New Thought musician and founder of KUUMBA/B-Hood Sunday Devotionals Rickie Byars will host her first spiritual retreat on April 12-14 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.
An extension of her B-Hood (a play on “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”) Sunday Devotionals held in South L.A., Byars’ Spring Revival aims to revitalize and energize souls through two and a half days full of wisdom, wellness and healing songs of God. Byars will be joined by special guest musicians John Stringer, Rob McDonald and Georgia Anne Muldrow, as well as comedian Quinn Fontaine.
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“I shower the world with devotional music, that’s what I do,” said Byars, a self-taught musician and composer who went from singing with Pharoah Sanders in New York to spending 32 years as choir director at the trans-denominational Agape Church in Los Angeles — and along the way founding non-profit KUUMBA in Motion, which sets as its mission bringing joy to its community through innovative modalities, including, prominently, music.
“So many times, communities of Black people, in particular—and not just Black people, but people who are having a hard time out here, and a lot of people are—they begin to identify with what’s wrong in the world and not really the beauty that is everywhere around them,” explained Byars.
“So devotional music helps you remember who you are in the midst of this, and it certainly has a focus rooted in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus is love, and Jesus is pointing to us to love one another.”
That same spiritual love, beauty and joy are the threads that interweave KUUMBA’s work, The B-Hood Sunday Devotionals, and Byars’ inaugural Spring Revival.
Byars began offering devotionals during Covid upon departing Agape in 2018. After hosting these energizing musical sessions at beloved local haunts like Afro City Marketplace in Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall and Hot and Cool Café (now Ora), at the behest of her then 92-year-old mother, “Mama Byars,” she began presenting them from her home in South L.A. and livestreaming all over the world. It is from there that the retreat concept was born.
“There’s a new community that’s building,” Byars said. “We’re sharing and we’re singing. We’re talking about resistance to different ways of seeing things. And supporting people and being better people. Since I don’t have to be at a church every Sunday, I can make a determination about where we’re going to be next. We have a very robust group of people in North Carolina who are always at the B-hood. They give, they donate, they’re generous, and we just said, well, you know, we want to come see you.”
Attendance is open to those of any region.
Byars’ Spring Revival will include evening friendship celebrations, morning walks with prayer, devotionals, a love concert, a strong emphasis on singing, and lots of fun.
“We have a comedian coming, Quinn Fontaine, who does a lot of work with people in recovery,” Byars explained.
“There will be facilitators who will be working with how we hold the world and how we expand inside of our own perceptions. What’s most important, I think, about my journey is that I did find a way to sing for my joy and not for my pain. And you can’t sing from joy that you haven’t found inside yet.”
Pathways to that joy will be abundant at the Spring Revival.
“We’ve got to learn how to rest in God more than resting in our doubts about if we’re going to make it,” said Byars. “There are all these arms around us, holding us. It’s a beautiful thing when you find alignment in the Holy Spirit. This retreat is rooted in God. We’re gonna dance. We’re gonna have music. We’re gonna eat and have our conversations and make friends. We’re going to do all of that, but we’re gonna be praising.”
Early bird pricing is available through February 29. Registration includes all meals and activities. All-inclusive rates are $800 for a private room and $650 for a shared room, and the retreat can assist with optimizing pairing.
To learn more or purchase tickets, visit rickiebyars.org. B-Hood Sunday Devotionals commence at 11:30 weekly, live in-person and streaming. Byars also offers a Wednesday evening podcast, Soul Fulfilling Songs and Conversation, accessible from her website, YouTube or Facebook.
