Jorge and Gina Tarajano are excited about the future of the church, and believe that revival is coming to the world. And they’re especially invigorated to be part of this revival as witnesses of God’s goodness through, songs, praise through music, prayer, and as worship leaders.
The Tarajanos live and worship in the Nashville area and are using their voices to reach out to Christians and non-believers alike.
“We believe that God is going to do great things,” Jorge said. “We’re going whenever the Lord takes us. He opens the door, and we’ll do the work.”
A Glorious Message
Jorge and Gina have a multi-faceted witness through a variety of ministries and outlets–and just recently debuted their music ministry at an event at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium with leader Bobby Williams and other performers.
Glorious Music operates under the umbrella of the Unto You foundation, co-founded by Burton and Michelle Gaar and Jorge and Gina. Unto You is dedicated to producing high-quality media in a way that everyone no matter their socioeconomic level can access it.
When the four of us where praying and discerning what to name the non-profit, Burton suggested that it should be based on Colossians 3:17 which Says” Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all unto the Lord. The 4 of us felt the name fit our Vison and Mission perfectly.
The music ministry’s first releases are the Christmas song “Son of the Most High” and a trilogy of songs titled “His Glory,” “His Light,” and “His Harvest.” The release of “His Glory” has included a much-watched video on YouTube and other social media outlets and a revival performance at Ryman Auditorium in February.
The music company is dedicated to “leading the Church into the power and presence of Almighty God” and seeing “lives changed, families restored, chains of addiction broken, and the joy of the Lord restored to those battling anxiety and depression.”
According to Gina, the lyrics was an unexpected blessing from God that she describes as a “download” into her spirit.
“I thought I was done with music other than singing in church. I thought that time of my life was over, but then He downloaded these lyrics and these songs,” she explained. “When we tell you this ministry is birthed by the Lord, it’s so true.”
The Tarajanos have put together a creative team including writer Scott Lynch and producer and co-writer Burton Gaar. Together, they–along with musicians and singers–have helped bring their vision, hopes, and dreams to life. According to Jorge, he never questioned God’s calling, but he wondered how they could achieve the creative vision he’d called them to.
“God brought us the right people,” he said. “This team is dedicated to creating music that lifts up the name of Jesus and carries His glory to the nations.”
The recent performance at the Ryman, which was the official debut of the ministry’s new music, was an example of God’s faithfulness; Jorge said that the performance was a “humbling experience” that was filled with the Holy Spirit and was evidence of God’s confirmation of their work.
“Imagine starting a ministry out at ‘the old church.’ It was beautiful,” Jorge said.
And now the ministry of Unto You and Glorious Music is stretching out into new opportunities, as Gina will be recording choruses of its songs in Spanish and the couple will be going on the road.
Jorge is of Cuban heritage and speaks Spanish, while Gina has been trained in Spanish pronunciations. She sees the opportunity to record her choruses in Spanish as a wonderful opportunity to present the gospel message to more people.
“We know that Hispanic individuals who have heard the songs can feel the glory of God from them, and I had a young woman tell me that her Spanish-speaking mother was at the Ryman and was crying even though she couldn’t speak the words,” Gina said. “And now imagine that someone who doesn’t speak English can participate in church by singing the choruses.”
The Tarajanos are committed to providing such services at no cost; they simply want to get the message of Christ out to as many people as possible. “Our intention is to give away everything,” Gina said. “Whatever a church’s needs are, we want to provide it for them.”
The couple is also dedicated to providing quality music and media for all ages, but especially for children and youth. Both Jorge and Gina said that it’s essential that Christian artists and creative workers reach out to the younger generation.
“We think that the unploughed area is this age group, from kids to teenagers. We want to provide material and information at the right levels for them,” Jorge said. “The enemy has so much influence over our children, and it’s time that we take it back.”
“God loves his children, and he’s going to do a mighty work with them,” Gina added.
(To see the work of Unto You and Glorious Music, check out the music video for “His Glory” and other music at https://www.ginatarajanomusic.com/.)
Ultimately, the ministry is dedicated to releasing and presenting music that “ushers believers into a deeper encounter with God, positioning them to receive healing, deliverance, and renewed joy.”
Family and Faith
Jorge and Gina met as children in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they were both raised Catholic and attended private religious schools next door from each other.
“Our two schools were very close, but also segregated from one another,” Jorge recalls. “We knew of each other for years, and then I saw her at a baseball game and I noticed how beautiful she was.”
He said he “fell in love with her way back then,” and then they dated for eight years before getting married after Gina graduated from LSU.
Jorge worked for International Paper for over a year, and then built an impressive resume as he transitioned a family-owned business to an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan); he still serves as the Chairman as senior adviser. Over the years he served as President and CEO of PALA Group, Inc., served on a workforce advisory council for the state of Louisiana, and served in various business and civic group capacities.
He stresses, however, that business is not the most important thing in his life.
“My work is less than it used to be, and our ministry is our focus ,” he said. “I’ve transitioned from my main business, and Gina and I now find ourselves in this new chapter of our lives, and we are focused on reaching people for Christ.”
The couple had their two sons Jordan and Jonathon in Baton Rouge, and they celebrated 40 years of marriage this past year; today, they are also grandparents of 2-year-old Anna Louise
“We’re over the moon with our granddaughter, and she’s just stolen our hearts,” Jorge said. “Gina’s always been the princess in my life, and now we have Anna Louise.”
The Tarajanos moved to Nashville in 2017 to be closer to son Jordan’s family, but soon found a wonderful home of their own–and a place to worship and serve in ministry.
“We thought we were moving here for our son, but everything’s changed for us after moving to Nashville,” Gina said.
Gina had pursued music from a young age and recorded pop productions in Los Angeles and Nashville; she’d even studied in Italy under Andrea Bocelli’s vocal coach. As many things in her life, however, Gina found that God was pushing her in another direction. She received a calling to sing and record in the Christian music genre and that changed everything for her, as new doors and opportunities opened up.
They became involved in Regeneration Church and today they credit the church’s leaders as vital to their spiritual growth.
“We’ve been discipled there, and we honor them. We know that none of this would have happened without their prayers and guidance,” Gina said. “They’re a blessing.”
According to both Jorge and Gina, they could have never anticipated where God would take them on their journey. In fact, while they’ve loved each other for decades, they have grown closer over recent years.
“At the time we married we had no clue why God put us together,” Gina said. “And I don’t think it’s truly been until the last couple of years that we realized God had put us together for ministry.”
Their newly-rekindled passion for ministry is now leading them into new and unexpected directions.
And they’re leaning entirely on God to move them on the right path.
A New Future
As the Tarajano consider the future, they’re drawn to the words of Isiah 43:19, which says “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Gina said she could have never imagined their lives changing so drastically at their ages. While they may be new grandparents, they are reinvigorated for doing God’s work and following his lead.
“God tells us to not look back, that he’s doing a new thing, and boy is he ever doing a new thing with us,” she said. “This is God’s time, and it’s his time to shine..”
cherylswray@gmail.com, Author, Freelance Writer, Speaker
This is my story.
