STANDING STILL AND SINGING AT THE SAME TIME – IMPOSSIBLE (ROGER)

I forgot how much I enjoyed the singing in many of the churches in Botswana. We visited several churches when we first arrived and decided to attend a church in Old Naledi – a poor section of the city – composed of many of the original “squatter” houses that were built prior to the first time we arrived in the mid 80’s. The church has a ministry feeding “vulnerable” children from Old Naledi each week day. Jolene and the girls have been helping with that every Friday. If I have a day off during that time I also help. Renae has also been attending the youth group activities Thursday evenings.
One of the highlights of Sunday mornings for me is always the singing. There is a lot of singing and dancing throughout the morning, and it is very lively. It is so enriching to see the people caught up with the music. Since there is no electricity, and no song books or musical instruments the singing is all A cappella. Songs are all started with somebody singing the first phrase, and then the group joining in. Even though there are not that many people in the building, the plain walls and cement floor make for incredible acoustics, and the room is filled with incredibly rich harmony. The special “African” rhythm, accented by the loud clapping, along with the slurring of notes in unison and the rise and fall in volume, and the occasional shrill, high-pitched undulating warble of the old women, is truly a thing of beauty, and a part of the service I very much enjoy. Every time there is singing, and there is much of it throughout the service, everyone jumps to their feet and gets fully involved. There is dancing and enthusiastic clapping and I am convinced it would be impossible for this group to stand still while singing. Sometimes some of the older women move into the aisles and dance while singing, and it is truly a time of worship for them. The expressions on their faces show their enthusiasm and joy. I wonder sometimes what would be going through their minds if they came to my church in the US for a song service. It is just as hard to find somebody at my home church move when they sing, as it is to find somebody in our church in Botswana stand still when they sing. Before you get too concerned let me assure you, Jolene, Renae and I are not completely still when we sing here, but we look pretty lethargic compared to the rest of the congregation. Just a word of warning however, if you sit beside us on the pew when we return, we may sway into you just a bit when we sing the first couple Sundays. Hopefully we’ll remember not to jump up when we first start singing – because that is another thing that happens here – after all how can one sing while sitting down – it just does not work.