When John McClure Jr. of Owings Mills heard Sunday Best host Kirk Franklin call his name, for a split second he thought he'd made it to the final four.

"I thought Wow, is this it?'' McClure said. Seconds later, he would learn that he and another contestant were eliminated from BET's Idol-like competition.

He was disappointed. But McClure, who sings with Purpose, a group that accompanies Jonathan Nelson, says the competition helped him realize that singing is his ministry.

"I want to give glory to God,'' McClure said. "To be selected from thousands of people was a blessing. To be in the top 20, top 10 and then the top 5, who would have thought.'' (Another contestant was brought back as a wild-card during the show making it actually the top six.)

McClure said he has a lot of mentors, including Nelson, who is also his friend. He also credits his mother's assuring words and instructions for helping him during the competition.

As a result of his appearance on Sunday Best, McClure, 32, says he has noticed people recognize him.

McClure, who is the minister of music at Kingdom Worship Center in Baltimore, is working on a new solo CD project, Born to Worship.

Several of the songs are posted on his MySpace page. McClure said he expects to release his CD later this year.

Looking back, McClure says Sunday Best was one of the best experiences he could have had to boost his confidence. He needed the critiques by judges BeBe Winans and Erica Campbell and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary. He also had the opportunity to work with Donald Lawrence.

He said that the top 20 contestants are like family. "I met some great people," he says. "It's not about me winning. It was about me doing ministry. It's another platform.''

McClure, who works in the healthcare industry, is a native of Long Island, N.Y., and has lived in the Baltimore area for 15 years. He attended Morgan State University.