Oxygen is debuting a positive new reality show called Preachers Of L.A.
The new series, which premieres October 9th, will follow six world-renowned and inspirational mega-pastors from Southern California. The "candid and revealing" show will showcase their different styles of preaching as well as giving viewers a glimpse of their personal lives.
From the press release: "While 'Preachers of L.A.' documents these pastors’ lifestyles, the series also focuses on the daily struggles and triumphs they face as men, husbands, fathers, brothers and friends."
In addition to featuring the pastors themselves, the show will also demonstrate the strong relationships of each of these men and explore their family lives.
Produced by Lemuel Plummer (executive producer of “Vindicated” and producer of “The Sheards”) and Holly Carter (executive producer of “106 & Gospel” and “The Sheards"), both of whom are "pastor's kids" themselves, they promise engaging and compelling stories that need to be told!
Meet the cast and see a preview below!
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING TO MEET THE PASTORS!
Bishop Ron Gibson: "Born in Compton, addicted to drugs before he was a teenager, a leader of the Crips by the time he was sixteen, a robber and a pimp, Bishop Ron Gibson was the least likely person to end up a preacher."
Bishop Gibson now preaches to 45,000 each week in the Life Church of God in Christ and is married to his high school sweetheart, but the one thing he wants more than anything is a child!
On his hopes for the show, "My expectation of the Preachers of L.A. is that the show would portray the cast members in a positive light, exposing the good works that each of us do in conjunction with our congregations and in our communities. This show has the potential to be a powerful tool to draw people to the love of God. My desire is to make the Gospel relevant to the times in which we live."
Pastor Wayne Chaney: He got the "call from God" at aged 20 and now is the pastor at the church his grandfather built.
He considers his secret weapon to be his wife, gospel artist Myeshia Chaney. Unfortunately his entire family does not support his goal of raising his church to reach millions! He also owns a Christian publishing company.
Pastor Chaney hopes the show will be the first of many focused on faith, "I would love to engage this medium with hopes that doors are open for future faith based programming."
Pastor Jay Haizlip: A former professional skateboarder from Alabama, he became deeply involved in drugs where he ended up living in crack houses in Huntington Beach and Long Beach, CA. He has six tattoos and a whole host of magazine covers from his skateboarding days.
"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."
Pastor Hizlip knows he's taking a chance by doing a show like this, but he has faith in Oxygen. He shared, "theres a big risk in doing something like this. Making yourself vulnerable and putting how your portrayed in the hands of another person can be a little scary. But, I trust the production company and I trust Oxygen. “
Bishop Noel Jones: Born into poverty in Jamaica, he now resides in Malibu, but he still makes all his own clothes!
Bishop Jones, brother of Grace Jones, is now pastor to the stars, preaching 5 days per week reaching upwards of 17,000 people. He now is looking towards retirement. Unfortunately finding a suitable replacement is much harder than anticipated!
Bishop Jones on what he hopes to accomplish by joining the show, "I hope to accomplish a more understanding and less condemnatory attitude that congregants and people in general have toward leaders who make the same mistake that they make."
Minister Deitrick Haddon "The son of a bishop and an evangelist, Deitrick was preaching at the age of eleven and conducting the church choir at thirteen." At age 23 he married and divorced and moved to California.
Saved from a breakdown by music, he incorporates singing and songwriting into his dynamic preaching and is a #1 gospel Billboard artist.
Minister Haddon explains why he signed on to participate in the show, "We decided to do it because it's never been done before. There's never been a show that goes into the lives of preachers. We wanted to help dissolve the misconception of preachers and church culture overall."
Bishop Clarence McClendon: An international preacher with a weekly broadcast that reaches 250 million homes worldwide, he believes the gospel is for everyone – not just the down and out!
Preaching a "prosperity gospel", Bishop McClendon believes "there is no other kind of gospel." He arrived in LA with $70 to his name and worked his way up to become a mega-preacher and does not back down to challenges about his style of belief.
He wants viewers to know that this is not a reality show, it's a docu-series. "This is a docu-series and not a reality show, and that distinction had a part to play in my accepting the opportunity that was presented to me. In addition, after prayer and family discussion, we believed that this particular opportunity seemed to fit within my overall ministry philosophy of assisting the church in becoming more relevant in the culture."
A preview of the new series is below!
[All Photo Credits: Oxygen]
Preachers Of L.A. premieres Oct 9th at 10/9c.
TELL US – WILL YOU BE WATCHING?
