The congregation waves its arms forcefully in the air. A group of worshippers at the front lift a woman above their heads. Symbolically she is being lifted above her situation – her brother has recently been shot.

The singing crescendos. The huge hall is full to overflowing, with people dancing in the aisles, some crying, others shouting out “Hallelujah”. We are in the Ruach Ministries in Brixton, South London. It is one of Britain’s fastest-growing churches. Although church attendance in this country continues to decline, there is an enormous rise within black-majority churches.

Equally their church music, gospel, is booming. And not just in the aisles. The Official UK Charts Company is currently registering all gospel outlets, which could see gospel flood the top 40 by the end of the year. And on November 16 and 17, Gospel Gathering, the UK’s first ever two day international event, will be held at Indig02 at the 02 Arena by RCA records. Originally planned for Butlins in Minehead, the venue was moved due to demand for tickets.

The festival is the brainchild of Mervyn Lyn and Fiona Ramsay. “Gospel music has a vast array of fantastic, untapped music that needs to be heard,” says Lyn, the vice-president of A&R and business development at RCA. “I am not a churchgoer. This event is not about being preached at, it is about the music and the energy gospel artists bring to the stage.”

“Gospel is a throwback to the Sixties and Seventies, a time of real music. Listening to artists like Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder was an incredible experience, and gospel gives the same feeling,” argues Jazzy Jordan about it’s potential for crossover, secular appeal. And Jordan should know – as senior vice-president of Zomba Gospel, an arm of the Zomba label group, his turnover is currently a healthy $75 million (£37 million).

As the figures make clear, in a time of declining mainstream sales, there are good commercial reasons for a label like RCA should back a ‘niche’ event. “Gospel has been rising in popularity for a while, but record companies have only recently seen the potential of this underexploited market,” says Bishop John Francis, the senior pastor at Ruach Ministries, whose Inspirational Choir works with many nongospel artists, such as Madness.

The headliners at Gospel Gathering will be the American artists Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary, with support from British bands such as Raymond & Co and Four Kornerz.

More like a “clean” version of P Diddy than the stereotype of the robed hot gospeller, Franklin is one of the scene’s superstars. In his career he has notched up three Grammy awards, 20 No 1 hits and sold more than 10 million records.

“At times in life,” Franklin says, “the soul gets empty. Gospel fills the void, making people realise that they are not alone in their problems. Its words and uplifting beats give strength and energy.”

“The message is universal,” says Tina Campbell of the duo (with her sister Erica) Mary Mary. “Christians see it as about God, others just as an inspiration.

“People don’t think you can love Jesus and have fun, but when I sing I’m alive.”

www.gospelgatheringuk.com

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