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Christopher Heron: Minister Hurd, let's begin with the word of God. As a minister of the Word through music, is there a particular scripture from the Bible you've always kept on your heart, to remind you of His will and your calling to ministry?
Stephen Hurd: Galatians 6:9 "Let Us Not Be Weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not...."
CH: Before we discuss your ministry and album, I'd love for you to share what your childhood experience was like and how it shaped and fostered your love for artistic expression and for ministry.
SH: My childhood was average, I think. I was the youngest of 4 children, 2 sisters and 1 brother. I was the most expensive of all my parents’ children. Everything I did had a dollar sign attached to it.... i.e., piano lessons, gymnastic training, school of the arts...etc etc. But my mom especially was very deliberate about me being a success. I was always doing something
CH: What was the defining moment or experience, like an epiphany, that brought you to the realization that you had sufficient talents and a gift to call an assembly of saints to worship and praise God through music?
SH: It was in the mid 90's I was doing a worship teaching in Freeport Bahamas and I had just written this song called, "The Lover of My Soul" and that particular night the Lord said to me, "Just love on Me and I'm going to heal" my instructions were clear not to lay hands just sing and pray and a guy came to me who looked as if he had a stroke and he said to me, "I use to play the guitar for the Lord and I want to again..." I told him if he believed and prayed I would agree with him. In the background the singers kept singing, You're the Lover of My soul...and we kept singing and praying and as I was leaving the sanctuary to change my clothes I looked in the corner and he was play his guitar to the glory of God the Father... I knew then this is my assignment to express, teach and lift up the sound of worship to help men and women experience God's full presence.
CH: There are so many gifted worship ministers today. From Judith Christie-McAllister to William Murphy, from Byron Cage to Israel Houghton. Which ministers from the past and today have you gained inspiration and understanding on the purpose and the Call to Worship? And what are some of the valuable lessons you've applied to your worship and music ministry?
SH: Judy McAllister has been a great teacher for me for years. I have learned that worship must always be demonstration and not spectators sport.. There must be an act of love to Jesus that supersede just music but it must be an expression that pours from the heart... I'm always trying to be more excellent in my approach as a teacher, minister and the man of GOD...
CH: Your latest album - Times Of Refreshing - appears to expand on the theme and spirit of your previous release - My Destiny. In your own words, how would you describe and distinguish the fragrance and spirit of your new album? And why did you entitle your latest CD, Times Of Refreshing?
SH: Well I have been working and working and I was in a place where I was tired and I cried out to God to restore Joy to my life and my ministry... And I had seen many leaders in the church from state to state and country to country who displayed exhaustion and so I asked the Lord to give me a sound that would help people be REFRESHED and help us to have the sound of God's voice be crystallized in our ears...
CH: We're only two weeks removed from the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. You reside near the nation's capital. How has his this ride to the White House affected you, as a minister called to minister to the people and as an African-American male in 2009?
SH: Everyone in the DC/MD area young and old is very excited to be able to see a Black president come into office. I believe a ceiling has been broken. The use of excuses for not living a dream is DEAD...Now, people with little to no hope can have hope for the impossible. Also, many senior persons who laid down there lives are rejoicing that their labor wasn't in vain. As a child my mother was the secretary for the NAACP and we always saw voter registration drives, meetings and many events designed to keep people of equal rights and fairness. Unfortunately, my mother passed before seeing the promise but I feel her smiling from the portals of heaven.
CH: And what is the spirit you've detected from your pastor, the members of your church and the area you live in, as Barack Obama has assumed the role of president?
SH: My pastor and the saints in my congregation are pleased that prophesy from over 40 years ago is being fulfilled, however our hope is still built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and HIS righteousness. We pray for leadership to succeed. As we did for Bush so we will for Obama!!!
CH: Finally Minister Hurd, as Christians and Gospel music fans finally get an opportunity to listen to Times Of Refreshing for the first time, what do you pray will be the impact of this album?
SH: I pray that anybody, believers and unbelievers will find a place in this worship project that will pull their hearts to a place in God never experienced before. This project will touch all people white, black, Baptist, Pentecostals or Episcopalian whatever. God is moving by His spirit on this project. I'm very excited and most grateful that the Lord gave me the privilege to release this sound in the earth realm. I believe it is a sound that has touched Heaven. I encourage the readers to buy this project. I promise it will touch you in a special place. You'll never be the same again.
Additional information
on Minister Hurd is available at
http://www.myspace.com/stephenhurd. To contact Minister Stephen Hurd
regarding worship conferences, seminars and concert dates, email at
hurdtheword@aol.com.
