Sing God's Praises

Sunday night was another wonderful experience in my new life here in Virginia.  When I was a girl, all-night gospel sings were popular, and many times we went to hear the gospel quartets sing.  They didn't quite last all night, but they did go on for a long time.  And then, in our town churches used to get together on a fifth Sunday for a hymn sing after church on Sunday night.  I remember how I always loved going to those.

Last night there was an evening sing at one of the local Mennonite churches.  Several churches gathered together to sing and to listen to groups from the different churches.  One of my early memories of Mennonites was that they used no instruments in their churches, and all the singing was a capella.  In some churches, that may still be the case, but last evening there were lots of instruments.

Bluegrass music is popular here.  I don't know if it is because of the part of the country we are in, or just what the reason, but it is popular.  One family sang and accompanied themselves on banjos, guitars, bass fiddles, and I believe I saw a mandolin.

Since it was Palm Sunday, a lot of the music centered around the resurrection.  The group above sang "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"

The group from our church sang an Easter canon and a number about the price He paid on the cross.

We did do some a capella singing.  At a couple of spots a lady came up with her pitch pipe and led in a couple of songs.  I think that was my favorite part.  When she introduced one of the songs, she said that it was one that "we had all learned in school." When she blew the pitch, you could hear all the parts coming on right on pitch, and then it started.  I loved it!  I love it at church when the accompaniment drops out and all you hear are the voices.

I looked for it on the internet, and I found a video of it being sung by a men's chorus in India.  You have to listen hard to hear all the words, but you certainly can hear all the parts.  I'll be singing it in my head for a while, and I hope our church sings it so that I can learn it better.  Click on the link to watch and listen.

The photos used in this blog were used with permission of Ginny from Let Your Light Shine.