A Video Of A Black Canadian Church Choir Marching During Church Collection

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams post about Black church choir "march arounds" during the church service.

Part II provides some information about Jamaicans in Canada and showcases a video of a Black Canadian church choir marching around the sanctuary during a church service for that church's collection. Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post. A number of those comments note that this "march around" style is from Jamaica.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/03/five-videos-of-jamaican-church-choirs.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases several videos of Jamaican church choirs marching around their sanctuary during church service. Selected comments from some of the discussion threads of these videos are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/03/two-videos-of-new-jersey-church-choir.html for Part III of this series. Part III showcases two videos of what I refer to as "march arounds" by the choir of First United Tabernacle International Ministries' (Orange, New Jersey). Selected comments from the discussion threads of these two videos are also included in this post. A commenter in one of those discussion threads identified the pastor of that church as being Jamaican.

That post presents information about Jamaicans in the United States and includes a description of a church choir "march around" that I observed in Pleasantville, New Jersey (near Atlantic City) on March 10, 2019.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and religious purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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The original version of this post included information about Jamaicans in the United States and my description of a church choir march around that I observed in New Jersey on March 10, 2019. Instead of including that content in this post, I'll publish it in a separate post along with a video of a march around by a New Jersey church choir.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/03/black-church-marches-processions-by.html for Part I of a pancocojams series that provides information about possible cultural influences on Black (African American) church usher, nurses, or choir processions. The links to the other posts in that series are found in that post.

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DEFINITION OF CHURCH CHOIRS "MARCH AROUNDS"
"march arounds" - when the church choir leave the choir stand during the worship service and circles the sanctuary by moving up and down the aisles in single or double lines

The church choir may do a march around, in part, as a way of giving their collection/offering. (Based on some YouTube videos) it also appears that some church choirs in Jamaica and elsewhere do march arounds as part of a praise break i.e. to demonstrate their praise toward God and, in so doing, increase the presence of the Holy Spirit in that worship service.

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DEFINITION OF CHURCH CHOIRS "MARCH INS"
"Church march arounds" differs from "church march ins".

"March ins" - when a church choir or other church group/ministry (such as ushers or nurses) march into the church sanctuary-usually from the center aisle- to mark the beginning of the worship service or special program such as that group/s anniversary or a convention.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
In contrast to a number of videos of African American church choirs marching in to the sanctuary to begin the church service, I haven't found any YouTube videos of Jamaican church choirs doing "march ins". If you know of any links to those videos and/or if you know of this custom in Jamaica, please share that information in the comment section below. Thanks!

I also haven't found any online articles about Black church processions (marches), including Jamaican church processions, except those pancocojams blog posts that I've published. If you know of any other links to information or comments on this subject, please share them below. Also, please share your experiences with Black church processions (marches), including when and where you observed or participated in those marches. Thanks!

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INFORMATION ABOUT JAMAICANS IN CANADA
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Canadians
"Jamaican Canadians are Canadian citizens of Jamaican descent or Jamaican-born permanent residents of Canada. The population, according to Canada's 2016 Census, is 309,485.[1] Jamaican Canadians comprise about 30% of the entire Black Canadian population.[2][3]

History
Most Jamaicans who arrive in Canada settle in the census metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Hamilton. The total number of Jamaicans in Canada has increased dramatically since the 1960s,[4] and the reasons for coming are also different. Currently, Jamaicans can be found in every major Canadian city and occupy a multitude of occupations!

Origins
The first Jamaicans who moved to Canada were West Indian slaves imported into New France and Nova Scotia individually and in small numbers. In 1796, the Maroons of Jamaica entered Halifax and were the first large group to enter British North America (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2000). The name Maroons was used to describe slaves who ran away from their owners and created free communities away from the European settlements in Jamaica. A war between the Maroons and the British broke out on the island of Jamaica in 1795. The war ended when the British, realizing that they could not win, tricked the Maroons into laying down their arms and then carried them into exile in Nova Scotia (James & Walker, 1984).

Governor John Wentworth settled the Maroons who numbered over 500 on the outskirts of Halifax and offered the men jobs to fortify the Citadel. Standing proud and still holding on to the memory of being betrayed by the British, the Maroons mounted a strong resistance and refused to be compliant Nova Scotian settlers. After numerous appeals to London, the Maroons were allowed to return to Sierra Leone in West Africa in 1800. The "Maroon Bastion" stands on Citadel Hill as an example of their legacy and the sense of pride they contributed (James & Walker, 1984).

Between 1800 and 1920, small numbers of West Indians were brought from Jamaica as labourers for the Cape Breton mines and from Barbados to work in coal mines in Sydney and Nova Scotia. Migration from the West Indies almost virtually stopped after 1920. As a result, the West Indian population in 1941 was smaller than it was 20 years earlier. Even though pressure for migration in the West Indies mounted, the Canadian government refused to allow any more non-whites into the country (James & Walker, 1984) (James & Walker, 1984)...

Agnes Macdonald, the second wife of the first Prime Minister of Canada, John A. Macdonald, was born in Jamaica. Her brother, Hewitt Bernard, was the recording secretary at the Charlottetown Conference in 1864. After Confederation, Bernard served as the private secretary to the Prime Minister between 1867 and 1873.

Michael Manley, the future Prime Minister of Jamaica, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II.

After World War II, a great demand for unskilled workers resulted in the National Act of 1948. This Act was designed to attract cheap labourers from British colonies. This resulted in many West Indians, (including Jamaicans) coming to Canada. The Jamaicans who entered Canada after World War II did so because they still believed it was an opportunity to escape poverty and seek a new start in a world where personal advancement and success seemed to be encouraged. Wanting to stop the in-flow of black West Indians, the Walter Act of 1952 was passed to impose a "severely restricted quota" on black West Indians entering the country (James & Walker, 1984).

In 1955, Canada introduced the West Domestic Scheme (Anderson, 1993). This Scheme allowed eligible black women who were between the age of 18 to 35, in good health, no family ties and a minimum of a grade eight education from mainly Jamaica and Barbados to enter Canada (James & Walker, 1984). After one year as a domestic servant, these women were given a landed immigrant status and were able to apply for citizenship after five years. Even though the Scheme originally allowed only 100 women per year, 2,690 women entered Canada from Jamaica and Barbados by 1965. In 1962, racial discrimination was taken out of the Canadian Immigration Act and the number of Jamaicans who moved to Canada dramatically increased (Lazar & Dauglas, 1992).

After the 1960s
Because changes in the Immigration Act allowed non-whites to enter Canada without restrictions, many Jamaicans took advantage of the opportunity and entered Canada with the hopes of achieving their goals for a better life. After the purging of many racist immigration policies, a large number of Jamaicans started to enter Canada as tourists and many would later apply independently for landed immigrant status (Anderson, 1993). In the late 1960s, the Canadian government instituted the Family Reunification clause into its immigration policy, which made it even easier for Jamaicans and other groups to bring their loved ones to join them in Canada (Anderson, 1993). Thus, during the 1970s and '80s, many Jamaicans who entered Canada were children and husbands of the Jamaican women who moved to Canada between 1955 and 1965. According to Anderson (1993), Caribbean immigrants to Canada were more likely to settle in large cities and their provinces of choice were Ontario and Quebec. The largest concentration of Jamaican immigrants can be found in the following areas of Greater Toronto: Scarborough, Old Toronto, North York, York, Ajax, Pickering, Mississauga, and Brampton. Other cities include Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Kitchener, Waterloo, Windsor, and Halifax (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2000).

In 1989, 86.7% of Jamaican immigrants settled in Ontario, 7.4% settled in Quebec, 2.6% settled in Alberta, 1.7% settled in Manitoba, 1.1% settled in British Columbia and 0.6% settled in the rest of Canada. Jamaicans made up 27.5% of the total number of West Indian immigrants for that year (Anderson, 1993). Because of language concerns, most of the West Indian immigrants settle in Ontario as opposed to Quebec.

Demography
Sources:[5][2][6][7][1]
Jamaica by far has been the major source of West Indian immigration to Canada since West Indians were allowed in Canada. Between 1974 and 1989, 35.7% of all West Indian immigration to Canada came from Jamaica. Nevertheless, there was a decline during the early '80s, a recovery during 1986 and a decline again by 1989 (Anderson, 1993). According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Jamaicans made up 40% of West Indian immigration in the early 1990s.

In a 1996 overview from Immigration Canada, Jamaica was ranked eighth in terms of the number of its citizens immigrating to Canada. Jamaica is preceded by countries such as China, Pakistan, and the Philippines in the number of its citizens that migrate to Canada. The number of Jamaicans immigrating to Canada declined in 1997 and again in 1998. Jamaican immigration to Canada is at an all-time low; it was ranked number 10 by Immigration Canada in 2000.

In 2006, 79,850 Jamaicans lived in the City of Toronto, and 30,705 lived in the Toronto suburb of Brampton.[8][9]

[...]

Population
According to the 2006 Census, 231,110 Canadians identified themselves as Jamaican Canadian.[2] The actual number of Jamaican Canadians should be larger, given that many people identified themselves as "Black" "West Indian", or "Caribbean".[2] In the 2011 Census, 256,915 Jamaican Canadians were counted, comprising an 11.2% increase since the previous census.[5] A total population of 309,485 was tallied in the 2016 Census, an increase of 20.5%.[1]"...

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SHOWCASE VIDEO OF A BLACK CANADIAN CHOIR MARCH AROUND

Offering time @ Abiezer (View the choir in action)



1baw2009, Published on Apr 13, 2009

Abiezer Pentecostal Church: 96 Milvan Drive Toronto, Canada--It's offering time @ Abiezer (This is how we do it every Sunday.)
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Although there are other YouTube videos of Abiezer Pentecostal Church choir online, this is the only video of that choir marching. This also is the only YouTube video that I've found of Black Canadian choirs marching. I've also not found any YouTube videos of African American church choirs, ushers, or nurses marching around (i.e. engaged in a church processional other than marching in to the sanctuary to begin a church service, church/group anniversary service.

I don't know if Abiezer Pentecostal Church had or has a significant number of Jamaicans in their congregation. Based on the videos that I've watched of some Jamaican church march arounds (some of which are showcased in Part II of this pancocojams series), and based on some of the comments featured below, it seems likely that this choir march around custom at Abiezer was influenced by some of the congregation being of Jamaican descent.

Note that it wasn't just choir members who were marching in this video. At the end of this video, some women in white who are likely church ushers or church nurses march in single file behind the choir.

Description of this march: The Canadian marchers have a set, resolved look on their face that conveys strength and determination. The facial expressions of the Jamaican marchers (in videos showcased in Part II of this series) are more diverse as some of those marchers appear to be experiencing the exultation of feeling the Holy Spirit.

The Black Canadian choir perform a forceful, aggressive style of marching in place and moving forward. This body stance reminds me of jogging or performing a chugging style of dance. As noted by several commenters in this video's discussion thread, this is the same or very similar to the marching style of Jamaican choirs as shown in various YouTube videos. In contrast, during choir march ins that I've observed in New Jersey (since the 1950s), in contrast to the collection march that I observed in New Jersey in March 2019 (described below in Addendum #2), and in contrast to the YouTube videos of African American church choir march ins, African American church march ins during Sunday church services have a less forceful style of marching. During those marches, the body is held erect, and the head is held up.

The Jamaican influence of Toronto, Canada's Abiezer Pentecostal Church choir is also evidenced by the fact that they are marching to two Jamaican Gospel songs.
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Click the link provided above for information about possible influences on how and comments about why Black church marches were done and are still done in some African American churches.
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Here are some comments from the discussion thread for this video, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:

1. FaithfulKweenBhee🐝, 2009
"Love it....and the two girls in the front of the choir line...Lord yall better march!"

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2. IsaiahRaymondDyer09, 2009
"OH YES MARCH & RIDE ZION! MARCH & RIDE! I LOVE this!!! GLORYYYYYYYYYYY!!"

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3. 1baw2009, 2009
"I don't know if there is a defined theory behind this (marching at offering time). I need to think about it.
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This comment was probably written in response to a question about the reason for marching at offering time, although I can't find that question in that discussion thread

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4. TO ON, 2009
"the spirit of God reigns. a church that engages its people is a church that truly challenges every fiber of ones belief. praises is one such example. kudos to the choir."

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5. 1baw2009, 2009
"Chorus: 1
Dont you hear the bells are ringing?
Dont you hear the angels singing?
Its the glory, hallelujah, jubilee.
In the land of sweet forever, just beyond the shining river, they will ring the golden bells for you and me.

Chorus: 2
Im riding with Jesus, on the Alleluia Train
Im singing, Im shouting on the Alleluia Train
And when I reach the station, Heaven is my destination
Im riding with Jesus, on the Alleluia Train"
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These are the lyrics for the medley of two songs that the choir sung and marched to: "Ring Them Golden Bells" and "Riding With Jesus" (also known as "On The Hallelujah Train")

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6. jchotboy, 2010
"The two girls in the front of the choir takes the cake for me such great worshippers.. Continue to bless the lord in your worship"

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7. antonette holder, 2010
"Y'all got me dancing at work! This is my type of worship!"

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8. eldergunter80, 2010
"I LOVE THIS!!!! KEEP ON PRAISING HIM ABIEZER"

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9. limitedtasks, 2010
"This is off the chain " OFFERING TIME " usually you see people running the other way ( out the door ) We can't touch this, go ahead and STOMP ALL OVER THE DEVILS HEAD!!!!!!Buffalo, New York"

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10. lovejones238, 2010
"I must say I was like why am I watching this over & over then finally realized, I began to feel this just like the saints on the video were, as we say where I'm from, "they began to feel it" and so did I ..great post...I love the energy."

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11. musu480, 2010
"BLESSING A RUN DE CHOIR DUNG!!!!"
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I think a standard English translation for this Jamaican patois is "Blessings run down on this choir".

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12. Marshalee Ricketts, 2010
"bLESS THE LORD AM RIDING WIT JESUS AN THE HALALUJAH TRAIN,THANK YOU JESUS HEAVEN WILL BE MY DESTINATION. THIS WHAT REALLY WORSHIP IS"

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13. mitzie samuels, 2011
"This is wonderful worshiping. Yes Lord"

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14. NYCsistahofvirtue, 2011
"march march march saints unward christian soldiers!"

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15. John Blackwood, 2011
"This church must be Jamaican background!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could hear the bass player a little bit more thou! If I go to Canada.. I must find this church , where ever y'all are. GOD BLESS THIS CHURCH! AND THE CHOIR!!!!!!!"

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16. Sherice Tomlin, 2011
"This is my Favorite...Imma do this at my church this year. You guys are the bomb. "

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17. Trey Cox, 2011
"I remember coming to Abiezer as a child and seeing the choir do this same march around! Simply Awesome, glory to God, and i love the songs, the choir rock is classic! Go Ahead!!!"

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18. Alma Tyler, 2011
"On the hallelujah train. Lovin' them sisters hats. God Bless this church. i am going to have to visit soon."

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19. Tonya Anderson, 2011
"This is what church is all about... giving GOD your all!!! I was truly blessed by this video." 

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20. Tiffi, 2012
"I feel the Jamaican in this church"

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REPLY
21. MJQ7688, 2013
"I was just thinking that about this church being Jamaican! They got DOWN!"

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22. Mo W, 2012
"Its obvious that this church is jamaican .. The TRAIN!!!!!!!! HALELLUJAH TRAIN iM RUNNING JESUS ON THE HALELLUJAH TRAIN !!!!!"

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23. desmarie spence, 2012
"This is how we do it in Holiness Born Again in Jamaica."

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24. lilmadea07, 2012
"This is what you call praise. What is the name of this song?"

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25. desmarie spence, 2012
"1.When they ring the golden bells- The Pentecostal Hymnal #141 2. Riding with Jesus"

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26. Sashagaye mannings, 2013
"i have never seen such a march i loooooooveeeeeee it"
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As an aside, I just noticed that this commenter has part of my maiden name (Manning)!

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27. Margaret Mcpherson, 2015
"these saints just know how to trample on them serpents and demons, the action is so important keep on fighting and trampling them forces

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28. ddoddy76, 2015
"ok no offense .....but what was the point?"

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REPLY
29. Miya Henry, 2016
"They make it seems they are marching into heaven... must pentecostal church do this to have a mind set of how they will be like in heaven. I don't know if I'm right but it's my idea"

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REPLY
30. Maubaki Wilson, 2016
"Hey Ms.Henry you are 100% correct..the act of them physically marching signifies unity and strength in Jesus' name. The way they marched with such precision and power was the anointing of God on them. People don't always have to run around and speak in tongues lol..you can concentrate that power into something else"

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31. Kemo Clarke, 2016
"i love it soilder of jesus christ halleluia"

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32. KRISSY MCINTOSH, 2016
"This church reminds me of my church, keep praising God. Im talking about Bethel Born Again Apostolic on Oakland Road in Jamaica, thats how we worship on a Sunday morning. Love u Pastor Yvonne Codner and Bishop Barracks"

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33. Vito Motola, 2017
"giving a offering is a type of worship to Jesus."

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34. Lisa Jackson, 2018
"What happened to church..."

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REPLY
35. Jessica Woods, 2018
"Lisa Jackson Nothing... Listen to the music it's Jamaican. African churches also worship in a similar manner. I think Black Americans would do close to the same if we didn't integrated."

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36. ItsKayTho, 2018
"I remember a church I attended, the whole choir would come down circle the church, turn around and go back up the offering aisle. & they took their time too! I love this choir’s energy"

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37. Neecy Watson, 2018
"A Holy Ghost work out!!!!!!!!❤️"

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This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.