Religion Case

To experience a different religious service, I attended a Southern Baptist Church with my friend, Genesia Emery, who is also a musician and singer at the church. Her father is the pastor. We attended New Covenant Christian Center located in Baker, Louisiana. Emery has been attending the New Covenant Christian Center for her entire life and has been singing in the choir. This was my first time attending a Baptist church and the service and musical arrangement varied greatly from my accustomed Catholic background.

The church contained a large choir consisting of nearly 50 members from a variety of ages ranging from eight to the elderly. The music emphasized movement and improvisation, a style that demanded emotional involvement and personalized expression. The music contained various instruments such as the organ, trumpet, piano, drums, bass, and guitar which differs greatly from my Catholic tradition. The music beat into my ears; loud and strong. I was overtaken by the variations between contralto and soprano and I felt my body sway with each and every beat of the drum. The music sounded like heaven and filled the pit of the church and ascended to the roof. Everyone swayed to the music and some people shouted out on the name of God. Some people were also running around the church and speaking in tongues, something I had never heard before. I found out later that speaking in tongues is when a person connects with the Holy Spirit and the spirit conveys a prayer to God for the health and happiness of the person. Even though we, as humans, cannot understand tongues, God understands it. I felt moved by this and was surprised I witnessed this. The energy in the church was astounding because I am so used to a formulaic method and this church was full of energy and no format it seemed. It seemed as if people were connecting with God spiritually.

The choir sang about 7 songs with each song varying in tempo and rhythm. Each song had a different effect on the congregation. The fast, upbeat selections made everyone clap and dance while on the other hand, the slower, soft song resulted with everyone having their hands in the air praising and fellowshipping with God. As Emery sang each note, it seemed as if one was getting closer to God. It is evident that music plays a critical role during the religious service. Music is employed to foster a moving relationship with God.

As the pianist and choir director, it is clear Genesia have a very rich background in music specially gospel music. Her father is a pastor and also a talented musician who can play multiple instruments. Her father is a strong musical influence in her life. She has been singing in the church choir since she was a little girl. She is fluent with the piano, organ, drums, and guitar. Through this experience, she gained valuable knowledge about gospel music. Emery states that, "gospel music begins with your soul. It is about singing to God and connecting to God."

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