One of the most common and vivid memories of music that I have in my life has been experienced while attending church. As a child I lived in a split religion household, my mother was a practicing Jehovah’s Witness and my great-grandmother was a Baptist Christian. Throughout my childhood my experiences with gospel music was varied.
When I attended the Kingdom Hall where my mother worshipped, the songs were slow tempo congregational sung music that was accompanied by a piano. As a kid this was boring and did not inspire me, but this could be attributed the fact that I was an immature kid. The one thing I took away from it was the unity that it depicted. The congregation as a whole was the driving force behind unifying the service. As a kid and even today the music sounds …show more content…
One of my favorite things about a Baptist service as a kid and today is the music. The music is rich in sounds, tones and melodies. It is the backdrop to the Pastor’s sermon, to me, it serves as the outline to the service. It lays a melodic blueprint to the “message” being taught to the worshipers. A typical Baptist service, in the instance my church, we open with songs of praise that leads into an opening prayer. From there we have specific choirs that sing at each service on Sunday morning. The service I attend usually features the male chorus. The better part of the service is led by the chorus to bring the service full circle. The choir primes the congregation in preparation for the sermon. The songs are always in alignment with topic of the day. In the course of the singing members of the church are encouraged to join in the song. There is a litany of voices that make up the melodious sounds of worship throughout the church. In the interim selected members give the church announcements and welcome new members to stand and be recognized. New members are welcomed with…you guessed it, a