Number taking part in gospel evening (6)
I believe the answer is:
eleven
'number' is the definition.
(eleven is a kind of whole number)
'part in gospel evening' is the wordplay.
'part in' indicates a hidden word.
'ELEVEN' is hidden in the letters of 'gospel evening'.
'taking' is the link.
(Other definitions for eleven that I've seen before include "Cardinal" , "Number, on a team perhaps" , "Number killed in the Peterloo massacre" , "Sporting side" , "Number of pipers piping" .)