SINGING IN CHURCH

Tammy and I attended a difference church this past Sunday. It's a baptist church with a very small congregation...20 or so...of mostly Kentuckians. Very good sermon. Yet, I was not inspired. I don't know why. The people certainly were friendly and welcoming. I was raised in a Baptist church, so I had anticipated a "coming home" feeling. Instead, I had no feelings. I missed Grace Community Church, where, always, I can feel the Holy Spirit working even when their congregation is as small as Statewood Baptist's was.

To be fair, I will give Statewood another try this Sunday.

Anyway. The title of this blog is "singing in church." Because the Statewood Baptist church is very similar to the one I attended as a teenager. Where I, along with two friends, often..nearly every Sunday...stood up in front of the entire congregaton (seldom more than 50) and raised our voices to the Lord.

Now...those who know me, know I can NOT sing, and they also know that I love to. But Ruby Jones could. She had a strong, powerful voice...but she was shy. The only way she would sing was if her sister, Helen, and I sang with her. Helen was not bad, just not in the same league with Ruby. It didn't matter though. Ruby's voice drowned Helen and me out, anyway. Sometimes I just stood there and mouthed the words. Once Ruby started singing, she didn't hear Helen and me anyway...and she lost her shyness and let her voice soar. At times, I wouldn't even remember to mouth the words, because I was watching and listening to Ruby in total awe!

One evening the preacher came to call. He was trying to talk Mom and Dad into going to Church with us kids. A useless endeavor. At the time, Mom and Dad were not interested. They had not gone to church since we moved to Michigan four years ago. Anyway. As he was leaving, the preacher said to me, "Are you girls singing this Sunday?" At my affirmative answer, he said, "are you going to sing a solo? So low we can't hear you?"

Well....everybody laughed, but me. I was mortified. I guess my feeling showed. The preacher said to Mom, "Lorraine sings with Ruby and Helen, but we can never hear her."

It didn't matter what he meant. Whether it was that he wanted me to sing so low he couldn't hear me...or that I did sing so low he couldn't hear me. Either way, I was embarrassed...and that was the end of our trio! Actually, it was even the end of Ruby singing in that church because she wouldn't sing if Helen didn't and Helen wouldn't sing if I didn't!

Ruby went on to marry a preacher man and sang in church every week. I heard she was offered a record contract by a Nashville producer, but turned it down. A couple of years ago, my brother gave me a tape of Ruby singing hymns with a group. On one song she had a solo part...and I recognized her voice right away even though it had been over 50 years since I last heard her sing!