The goal of the Edwin Hawkins & Walter Hawkins Love Fellowship Conference is to provide information on the history and development of black religious music, especially modern day contemporary gospel, and to preserve its place as an art form. Our mission is to teach the diverse perspective of sacred dance and drama as a conveyor of the spirit and culture of black Christians. The Love Fellowship portion of the Conference is to support and nurture independent minded pastors through good Christian fellowship under the leadership of Edwin Hawkins and Bishop Walter L. Hawkins.

This provides pastors and their congregations the opportunity to refresh their spirits through joint praise, worship and education without regard to denominational affiliations. Both Edwin and Walter Hawkins continue to offer the highest level of professional instruction in culturally relevant areas of Christian music, dance and drama, in addition to true Christian Fellowship, which has become a highlight activity for many churches worldwide.

The Children & Youth Departments are designed for ages 4 - 17. These departments introduce the younger set to concepts and principles that will enlighten and motivate them to become active within the main body of the Conference in future years. Local Chapters are encouraged to develop youth components within their curriculum.

The young Adult Department aims to prepare young adults 18 - 30 for leadership roles in their perspective ministries. Young Adults serve as mentors for the Children & Youth Departments by teaching youth classes and facilitating Mid-day Worship services. A special class deals with the issues facing Young Adults and provides biblical solutions in an informal group setting. A must attend event is our industry forum, which helps young performers to get answers and direction from professionals. This exuberant group also learns how to seek ways to expand their ministries beyond the walls of the church with structured activities.

The Mamie Vivian Hawkins Scholarship Fund was created in memory of the mother of the Hawkins Family. The scholarship Fund provides financial support for college students pursuing degrees in the creative and performing arts. The scholarships are competitive awards administered by the Board of Directors of Music & Arts, Inc. Proceeds and donations from the annual "Scholarship Eleganza", held on the Friday night of the Edwin Hawkins & Walter Hawkins Music & Arts Love Fellowship Conference, are used to support the scholarships presented to successful applicants. Donations are accepted year round.

The Dubois Phillip McGee Award was developed in Honor of the late Dr. Phil McGee, Dean of Curriculum for the Conference, who was a prolific education advocate. He believed that a person should go as far as they could to obtain all the schooling and wisdom available to them. The award is given each year to an outstanding young adult for academic excellence, dedication, and loyalty to the Edwin Hawkins & Walter Hawkins Love Fellowship Conference.

For further information, please contact:

Music & Arts Inc. 
P.O. Box 27107
Oakland CA 94602
TEL: (510) 264-1766
FAX:(925) 560-9813
musicandartsinc@lovecenter.org