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| Voices of POWER featured 10 choirs from POWER congregations, ranging from gospel music to jazz to recitation from the Quran. |
I delight in church music! I am
lifted up by singing the words, by hearing the choir and the organ playing. You
may not notice – I rather hope you don’t – that my head is nodding to the beat
of just about any hymn. If not my head, then my foot. Sometimes I try to stop
because I’m worried it looks goofy to have my head nodding like a metronome.
But it doesn’t work. Something inside me just responds that way to music. Often
I think it’s a way of praying. Even when I am standing waiting in the gospel procession
listening to you all sing my toes are keeping time inside my shoes. I can’t
help it. It’s my spirit uplifted in praise.
So, here’s the thing. I can’t clap
in time to gospel music. Maybe because I’m left-handed, but probably not. No,
it’s probably because I never had the chance to learn this different kind of
rhythm from most of the hymns I know. But I love gospel music. So here is a
great thing that happened for me:
On January 26th, over 400 Philadelphians from diverse faiths
and backgrounds attended POWER’s first annual musical fundraiser, Voices
of POWER. The event celebrated POWER’s work thus far for its three
campaigns: expanding living wages for workers, increasing equity in public
school funding, and promoting more humane immigration policies.
I heard ten choirs pouring out their hearts for love of the
Lord. The beat was irresistible. Everyone around me was clapping on the off
beat. My hands wouldn’t do it. I could nod my head and sway my body to join the
music, but not my hands. I felt stymied, short-circuited. I tried watching my
neighbor very closely to clap when she did. But she was an inveterate praise
singer. She leaped to her feet because she just could not sit still. I would
have like to follow her, but I probably would have tripped over my feet. It was
the kind of music that made one want to rise up.
So then I tried following the person sitting in front of me.
That worked better. By about the fourth choir I was getting it at least half
the time. I would go along, but then stumble and lose it. It’s like learning to
ride a bicycle, a new kind of balance.
Then about the sixth number, I could sort of let go of
copying. My hands were starting to know when to clap. On the seventh song I got
it. I didn’t need to think about it or watch anyone else. It was thrilling to
me. I slipped into being part of the whole. Something broke loose in me and I
could swim in the music. It was a revelation of unity. I hope it really is like
riding a bike, and I can keep this new kind of balance.
I urge everyone to come to next year’s Voices of
POWER. It is a great experience.Oh, and I also got one of the 30 awards they gave out. It was the “Show Me the Money Award” because I was the first to commit to a monthly contribution. POWER is doing great work. I hope many St. Martin’s parishioners will join me in supporting fair wages, good schools and welcoming immigrants.
- The Rev. Carol Dunan (far left in photo to the right)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE CONCERT
