Sacred Sunday: When the Church Rocks

Editor's Note: Blog originally posted Sunday, October 24, 2010; revised Sunday, January 6, 2019.

This video of Queen Esther White Young singing the song “If Jesus Goes With Me, I Can Go Anywhere” at the Tabernacle Echoes Grand Reunion Concert stirs up so many images and stories of the rich tradition of African American gospel music and choirs.

Uncle Willie Johnson (1917-2000)

Uncle Willie's Stories. Although the speed of this song is not extremely fast, but rather a slow-medium speed, it  reminds me of stories I heard from my Uncle Willie Johnson (1917-2000), a brother of my maternal grandmother Emma Johnson Thornton (1922-2011). In describing the church services of his youth during the 1920s and 1930s in Warren County, North Carolina, Uncle Willie enthusiastically recalled the days of his family’s church when there was no piano or musical instruments. “As we walked through the woods towards the church, you could hear the church rocking and the Saints of God singing and clapping and praising God!” he recalled. “Then we would walk or run a little faster to get to church.” These were also the days when rural churches typically had wood floors, so I’m sure Uncle Willie also heard foot tapping along with the singing and hand clapping.

The Choir Rock. One thing I noticed in this video which stirs up memories is the choir rocking from side to side in unison to the beat of the music. Sometimes a Choir Director gestures to the choir which direction to begin moving. At other times, some choir members may just begin moving to the music on their own. This takes me back to my days singing in the church and college gospel choirs during the 1970s and 1980s.

The Choir’s Attire. I knew this had to be a special occasion concert just by looking at the attire of the choir members with the ladies all dressed beautifully in various styles of  black dresses accessorized with a red flower, white beaded necklace and earrings, and the men dressed in black suits with white shirts and red ties. The red flowers and red ties are the accessories which make these various styles of dresses and suits look uniform.

The Soloist. Sister Queen works this song and I love it when she comes down into the church aisle. You can hear and feel the electricity in the audience as she walks down the aisle bellowing this great tune. As the music gets faster and the hand clapping gets louder, members of the congregation feel compelled to stand, which is a tradition in the black church when the music gets good. Oh, the church is ROCKING now! This is the point where my mind drifts back to Uncle Willie’s recollections of the church rocking during his youth as I sit in front of my computer singing, clapping and swaying from side to side in my chair enjoying this music and letting my mind travel down memory lane.

Sacred Sunday: Easter Fashions of the Past

(Left to right) Sister Odell Hayes and my Grandmother, Emma Johnson Thornton
Newport News, Virginia, Photo taken during 1950s

Today, I'm making a commitment to begin blogging again. One of the series I began in 2008 was called "Sacred Sunday" which highlights religious and church history and traditions.

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This is one of my favorite photos of my maternal grandmother, Emma Johnson Thornton (1922-2011) because it represents Easter fashions of the past when women wore hats and gloves to church.  The lady on the left was Sister Odell Hayes (1926-1994) who was a member of my family's church,  The photo was taken sometime during the 1950s in front of our family's church, Gospel Light United Holy Church, Inc., located in Newport News, Virginia, when my mother was a child.

The women of Gospel Light not only wore hats on Easter, but on every Sunday because they believed the scriptures in the Bible written by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11: 4-5, which states: "Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.  But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven." I’m not sure where the tradition of wearing white gloves originated.

Sunday Crowns Program

I am working on a program (Sunday Crowns) about church hats for next month which will be held at a local historic house. Part of the presentation will be to talk about the hat wearing women in my family and other families. I also plan to display some of my maternal grandmother's hats. As part of my research, I would like to interview hat wearing women or their descendants. Although my research focus is hat wearing by African American women, I would also like to know about hat wearing habits of women of other races and cultures.

If you are a hat wearing woman or the descendant of one, and are interested in sharing a photo or story to be used in my presentation, please email me at professordru@yahoo.com. The program will be held Saturday, February 18, 2012, 3 PM – 5 PM.

Sacred Sunday: Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux

A member of the Church of God at Williamsburg, VA , Howard W., commented on my blog posting, Sacred Sunday: Elder Lighfoot Solomon Michaux on February 7, 2011. This article was posted on August 9, 2009.

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God Bless You,

It is great to see others appreciate the Founder of one of America's greatest Churches.

There is much more to this man and his doings which we are getting out there to others every week.

Here is our Web Site: www.thechurchofgodatwilliamsburg.org which you will find much more about the Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux.

Thanks for posting this information

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Since my discovery of the grave sites of Elder Michaux and his wife Mary during the summer of 2009, I have begun researching their lives and ministry. In August and September of 2009, I also visited the two churches they founded in Newport News and Hampton, VA. This was around the time of the 90th anniversary of this church organization.

For more information on Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, visit the following websites:

Sidewalk Preacher Went to National Radio

Elder Michaux

Michaux Posting on Find Your Folks Blog

Sacred Sunday: The Cross Choir

The Gospel Spreading Church, a church organization founded in 1919 by Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, (1884-1968) has a tradition of the Cross Choir, where white-robed choir sit in a cross formation. This is a beautiful site to view.

Sacred Sunday: Elder Lighfoot Solomon Michaux

Yesterday I decided to visit the Pleasant Shade Cemetery in Hampton, VA for two purposes: one was to get a little exercise and the second was in hopes of locating the gravesites of distant cousins of the Pair family. I got some needed exercise, but did not locate the gravesites of my Pair family yet.

After walking around a certain section of the cemetery and taking photos of interesting looking grave makers, I decided to drive around the rest of this huge 100-year-old historically black cemetery. As I reached a dead end, the grave maker below caught my attention.

“Michaux” (pronounced like “Miss-Shaw”)---I always loved the sound of that name when I heard my grandmother say it as she talked about a minister in her community. As I looked closer at the grave marker, I discovered that this was the final resting place of the Elder Michaux and his wife that my grandmother remembered. This is quite an elaborate grave maker especially when compared with the others in this huge cemetery. The large size of this marker is what caught my attention.

Later, I showed my grandmother the digital photos of the grave maker. She was surprised that the Michaux’s were buried in the Hampton Roads area because she thought that they had been buried in Washington, D.C. She commented that Michaux was the “Happy Am I” radio preacher and that he and his wife Mary looked like white people. “Happy Am I” was the song that became Elder Michaux’s theme song. Even though I didn’t think that a black preacher would have been on television during Elder Michaux’s lifetime, I still asked my grandmother if he had been on television. “Yes,” she said. I was amazed and impressed and excited about finding more information on the life of this great preacher.

Later that afternoon, I searched the Internet for more information and found Elder Michaux’s obituary listed in a newspaper index. I can’t wait to go to the library to read and copy the obituary. I also found other biographical websites and learned that Elder Michaux was not just a local preacher, but his ministry had spread worldwide, to large cities such as Washington, D.C. and that he was on both radio and television.

My best and most treasured finding on the Internet was a YouTube video of Elder Michaux and his congregation singing. Since I found it, I have played it continuously, downloaded it to my computer, and shared it with some online genealogy friends and my grandmother. As my grandmother watched the video, she commented that Elder Michaux was much younger in the video than she remembered. By the time she knew him, he was elderly and gray-haired. This would have occurred after the mid 1940s when she moved to the neighborhood of Elder Michaux’s church. Grandma also commented that the way the ladies in the audience jumped to the music was a common practice she observed in this church when she visited them at the Newport News church and at tent meetings on 16th and Jefferson Avenue.

“Do you think this video was recorded at the Newport News church? I asked her.”

“No,” it must have been at the D.C. church,” she replied.

For more information on Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, visit the following websites.

Jet Magazine – Baptisms by Elder Michaux in Potomoc River

Michaux, Lightfoot Solomon (1884-1968)

Elder Michaux Religious Show

Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux

Happy, Happy 1937

History of Gospel Spreading Church

The Spiritual Legacy of Bessie Bullock Carroll (1901-1991)

This was written for the 2009 Carroll Family Reunion, July 25, 2009, Richmond, VA

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Bessie Bullock Carroll (left) and her

sister Bell Bullock Johnson

Bessie Bullock Carroll was born on November 19, 1901 in Vance County, NC to Andrew Bullock (1862-1915) and Luvenia Jeffress Bullock (1864-1951). She and her nine siblings were born and raised in the Drewry area of the county.

Bessie was described as “a starch supporter and defender of the Gospel and a “real mother in Zion, the epitome of holiness, and stood for truth and righteousness” Undoubtedly she, as well as her five sisters (Bell, Mollie, Mima, Channie, and Nancy) were influenced by their mother Luvenia, who is most remembered for the way she entered church shouting “Holy!” and praising the Lord. (Read more on page 2) Bessie and all of her sisters are also remembered as women who loved and praised the Lord and they lived their lives dedicated unto him. During their adult years, the Bullock sisters delighted in seeing each other and praising the Lord together.

Bessie accepted Jesus as her personal savior at a young age. In a 1980 interview for a church newsletter, her sister Bell, who was known as a woman of strength, joy, and spiritual vitality, recalled her own salvation experience.

“I accepted Jesus as my savior as a young girl. My soul could not rest until I received God’s redeeming grace and I fasted all week while working in the fields until the Lord changed my life. After my salvation experience, God sanctified me and baptized me with his Holy Spirit.”

The six Bullock sisters and their brother John were active in church during their adult lives. I do not know anything about the spirituality or church affiliation of the other brothers, Andrew (who moved to Queens, NY), James (who was a barber), or Joseph, (the youngest who died at age 27 in 1932). Bessie and her sister Mollie were member of Saints Delight Holy Church in Drewry, NC; Nancy, Morning Star Holy Church in Vance County, NC; Channie, St. John Holy Church in Richmond, VA; Mima moved to Pennsylvania and I do not know the name of the church she attended; and Bell, Union Chapel Holy Church, Ridgeway, NC. John Bullock and his wife Lucinda were gospel singers who sang at churches in the Warren/Vance county region. I think they may have attended Burchette Chapel Church in Vance County.

Bessie was also a member of her mother’s church, Veanus Chapel House of Prayer, which was a log building built next to her mother’s house in Drewry. Bessie’s husband Alfred Carroll was a trustee of Veanus Chapel. After she moved to Elizabeth, NJ in 1958, she joined Guiding Star United Holy Church where she served as Adult Sunday School Teacher, Vice-President of Women’s Day, and member of the North New Jersey District Devotional Committee, Noon Day Prayer Leader, and Church Mother.

Bessie was known for her starworth testimony and song,

“I love Jesus, he’s my Savior
Storms are raging, he’s my shelter
Where he leads me, I will follow
I love Jesus and he loves me.”

Other favorite songs were “I’m Saved” and “To the Mount.” After her fiery testimony she would go forth in a dance of praise and thanksgiving. Her sisters are also remembered for their fiery testimonies and dancing and praising God.

In an interview in 1980, Grandma Bell summed up the mission and purpose of her life. Based on the way they lived their lives, this was also likely the mission and purpose for her mother and sisters.

"I don’t want my light to get dull, I want my light to shine bright so men can see the good works and glorify the Father. I ain’t got no bad works, but I want my light to shine bright. I let my light shine so that black and white can see Jesus in me."

Bessie Bullock Carroll and her family lived by precept and example and raised their children in the fear and nurturing of the Lord. Bessie loved her Pastor and her Church and served faithfully until her health failed. She died at the age of 89 in July 1991 at Elizabeth General Medical Center in New Jersey.

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Sources: 1991 funeral program of Bessie Bullock Carroll, 1980 “Portrait: Mother Belle, (Voice of the World, Winter 1980), social security death index, oral history, marriage and death records, census, and obituaries

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Sacred Sunday - Plumbline Church Sign and Bell

This was the church attended by my great grandparents Minor and Morrisette (Marcia) Thornton. Both of them are buried in the cemetery located in the back of the church. During my previous visits to the church, I remember the sign, but not the bell. Perhaps the bell was added recently. This photo was taken on July 4, 2009 during a holiday visit to the area. Like some rural churches, Plumbline church continues to hold services only twice a month.

Sacred Sunday: Adult Choir at Little Mt. Zion Holy Church

This is a a photo I recently received of the adult choir at Little Mt. Zion Holy Church in White Plains, NY. This church was started by Pennie Johnson Higgs, a sister of my grandfather, George Johnson. She is the older lady to the right in this photo with the white hat and scarf. My maternal grandmother's sister Mary, also attended this church. She is the tall woman on the back row to the left. Aunt Pennie died in December 1966.

Sacred Sunday

UNION CHAPEL HOLY CHURCH

Union Chapel Holy Church located in the Ridgeway, NC of Warren County was organized in 1912 under the leadership of Mother Emma Collins Craig. She was born in 1872 in Roxboro, NC and later moved to Durham, NC. Before the first church was built, the members would gather at neighbor's homes in the Ridgeway community for church services. Union Chapel is part of what is now known as the United Holy Church of America, Inc. This organization began in Method, NC in May of 1886 and was first known as Holy Churches of North Carolina and later as Holy Churches of North Carolina and Virginia. Mother Craig and her husband Rev. Charles C. Craig founded a total of sixteen churches in North Carolina.

According to the official church history, founders of the church included my great grandparents, George and Bell Bullock Johnson. My great grandparents were not married in 1912 when the church began, but I believe that Grandma Bell was living in Ridgeway with her Aunt Kate Bullock Johnson, who was also a founder of the church. Other founding members included Grandpa George’s siblings and their spouses. His sister Mollie Johnson Rowlett and her husband James Rowlett, and his sister Elsa Johnson Alston and her husband Guy, his brother Charlie Johnson and his wife Kate Bullock Johnson, and his brother Calvin Johnson and his wife Dora. Other founding members were Robert Quinitchette and John Jefferson. Grandpa George’s mother Susan Jerman Johnson later joined her children at Union Chapel.

Most of the members of Union Chapel were baptized in a local pond. The land to build the church on was deeded to the members by Guy Alston and his wife, Elsie in 1913. The second church building, which now stands, was built in 1952. The church has a cemetery where my great grandmother Bell and three of her children (Richard, Mary, and Charlie) are buried.

Mother Emma Craig served as pastor of Union Chapel for several years. After she served, Rev. Louis Young became pastor and remained 17 years. Elder Tom L. Lynch then became pastor and remained 37 years. In 1975, Elder Jasper Spruill became pastor and remained until 1983. In April, 1983, Rev. Josephine Wilson became pastor. The current pastor, Rev. Bobbie Rainey became pastor in 1992.

Sacred Sunday

Antioch Baptist Church

Antioch Baptist Church located in the Skippers area of Greensville County, VA is the church where my paternal grandmother Hattie Moore Pair (1902-1956) and her siblings grew up. This was the church were their mother and grandparents attended: Mary Eliza Robinson Moore (1880-1920) and her parents Joshua Robinson (1846-1935) and Ersie Jane Providence Moore (1850-after 1905.)

According to the church history of Antioch Baptist Church, the church began in a Bush Arbor near the Saw Pond on the land owned by Sandy Ferguson, and his wife, Susan, around 1870. It is believed that some type of frame structure was built on the site, but it was destroyed by fire. There was a lot on intermarrying between the Ferguson, Greenaway, and Robinson families. Both Sandy Ferguson and my great-great grandfather Joshua Robinson were descendants of free blacks in Greensville County: Sandy Ferguson was the son of Henry Ferguson who was the son of Betty Ferguson. My ancestor Joshua Robinson was the son of Maria Morgan Greenaway (1809-after 1900,) a free woman of color.

By 1896, Antioch Baptist had expanded the church property with the acquisition of one acre of land purchased from Mr. Lewis H. Foster, a large landowner. A deed for the land was drawn up on January 13, 1896 by the following trustees: John J. Smith, Jesse Avent, Thomas Wright, William Edward Watson, and William Wright. The deed was recorded on March 6, 1899.

Today, there are descendants of Joshua and Ersie Jane Robinson who are members of Antioch Baptist Church.

Sacred Sunday

Holy Venia and Church Associate
(Left to right: my great-great grandmother Luvenia Jeffress Bullock "Holy Venia" standing beside a lady whose name has not been identified yet.) I believe that they are standing outside Veanus Chapel House of Prayer in the Nutbush area of Vance County, NC. Family and friends recall that the church was pastored by a woman, but do not remember her name.

The church began around the early 1930s.

Sacred Sunday

Plumbline Holy Church
My maternal grandfather, Minor Elwood Thornton (1913-1979) and his parents Minor Thornton (1893-1966) and Marcia Ashe Thornton (1892-1954) were members of Plumbline Holy Church in Enfield which is located in Halifax County, NC. This church was founded in 1884 by Elder Joseph Silver. In the early years of the church, services were held in the home of Elder Silver during the winter months and under a brush arbor during the summer. Plumbline Holy Church represented the beginning of holiness as a denomination in the Enfield area.

My grandfather Minor Elwood served as an Usher at Plumbline prior to moving to Newport News, VA in 1940. His father Minor, Sr. served Plumbline as a Deacon and Church Secretary and his mother, Marcia Ashe Thornton served as a Minister.

Sacred Sunday

My ancestor Luvenia Jeffress Bullock (1864-1951) attended Morning Star Holy Church located in the Middleburg area of Vance County, NC. She is remembered for the way she walked in the church shouting “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Morning Star Holy Church began in 1902. (See Tribute to My Favorite Ancestor)

Morning Star Holy Church, old church building

Morning Star Holy Church, current church building