Chapter 9 - Page 125 - New Passion

    Later that afternoon, Jim, Rhasha, Jackie, and Simbatu met at the church. Each had brought their own instruments, and they set up the drums and keyboard at the back of the stage, then placed three microphones at the front of the stage-one each for Jim and Rhasha and one set lower for Jim’s guitar. When they were happy with how everything looked, they began to practice. Jim and Rhasha began singing The Old Rugged Cross, then the instruments joined in. At first, the vocals and the instruments were out of sync, but the more they practiced, the better the music sounded. After about an hour, vocals and music blended together into a heavenly melody.

    Local people passing by outside heard them practicing, and within an hour the church was almost full. Everyone, including the performers, were having a good time. Some members of the audience even clapped in time with the music. The practice session lasted two hours, then everyone went home.

    Sunday morning, the church was packed. Every chair was occupied. The church walls had been pushed out, up, and braced, so the church was now open on all four sides, and people stood outside. Not only local people came, but also people from the next village and, Jim found out later, even some tribal people were present. They didn’t speak English, but they came to hear the music.

    The church didn’t have a choir and it didn’t offer Sunday school. So far all the church offered was Sunday morning services delivered by Reverend Morris, a black African preacher who had been educated in the United States. He was a young minister, fresh out of seminary, with a wife and two young children.