THE 2nd ANNUAL “GOSPEL PRAISE ON FATHER’S DAY” COMES TO TAMARAC, FLORIDA, JUNE 16!

Derogatory terms like ‘Deadbeat Dad’ and ‘Baby Daddy’ have helped emasculate fathers in recent years. No surprise, that Father’s Day comes in a distant second to Mother’s Day in terms of pomp and celebration.

Those negatives are not remiss on Drs. Audley Rollins and Dawn Marie Wisdom, husband-and-wife pastors at Wisdom Sabbath Ministries in Plantation. They embrace fathers in the second Gospel Praise on Father’s Day, June 16, at Woodlands Country Club in Tamarac.

The event uplifts fathers through gospel artists including Sam Duncan, Zana Hunt, Derrick Scott, Samuel Muir, The Edwards Quartet, Sharon The Conscious Poet and saxophonist Jermaine Ramsay.

They will be backed by the DWHAS Band.

According to Rollins, Gospel Praise presents a comprehensive look at the father and his role in an evolving world.

“The purpose of this event is to first thank our Heavenly Father for life, health and the privilege to be here, and to also congratulate and encourage our earthly fathers to do a good job in bringing up their children,” he reasoned. “The responsibility of a father is not an easy one because on one hand you have to be loving and caring, while at the same time you have to apply discipline when necessary, so at times there’ll be disagreement and attitudes about the decisions you make, and you won’t be everybody’s friend, but later when they realize that it was done for their own good they’ll think again.”

Rollins is the father of two sons and stepfather to three children. He grew up in the inner-cities of Kingston and saw up-close the culture of men fathering children with multiple women, which resulted in a number of single-mother households.

Situations like those persist, especially in Third World countries and the United States. While some sociologists point to the high rate of delinquency among men for docile reception to Father’s Day globally, Rollins sees things differently.

“I don’t think good fathers are marginalized, good fathers are just good fathers. I think Father’s Day is low-keyed compared to Mother’s Day because mothers sometimes have to carry the child for up to nine months without the father, not to mention caring for the child during infancy,” he said. “So, they deserve the love and attention they get on their day. However, fathers too need to be shown love and appreciation.”

Rollins and his wife are graduates of Galilee Ministries University in Oakland, South Florida.

They also stage A Time For Love, an annual Valentine’s Day show.