Black Diamond Band Essay

After the Civil War, African Amerians organized their own churches and religious denominations. “The church was integral to the lives of most black people. It fulfilled spiritual needs through sermons and music” (pg. 319). These churches would also help the sick, the bereaved, and those in need when they didn’t even have the money to spare. “The church service itself was the most important aspect of religious life for most black congregations” (319).

“Roll, Jordan, Roll”, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Had”, “Go Down, Moses”, and “Wade in the Water” are the titles of only a handful of what were called “Negro Spirituals”, which originated during the reign of slavery in the United States (Frey). Such spirituals used call-and-response, a method of communication that was popular with slaves who brought African traditions to America, and gave way to the gospel music and unique form of preaching characteristic to the Black Church. The history of the Black Church, which began during the slave era, demonstrates the way that African Americans found refuge in Christianity, where the church became the center for African American communities (Baer). Born out of struggle and oppression, the Black Church not only became the focus for the religious practices of African American communities, but also worked to “re-member” the community through rituals such as that of call-and-response, a core element of the Black Church which served as a powerful tool for the African American community in the fight for the exercise of true freedom in America.

Such unity and self-determination was evidenced in 1801, when Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church published a hymnal by and for African Americans (Costen, 81). Hymns have served black people in their everyday lives and had and have

With selections from various choirs in the community, PVC’s own, blessed the audience with a classic favorite, singing, “Old Time Religion.”

Peter Randolph, too, presented the durable linkage between African-Americans, especially during slavery. Their alliance was characterized by creating the so called, “plantation churches” whenever they could not attend the actual church services. By doing so, they could simply gather together, remember their traditions, dance, sing, recite their prayers, sorrows or play banjo. All those familiar activities were helping them hold on to their culture, refine their identity and avoid the “Social Death” or “Cultural Genocide” they were subjected to. Similarly, creating the AME Church, along with following churches, such as the Ethiopian Church of Jesus Christ, was a method of showing to the society that the African history and beliefs are not forgotten.

Historically in the African American community the church has been a one stop shop: a welcoming spot for newcomers, a refuge for the needy, and a source of guidance for

Lincoln, C. Eric, and Lawrence H. Mamiya. The Black Church in the African-American Experience. Durham: Duke UP, 1990. Print.

While I was volunteering at a local emergency shelter with a friend, a team of gospel singers visited the shelter, hoping to enliven spirits through song. Being worship leaders at our own church, my friend and I anxiously, yet excitedly, joined them. Before singing, we all agreed on a list of simple, but powerful, Christian songs that everyone would be able to sing along to. The melodies, piercing the atmosphere, soon had shattered families standing hand in hand, joining our growing chorus of hope for a speedy recovery in Houston.

In more modern times, the Black Church is now facing new issues that challenges its purpose. It faces conflict from the Hip Hop generation- the generation of Blacks born to members of the Hip Hop generation. The problem is now this generation is being ignored by the church, and they are need of help. They need guidance in a world that is giving them hundreds of mixed signals as to what they need in life, which is basically leaving them to raise

Historically, the Black church has been a place that has inspired soulful expression. During slavery, it was the only place that had minimal or no supervision by white, slave masters. The church and its tenets stood as both a spiritual and physical manifestation of the hopes and dreams of a people who desired to be released from their bondage. The theological views embraced by the African diaspora in the church were inexorably linked with their belief that God would punish their oppressors and reward the righteous in this life or the next.

By revealing the opposition and obstacles, the black church may seize the opportunity of becoming a force to be reckoned with in our society. America was born with a grotesque, cancerous disease called slavery. This disease lingers to this day in many forms and subtle variations. The plantation mentality is still with us. Sometimes it masquerades as democracy and free enterprise, but the effect is the same on the spirits of the poor and oppressed. When black men moved indoors to work in industry and business, they found themselves imprisoned behind the walls of institutional racism. Nothing really had

"The Black Church provides opportunities for support, leadership, social status, education, cultural affirmation, and political action" (McAuliffe, 2013, p.134). On the contrary, ministers still, till this day serves as counselors spirituality and community-based, especially in the

This book is not just interesting and insightful, it is appealing and practical. Anyabwile personal experience sufficiently encapsulates his message. Reviving the Black Church invites the reader to rethink the place of the bible, leadership, preaching, and discipleship as well as world missions. The two strengths include the value of a bible-centered church which will sustain the life of the church. In addition, how expository

The annual praise house church service event occurred on November 5, 2017, in Allen Chapel AME Church at 11am. There were representatives of Christ Our Redeemer AME church, pastors from other church homes, non Ida B. Wells and Persist members, and alumni that attended this praise house. Anyone and everyone was welcomed to partake in the celebration of the praise house tradition of the plantation church. My role was to help lift the voices of the Bush Arbor Choir and to harmonize with my church sisters to fill the sanctuary with the old ritual hymns and negro spirituals , that would get people moving and rejoicing for the Lord. This praise house service was performed not only to reflect upon honoring our ancestors in the African Slave

The concert was a joint concert with choir and band. The genres choir sang were church music and lullabies and band played various genres including pop, classical, and holiday music. Some songs choir sang was “The Word Was God” and “Riversong.” Band played songs such as “Phantom of the Opera,” Beethoven symphony No. 5. The instrument choir used was their voices and a piano. Band used a variety of instruments such as trumpets, trombones, tubas, French horns, clarinets, flutes, saxophones, piccolos, drums, electric basses, xylophones, tambourines, and others.