BLACK CHURCH USHERS SERIES

My home church in Atlantic City still starts the morning service with the choir marching in singing. I also remember watching my mother's (then young and middle age adult) Spiral Chorus march down the center aisle of the sanctuary during that choir's anniversary services. I grew up in a Baptist church in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Union Baptist Temple Church) where the church service always began by the choir 'marching in' in pairs down the center aisle of the sanctuary to the choir stand behind the altar. Processions signify that the service or program is something special, since processions are outside the norm of everyday occurrence. But processions are more than a way for groups to make a grand entrance. Processions of choirs, ushers, nurses, or other groups that march into their anniversary program or their convention events enhance the celebratory nature of those programs & events. Choir marches into the church's sanctuary mark the beginning of church service. Group marches also adds to the entertainment and pageantry of celebratory group events such as anniversaries and conventions. Marching for Jesus adds to the dramatic nature of religious worship. They are a way to praise God and 'make a joyful noise to the Lord'. However, judging from my experiences, and the comments that have been added to a number YouTube videos on this subject, church processions are viewed as an 'old school' tradition that is done by fewer and fewer Black churches, partly because some churches have replaced formal choirs with praise & worship groups, partly because some churches consider processions to be irreligious, or for other reasons.Ī number of persons commenting on discussion threads of YouTube videos of Black church note that processions help set the tone of the worship service. Marching into the church sanctuary is an old tradition among African Americans and some other Black people. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks for the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

Click the 'Black Church Processions' link found below to find some earlier pancocojams posts on those subjects.

BLACK CHURCH USHERS SERIES

*Although this pancocojams series focuses on the custom of processions in African American churches, church processions are also found in some other Black churches in the Caribbean, Canada, and in some African countries. In addition to those above mentioned denominations, the 2011 series on Black church choir processions featured a video of an Apostolic church in the USA. It's possible that other predominately African American Christian denominations also have (or had) church processions, but I didn't find any YouTube videos of those processions. The church denominations that are showcased in the videos that are found in Part II and Part III of this series are AME (African Methodist Episcopal) AME Zion (African Methodist Episcopal Zion) COGIC (Church of God In Christ) Baptist Missionary Baptist Pentecostal, and United Methodist. Selected comments from discussion threads for some of these videos are also included in this post.Ī bonus video of a Black Canadian church choir marching during collection is included in this post along with my description of a similar march that I observed in March 2019 that was done by an African Methodist Episcopal church choir that is directed by my brother Dr. Part III showcases eight videos of Black (African American) choir march ins during church services or anniversaries. Part II showcases several videos of Black (African American) processions by church ushers or Black church nurses.Ĭlick for Part III of this series. This post also features videos of what I believe are some of the cultural influences on contemporary African American Black church processions.Ĭlick for Part II of this series. Part I provides information about possible cultural influences on Black (African American) church usher, nurses, or choir processions.

This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series about Black (African American) church processions.

Black church ushers