ORLANDO, Fla. (BP)–Grammy-winning musical artist Larnelle Harris and syndicated talk show host Dennis Swanberg will make guest appearances at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Cooperative Program.
Harris and Swanberg are scheduled to appear on Tuesday, June 13, in the convention hall and will meet messengers at the Executive Committee booth in the exhibit hall during the morning hours, said John Kyle, director of Cooperative Program development.
The CP presentation during the SBC also will unveil a new three-part CP Missions video series, highlighting celebrities on mission, missionary heroes and a special surprise segment.
“We are excited to have Larnelle Harris and Dennis Swanberg join us as we celebrate 75 years of CP missions,” Kyle said.
Harris started his musical career at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., where he earned a degree in classical music and theory. Harris spent four years with the Spurrlows and eventually started a solo career.
Since he recorded his first solo album in 1975, Harris has collected five Grammy Awards and 11 Dove Awards. He has produced more than a dozen top-rated albums.
Swanberg is the host of the weekly cable variety show called “Swans Place.” The show is produced by the ACTS/FamilyNet network and televised nationwide to 27 million households on the Odyssey Channel.
Swanberg is a former pastor who uses down-home charm to entertain and encourage audiences. Swanberg takes his 20 impersonations to more than 200,000 people every year.
His audiences range from churches to corporate gatherings. Swanberg is a 1986 graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
The guest appearances of Swanberg and Harris are among a number of special projects initiated in connection with this year’s “Partners in the Harvest” celebration of the Cooperative Program’s 75th anniversary.
CP is the channel by which Southern Baptists finance missions and ministry endeavors of state Baptist conventions and the SBC’s national and international outreach.
