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It’s understandable why so many Gospel music fans have jumped on the bandwagon for Dorinda Clark-Cole.  Apart from being one of the most beautiful women to ever record sacred music, she’s also one of the most divinely inspired singers to stand on a podium and testify about God’s goodness.  Whether it’s sharing the stage with Kirk Franklin, Kurt Carr and J Moss or headlining a woman’s conference as the guest speaker, Evangelist Dorinda Clark-Cole is responding to the calling on her life with a passion and fury that’s inspiring an entirely new generation of believers and fans.

Her sincerity and dedication to the word of God is without question.  With over thirty years of professional singing to her resume, executive duties with the Church of God In Christ, teaching responsibilities with the Clark Conservatory of Music and her latest passion, coordinator of the annual Singers & Musicians Conference, Dorinda Clark-Cole is an on-call evangelist of the holy Word, 24/7.

DCC has added to her list of accomplishments with the release of her sophomore album, Live In Houston: The Rose Of Gospel (Gospo Centric) a wonderful blend of church music reflecting the genuine heart Dorinda possesses.  BLACKGOSPEL.COM spoke with this woman of God about her latest album, her impossible schedule and the secret to looking like an angel after all these years.

Christopher Heron: Let me start by congratulating you on your new release, Live From Houston – The Rose of Gospel.  It sincerely is a wonderful album.  My personal favorite songs are Nobody But God and Everything He Promised.

Dorinda Clark-Cole: Thank you. Wow! O.K.! O.K!  Everybody keeps talking about those two songs.

CH: In this your second album, you sound comfortable and at ease as a soloist.  It’s been over three years since you launched your solo career, apart from the Clark Sisters.  Are you now comfortable and confident as a soloist or are you still looking around sometimes for Karen, Jackie and Twinkie?

DCC: Well, no.  I am comfortable now and I think it’s because God has allowed me to be in this season of my life, not only singing but also preaching for God.  It’s really kind of establishing me in a place now where I can feel comfortable and confident.  The first album set up my confidence. You always have those fans that support you; you always sense it when you perform in concerts; you see them and you know they’re there to support you.  That lets you know that it’s not just a concert.  Fans will always be there but it’s a new generation that the Lord has directed me towards and allowed me to minister to.  They really are affected by my music and that truly is a blessing to me.

CH: Your new album features you offering a spoken word, a timely message.  This really is a departure from most Gospel albums today.  What was the purpose for sharing a spoken word entitled The Word Becomes Flesh with those who purchase your album?

DCC: Well, it’s actually another side of Dorinda that some people don’t know. God has given me that call for evangelizing God’s Word.  It just so happened that Thomas Nelson had a particular project that he was were working on and it dealt with women - The Word Became Flesh.  I just happened to be one of the participants on this project, with God using me to minister the Word and bring that Word alive to the listeners. 

It’s been such a blessing, not just to those who listen but to me because it’s allowed the Word to become flesh.  I mean it becomes alive where you are and being able to minister that meant a lot to me. Like I said, this is another side to Dorinda that people did not know.  Quite frankly, God has been dealing with me a lot, in terms of speaking the Word.  And that’s why it’s not a challenge. God has really been building me and using me prophetically and ministering the Word abroad.  It’s like a dual ministry; singing and preaching, and God is really dealing with lives through ministering the word, as well.

CH: Your plate is rather full with your preaching and singing engagements.  Promotions for the album, your administrative roles with C.O.G.I.C. and the Clark Conservatory of Music and your very special annual conference that’s on the horizon, The Singers and Musicians Conference…

DCC: Absolutely!  Yeah, that Conference, I’m really excited about it.  It’s my seventh year and thank God, He has allowed me to grow these seven years.  This is really confirmation.  God said this is the number of completion.  God is really confirming that He’s preparing the next seven years.  It’s been a blessing. I’ve had people come to the Singers and Musicians Conference and offer something new as far as music ministry is concerned.  God is dealing with them in the music ministry, to come here and get the new things that God is putting in them through this season in their lives. 

This is going to be a very exciting year for me, especially the next couple of weeks, September 21^st to the 24^th, right here in Detroit.  My guests will include Tye Tribbett, William Murphy and Shirley Caesar.  The reason why I have singers come and minister to the singers and musicians is so that they can minister the Word.  These artist have really grown to be a blessing to so many people and we’re just looking for their blessing this year.  We’re getting such a great response through the Internet and calls to the office with people wanting more information about it.

CH: How do you manage to balance that heavy schedule with all those demands and still be an available mother and wife to children and husband?

DCC: It’s a juggling experience when you really think about it.  First of all, I have to realize and recognize that God is the one who gives me the strength to do it all.  First, I have to have a prayer life in order to juggle all of this. There’s no way that I could continue on my daily agenda and do what God has put in my hands to do without consulting God.  The Bible says first prayer and supplication; let it be made known to God.  He knows my requests and He takes my requests and allows me to have the strength to be able to do what needs to be done for that particular time as a wife and as a mother.   It’s also very important that I have the support of my family, and thankfully, my family is very supportive of my ministry.  

My husband, who stands with me 100%, gives me that support.  Not once has he ever stopped me from doing the ministry.  He recognized that it was God who gave me the talent and the gift to do what I do.  I just bless God for my husband, Greg Cole.   Not only that, but God has celebrated him in the ministry to understand his calling even greater.  He has been ordained as elder, so he recognizes that to whom much is given, much is required.  God has given us the ability to see the extent of the calling on our lives and to really recognize what God is doing.  So my husband supports me.  My children are miracles.  My daughter Nikki who travels with me and kind of takes a load off of me, makes me feel comfortable on the road and makes things really work smooth.  My son, who is with me, is really supportive of me.

When I come back home, it’s to be able to come back into a family that embraces my ministry and that says “You’ve been on the road. What can we do to make your load easier?”  I believe that it’s important that your ministry starts at home in order for it to blossom.  My pastor also supports me and gives me spiritual advice. It’s important that I can come back home and hear the Word before I can go abroad and spread the Gospel.  Also, my position as an administrator at the Clark Conservatory of Music has been slowed down a little so I can really focus on the ministry of church, that is, the national church in a greater capacity.  Having people around me to support me in that area and being personally able to serve our great church that is the Church Of God In Christ.  Through all of that, God has showed me how to work in those capacities by actually having an active prayer life and a life of giving God praise.   I have to have my prayer time; I must have my spiritual maintenance in order to continue to do what I do, to continue to have the strength to do what is attached to my hand.

CH: It’s wonderful to see how the ministry of The Clark Sisters has evolved into a thriving multi-dimensional ministry that has all the sisters contributing independently and still collectively supporting one another when it’s possible and called upon.  I’m sure Dr. Mattie Moss Clark would be proud to see how her daughters have remained faithful to the calling.   Will we likely ever see the sisters together one more time for maybe one more recording?

DCC: Oh absolutely!  Indeed yes!  As a matter of fact, as we speak, we’re working on something like that, an album that will probably be released in the next year.  We’re looking at doing a live recording in Houston, Texas.  So that’s something that’s in the making; its something we can all look forward to.  You know we do a lot of spot dates together.  I think the last date we did together was in California at the Cornelia Conference where The Clark Sisters came together again and rejuvenated each other.  And we feel so much strength in coming together and seeing the die hard fans of The Clark Sisters. It’s so great to see how God uses us in the land of the living.  People can always click on to The Clark Sisters website to see where we’ll be in the coming months.

CH: In conclusion Sister Clark-Cole, I must say this on behalf of all your loyal fans and admirers; you are looking absolutely radiant on your album.

DCC:  Thank you Christopher!!! I appreciate that great compliment and I thank God.  I get it all the time and I thank God because it’s God that keeps me the way I am.  Nobody knows the story behind these closed doors.  I run a mile a day in order to keep my wind when singing and trying to keep my weight down.  It is a blessing.  I thank God.  It is important for those of us who are constantly in the public eye to keep our appearance up.  It’s so important because the world can do it and I believe that God calls us to take care of our natural bodies as well as our spirit.  They go hand-in-hand.  But I really had no idea that the album cover would turn out like it did.  I mean we took gobs of pictures, standing up, sitting down, fooling around and walking around.  I just didn’t know it was going turn out like that.  I just have to thank God for the photographers, and of course Vicki and Claude (Lataillade) and those who really picked the right pictures and Jojo Pada and Damon Williams and all of them who helped me with my looks and did all the right things to make it worth it in the end.