The Unity Gospel Choir and its praise dancers, In Christ For Christ, performed a gospel journey that took the audience through many aspects of the history of gospel music and African roots.

The concert, which took place in the University Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union on Sunday was called “Teach My Children to Praise.”

Tykiena Hoover, the group’s president, said the concert was about bringing the message of praise back to church. 

She said too often, people depart from God when they should be praising him. 

“Tonight, we’re going to be taking it back to church,” Hoover said in her introduction to the performance.

The idea for the name of the concert came from a Bible verse. 

Proverbs 22:6 states “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from.”

The group performed old school and traditional gospel songs of praise, and including a song with African roots.

The concert featured singing, praise dancing, instrumentals with drums and keyboards, and miming to music. 

Audience members were encouraged to participate with clapping and whatever other forms of praising they felt was appropriate.

Hoover said the group’s concerts are not normally in the University Ballroom, but that the turnout was good for the space they had.

“We’ve been preparing for this since the end of last semester,” she said. 

Otis Seawood, an Eastern alum and the host of the concert, said too often the world gets caught up in social media, and encouraged the audience to try things like turning off their phones for a day and focusing on God.

He said people should spend more time talking to God instead of taking their problems to other people.

Seawood called on members of the choir to come to the front and say what praise means to them.

Darius Davis-Brownlee, a member of the Unity Gospel Choir, said praise is an involved activity.

“Praise isn’t just lifting up our hands, it’s opening up our mouth and describing God to himself,” he said.

Robyn Dexter can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].