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Monday, October 18, 2021

Repetitive Songs In Contemporary Black Worship Services Collection Marches: "I'm Out Here On Your Word"


Bethel Born Again Church Of Jesus Christ Apostolic 2019

3-5 Oakland Road, Kingston 11

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series that highlights examples of repetitive songs in contemporary Black worship services collection marches. 

This post showcases one video of a collection march to the a rendition of the song "I'm Out Here On My Own" by the 
Bethel Born Again Church Of Jesus Christ Apostolic Church choir (Jamaica). This post also showcases another video of the choir and congregation singing that same song during their Sunday morning service (with no footage of the choir collection march.)

In addition, this pancocojams post showcases two videos of the Narrow Way Apostolic Church choir (Jamaica) singing "I'm Out Here On Your Word" during their church choir collection march. 

My editorical notes provide limited descriptions of these church choir  collection marches. 

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composers of these songs. Thanks also to B
ethel Born Again Church Of Jesus Christ Apostolic Church choir  (Jamaica) and  Narrow Way Apostolic Church choir (Jamaica) for their ministries. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Click 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/10/fisk-jubilee-singers-lord-im-out-here.html "Fisk Jubilee Singers - "Lord, I'm Out Here On Your Word" (two sound files, information, & partial lyrics) and https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/10/a-1988-song-lord-im-out-here-on-your.html  "A 1988 Song "Lord, I'm Out Here On Your Word" That Is A Gospelized Version Of Two Spirituals: "Lord I'm Out Here..." & "Fix Me" ". Those posts include explanations about the meanings of the words "out here on your word" and "fix me" in the context of those religious songs.

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DISCLAIMER: "Black worship services" in this title means that all or most of the people in attendance at these worship services are Black. However, these songs can certainly be sung by non-Black people. 

In the title for this ongoing pancocojams series I'm highlighting the fact that these songs (or "choruses" to use the Pentecostal term) are repeated over and over again while the choir marches. I believe that this is an important feature of these marches as repetitive singing or chanting and repetitive movements can help bring down the Holy Spirit.

Click the "repetitive songs in Black worship services" tag to find additional pancocojams posts in this series.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/10/repetitive-songs-in-contemporary-black.html to read why I began this pancocojams series on Black church collection marches. That Pancocojams Editorial note also includes my overview (purposes) of this pancocojams series on Black church collections marches as well as an encouragement for those who are much more familiar with that tradition than me to add to the historical and cultural record by publishing online information and descriptions about that tradition.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: Sunday Morning Divine Worship Service



FUTIM-Orange,NJ, Mar 18, 2012

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3: Im out here on your word - Sis Claudean Blossom


Narrow Way Apostolic official channel, Sep, 10, 2018

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #4: Im out here on your word



Narrow Way Apostolic official channel, Oct 16, 2018

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
Please provide additions and corrections for these notes in the comment section below.  

Notes About Video #1
As is the case with many YouTube videos of Jamaican church services, it is difficult to decipher what is being sung. However, I can decipher that the choir and congregation are singing a version of the hymn "Lord, I'm Out Here On Your Word". Tht version appears to combine portions of the two African American Spirituals: "Lord, I'm Out Here On Your Word" and "Fix Me" with the church hymn "I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say".  

Part I of this video shows the choir and congregation singing this song without footage of the choir collection march (which it appears that members of Jamaica's Apostolic churches refer to as "walk arounds"). A similar video of that worship service without the walk around is given as Showcase video #2 in this post. 

This video begins with footage of a man wearing a dark suit in front of the choir. That man doesn't appear to be a membe of the choir. He isn't wearing white gloves so I don't think that he is an usher. He may be a church offical since it doesn't appear that it's traditional for regular members of the congregation to join the walk arounds.

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Notes About Video #2
As is the case with many YouTube videos of Jamaican church services, it is difficult to decipher what is being sung. However, I can decipher that the choir and congregation are singing a version of the hymn "Lord, I'm Out Here On Your Word". 

This video shows a portion of this church's Sunday morning worship service, without any footage of the choir's collection march (walk around). 

Notice that it is traditional for women in Apostolic churches to wear hats or caps on their head in the church sanctuary. 

A commenter in the discussion thread for this video asks "What are the words to the song that they are singing?", A year later a commenter replied "the 2nd verse is: I came to Jesus As I was weary worn and sad I found in him a resting place and now I am so glad."...

This is part of the hymn: "I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say"  https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/nt/323

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Notes About Video #3
As is the case with many YouTube videos of Jamaican church services, it is difficult to decipher what is being sung. However, I can decipher that the choir and congregation are singing a version of the hymn "Lord, I'm Out Here On Your Word". 

This video of a church collection march begins with the choir singing in the choir stand of the church sanctuary. The choir march begins in the beginning of this video. Women dressed in white who also are wearing white gloves (characteristic of church ushers) join the end of the choir march around.

The collection march begins by marching down the aisle on the left hand side of the sanctuary. The march then moves across the top of the center aisle and continues down the right hand aisle and the choir members march back up to the choir stand and continue standing and singing there. The women in white who were part of the march continue marching up the center aisle.

Throughout the march and after the march, a number of people in the congregtion are feeling the Spirit. They do holy dances in the wide space between the congregtional pews and the podium. They are also seen running down the left hand aisle, encircling the sanctuary. Some choir members also "go in" and also show in various ways that they are feeling the Spirit. At around 6:03 in this video, the choir again leaves the choir stands for a walk around. They march in the same pattern but with a faster pace. A man from the congregation who isn't a member of the choir also 
joins the walk around. 

Other men and women wearing white gloves help to direct the march. Based on the tradition that I'm familiar with (in African American Baptist churches), I believe that these men and women are church ushers because they are wearing white gloves. 
The way that the musicians (snare drummer, keyboardist, and two electric guitarist) play helps fire up and cool off the energy in the sanctuary. At the end of the video, the marching and much of the energetic holy dancing has ended and a minister at the podium leads the church in giving praises to Jesus.  

Additions and corrections to this description are welcome.

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Notes Abou Video #4
As is the case with many YouTube videos of Jamaican church services, it is difficult to decipher what is being sung. However, I can decipher that the choir and congregation are singing a version of the hymn "Lord, I'm Out Here On Your Word". 

The choir collection march follows the same pattern as that given in my description for video #3 above.

Notice the children's choir also marching and notice how the ushers help direct both of thee choirs' walk arounds. 

There are other YouTube videos of this church singing "I'm Out Here On Your Word" during their choir collection marches (walk arounds).
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