KANSAS CITY: A minister from Kansas City, Kansas, is soaring to the top of the gospel music charts after a chance encounter at a national worship event with a national gospel performer.

Bishop Cortez Vaughn is the founder and senior pastor of Faith City Church in Kansas City, Kansas. His song “You Deserve It” spent more than 20 weeks topping gospel music charts and caught the attention of gospel icons and choirs worldwide, the Kansas City Star reported.

The song’s popularity grew after Vaughn’s performance of it last year caught the attention of JJ Hairston, a national recording gospel artist. Hairston invited Vaugh to travel to Washington, DC, to record the song. He and his accompanying choir decided not only to add “You Deserve It” to their upcoming album but to name the album itself after the song.

“I guess he knew he had something,” said Vaugh, who is listed as a “featured” performer on the single.

“You Deserve It” was rewarded earlier this month with a Grammy Award nomination for best gospel performance/song. The song also helped Vaughn land a record deal with Tyscot Records.

“No way I could have predicted this,” said Vaughn, 39. “I’m still in awe.”

Vaughn said he first wrote “You Deserve It” in 2014 during a worship experience at a North Carolina church. Fellow music ministers David Bloom of North Carolina and Demond Reed of Texas helped Vaughn write the song.

Vaughn said he’s working on his own recorded version of “You Deserve It” that will have a different twist to it from the single with Hairston.