEMPORARY MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR – Pastor Mike Jr.; I Got Away EP; Rock City Media Group

www.thestellarawards.com/2025-winners.html

‘Running toward Jesus’: 45,000 attend Amplify 2025 evangelism event; over 1,100 commit to follow Jesus

Story by Michael Gryboski

Around 45,000 people attend Amplify 2025, an evangelism event held in Benton, Arkansas, on Aug. 8-9, 2025, and hosted by Pulse Evangelism.

A two-day evangelism event that drew 45,000 people to Benton, Arkansas, earlier this month saw over 1,100 people commit their lives to following Jesus. 

Hosted by Pulse Evangelism, Amplify 2025 featured music, prayer and faith testimonies that drew people from 37 states Aug. 8-9.

Additionally, 1,226 attendees “responded to the Gospel,” a term Hall used that included those who made a first-time commitment to Jesus Christ, rededicated their lives to Christ, or asked questions about Jesus.

Of that number, 586 gave their lives to Jesus for the first time and 566 rededicated their lives to Jesus. An additional 74 asked questions about Jesus. 

“Amplify was founded in 2012 with the goal of sharing the Gospel with as many people as possible,” said Hall. “The mission has remained unchanged, and every year that we have been a part of Amplify, we have been blown away by the response and what God does over those two days.”

Around 45,000 people attend Amplify 2025, an evangelism event held in Benton, Arkansas, on Aug. 8-9, 2025, hosted by Pulse Evangelism.

“We want every person to hear about Jesus and be equipped to share Him with others. Every year, [we] aim to unite people under the banner of Jesus through powerful music, Gospel-centered messages, and evangelism training.”

The free admission event received substantial support from the community in Saline County, including 700 volunteers and first responders, Hall added.

The two-day gathering featured multiple musicians, including Lecrae, Matthew West, Maverick City Music, Switchfoot, Terrian and Jamie MacDonald, among others.

It also featured 16 Gen Zers from the Pulse 100 evangelism training program who shared their faith stories on the main stage and at workshops, and helped to train others in evangelism.

Regarding those who made decisions for Christ, Hall told CP that his organization connected them with volunteers known as “Pulse digital responders.”

“From there, our goal is to help them get connected to a local church where they have the opportunity to grow in their faith,” he explained. “We also share initial resources to support them in the first important steps after deciding to follow Jesus.”

Regarding the impressive turnout for the two-day gathering, especially among young people, Hall told CP that he believes that the country is “seeing a generation rise up that is running toward Jesus.”

“If you’ve been wondering where the young people are, I can tell you this: they’re back. That should excite us and challenge us. Now is the time to run hard after this generation and meet them where they are with the life-changing truth of the Gospel.”

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The commissioning ceremony, officiated by the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, was held at the Pentecost Convention Centre in Gomoa Fetteh on Friday, July 18, 2025.

Of the 107 newly commissioned ministers, 92 are Ghanaians, while 15 are international students representing Liberia (4), Nigeria (2), Lesotho (2), South Africa (1), Rwanda (1), Angola (1), Pakistan (1), and New Zealand (1).

During their training, the graduating cohort constructed a 25 kW solar energy project for their campus hostel and organised an ‘Eternal Life Crusade,’ which led to over 80 new converts and the establishment of a new assembly.

Addressing the gathering, the Chancellor of the University, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, commended the successful organisation of the commissioning ceremony, celebrating the Church’s commitment to preparing men and women for global ministry. He expressed gratitude to the faculty and encouraged church leaders and families to support the newly commissioned ministers.

‘The foundation of ministry is character, so build that. Continue to acquire the skills needed to enhance your ministry,’ he advised.

He further challenged the fresh ministers to work collaboratively, noting that teamwork and spiritual mentorship would help them avoid common pitfalls and flourish as co-labourers in God’s Kingdom.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, highlighted the enhanced curriculum, which enabled students to spend more time in the field and provided bi-weekly online training sessions for their spouses. He also commended the students for establishing a worship centre as a result of their evangelistic efforts.

In his exhortation titled, ‘Equipped and Sent,’Apostle Dr Amos Jimmy Markin, Area Head for Cape Coast, drew from Acts 13:24, 1 Samuel 10:6–7, and Luke 1:24–35. He reminded the graduates that their commissioning marked not an end, but a beginning, emphasising that ‘life in ministry does not begin in the classroom; it begins outside it.’

He underscored the necessity of divine reliance, stating, ‘If Jesus needed direction, you and I need it even more,’ urging them to continually seek God’s guidance.

Pentecost University, located in Sowutuom, Accra, was established by The Church of Pentecost. It operates the Pentecost School of Theology and Missions, which equips students for full-time ministry and mission work. The university was granted its Presidential Charter in 2020 and remains a leading institution for theological education in Ghana.

PENT NEWS

He led Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sun Valley for more than five decades. The church announced his death on its website, praising his "56 years of faithful ministry." 

On Sunday, Tom Patton, one of the church's pastors, told the congregation MacArthur had been hospitalized with pneumonia. 

"Even in recent years, though beset with health challenges, he persisted in teaching, leading, and investing in the ministries the Lord had entrusted to him," the church's statement said.

MacArthur made news during the coronavirus pandemic for flouting Los Angeles County's health orders by holding indoor services for hundreds of congregants and refusing to enforce masking and physical-distancing requirements.

His Grace to You broadcast ministry circulated his theologically conservative teachings while his many books, including the popular MacArthur Study Bible, were translated into dozens of languages.

"His legacy as a pastor and teacher in the faith will continue to inspire many generations to come," said Jonathan Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University, where MacArthur had given the convocation address.

Dressed in a suit and tie, he eschewed pop culture references and emotional appeals from the pulpit, even as they became mainstays of modern evangelicalism.

His followers lauded him for his expository preaching, in which he walked them through Scripture line by line. He wanted his sermons to be timeless explanations of the Bible as he interpreted it.

"He could get more out of a Bible verse than anyone I've ever known," evangelical leader Franklin Graham wrote on social media. He called MacArthur one of "America's great Bible teachers."

He was "a lion of the pulpit," wrote the Rev. Al Mohler, a Southern Baptist leader, for the evangelical World magazine. "He was a preacher God used to make other preachers better preachers."

MacArthur was unafraid to stir controversy for the sake of his beliefs, even deriding fellow evangelicals for what he saw as incorrect teachings and theology, including the growing charismatic wing of Christianity.

He was an outspoken proponent of complementarianism – the belief that men and women have different roles and women should not be pastors. He publicly rebuked two influential evangelical women: the popular Bible teacher Beth Moore and the Rev. Paula White-Cain, a spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump.

During a packed, indoor Sunday morning service at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, MacArthur told applauding congregants that they were not meeting to be rebellious, but because "our Lord has commanded us to come together and worship him."

The county and the church traded lawsuits, with the latter arguing the COVID-19 mandates violated their constitutional right to religious freedom. In August 2021, the county's board of supervisors voted to pay Grace Community Church to settle the lawsuit — an outcome MacArthur hailed as a "monumental victory."

The church has also weathered allegations related to its handling of abuse allegations and its treatment of women leaving abusive marriages.

MacArthur hailed from a long line of pastors, including his father. As part of his ministry, he helped train future church leaders through the Master's University and the Master's Seminary, both in Southern California.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and his four adult children, Matt, Marcy, Mark and Melinda, along with 15 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. The church statement described him as a "beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather" and asked for prayers on his family's behalf. 

MacArthur had suffered from health problems in recent years, including heart and lung procedures. He spoke about his ill health in a video message to a church leadership conference earlier this year.

"I realize I'm on the last lap," he said. "That takes on a new meaning when you know you're on the short end of the candle. I am all thanks and praise to God for everything he's allowed me to be a part of and everything he's accomplished by his Word in these years of ministry."