I'll meet you on the other shore

30th June 2013

So today was my first service at Fairview UMC Mooresville. And I’d been told in advance it would be a bit different as many months back a guest choir had been booked to come and lead worship. The African American male voice choir of St Paul Baptist Church Charlotte. http://www.spbcnc.org/

The 50 strong choir led worship magnificently and the Holy Spirit came upon many there this morning including yours truly. Sadly,timings meant that the choir could only sing 5 items. They’d originally offered 11. To be honest I’d have happily given up the sermon slot for them as I felt ministered to through their singing and the words of the songs they sang.

(As an aside, I have a habit when in the USA of referencing much of what I encounter to films and TV shows. So this morning as the choir was having a sound check and one of the accompanists started playing a Hammond type organ, I immediately thought of the scene in The Blues Brothers where Jake & Elwood go to the church of Reverend Cleophus James. Thankfully I resisted the urge to do somersaults down the aisle – though with my Ray bans on there is a passing resemblance to John Belushi)

However, there was an expectation that I would preach and preach I did. I’m not going to say much about the sermon as I’ve posted an abridged version of that already. But given the proximity to 4th July the theme of freedom was appropriate. Though I’m not sure producing a large Union Jack and draping it over the pulpit was the most politically correct thing to do! (It got a big laugh though.)

I loved the children’s talk lead by one of the ministry team. Focusing on 4th July he asked the children what their favourite part of the holiday was and one obligingly said “fireworks”. This was useful as the talk used fireworks as an illustration!

From feedback afterwards (from members of the choir, their families and church members) my sermon seemed to have struck the right note and was well received. (A friend on Facebook asked whether someone had shouted “Preach it Reverend”. I don’t think they did, though there were a few “Amens” and “Yes sirs” around.) And I know I certainly felt up lifted by the worship the choir lead.

The lunch was a thing to behold. It was termed a “Covered dish lunch”. And people had been hugely generous in the amount of food provided. It’s hard to say but there must have been heading towards 300 people for lunch and all had plenty with lots left over. (We have the food parcel to prove it.) The generosity of Fairview’s people knows no bounds.

I had time to wander round and “work the room” to say hello to some people I’d already met and to meet some people for the first time and to thank the choir. One conversation with a wife of a choir member was poignant. She thanked me for the sermon and said she agreed with what I’d said. But then she said “Many folks like us don’t really celebrate 4th July. The founding fathers didn’t have us in mind when they made the declaration of independence. Still, we enjoy the day off.” I don’t know how widespread this view is among African Americans but it was sad to hear it.

That said, when I was preaching my sermon a similar thought did go through my mind. I used a quote from the Declaration of Independence in my sermon:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

And as I read those words out this morning I did reflect on the irony that slavery was still around in the USA for the best part of another 100 years. As George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm “All are created equally but some are more equal than others.” (But let’s not forget that although the British abolished the salve trade in 1803 we didn’t ban slavery until 1833.)

I wished I’d had more time to talk to the choir for I wanted to share with them how in Wales there is a great tradition of choral singing in general and male voice singing in particular. And I was reminded how the Welsh miners took Paul Robeson to their hearts. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/singer-campaigner-paul-robeson-was-1819886

This will be a day that I will treasure. I will have to rely on the images in my mind as my camera played up. But among so many wonderful things in my heart and mind will be the song the choir sang to close the service “I’ll meet you on the other shore.”

“Neighbour, Just in case the Lord should come before we get together again, I’ll meet you on the other shore.”

Thank your Fairview and thank you St Paul’s choir for a special day.