Fire in My Bones: Transcendence and the Holy Spirit in African American Gospel

11. Welcome: "Not for the Appointment, but for the Anointment"

Chapter 11 WelcolDe "Not for the Appointment, but for the Anointment" As Mother Nixon steps back to the amen corner and the guitarist fingers a wandering melody, Sister Lena Mae Perry stands from her place behind the registration table. A short woman with a sturdy build and radiant face, Sister Perry turns to the congregation and begins what the printed program simply calls a "Welcome." Sounding a bit winded from the singing, she opens in a conversational tone, neatly connecting her words to the praises that preceded them by beginning with «Praise our God!" Without waiting for a response, she moves right into a statement of thanks. "We want to thank our mothers for the wonderful devotional service, that they have rendered to us for this afternoon." ("Thank you:' murmurs a sister in the amen corner.) "We are so glad to be here." (Sister Perry smiles and pauses to gaze over the congregation, as if to make sure that her eyes meet those of everyone gathered here. Two "Amens" quickly fill the momentary silence.) "And to see all of you here:' ("Thank You, Lord:' adds another sister.) Sister Perry's slightly husky voice grows louder as she speaks, and her words begin edging to a higher tone at the close of each phrase. Knowing that the Lord has so wonderfully blessed, that we were able to get out to our anniversary one more time. Because the Lord has been good to all of us, we ought to give God the honor and the praises, for everythingthat He has done for us. (YesLord!) (Oh yes) (Iesusl/My Lord) (Yes!) (Yes!) The organist begins his soft phrasings, laying a slow foundation for Sister Perry's accelerating words. A few lines later, the bass player adds his resonant ramblings to the words of welcome and praise. Sister Perry continues as if the musicians were silent. Praise God, we're here to welcome you, praise God, to our twentieth anniversary. Praise God, we know that you loved us, because you are here! Praise our God! As I heard one brother sayand I think it was the brother of the William Coley Trio, when I talked with him on the phoneHe said, "We're coming not for the appointment, but for the anointment!" (Amen) (Amen!) (Amen!/ Alright!) A chorus of enthusiastic "Amens" and "Alrights" sounds through the church. The congregation clearly appreciates the cleverness-and the sentiment -of the rhyme. Sister Perry's reference to anointment marks the service's second call for the Spirit's visitation. Deacon Eldridge had prayed, "Lord, we're looking for Your blessings again this evening"; now Sister Perry declares, "we're here for the anointment :' Both statements explicitly evoke the frame of devotional expectation that has been tacitly referenced by every act of worship thus far in the service. The saints' swift and loud response suggests that all are looking forward to the Spirit's visit. Voicing her agreement, Sister Perry joins the chorus of affirmation, adding her own ardent cry of "Praise God!" We're coming to have a good time in the name of the Lord! We welcome you to this, our twentieth anniversary. Praise God, and when we say twenty, praise God, wehave traveled up and down the dangerous highways, praise God, through rain, through snow, through sleet, through the storm, but the Lord has yet kept us. We're just so happy to praise our God, to be here celebrating our twentieth anniversary, and to have you here with us! To welcome you to enjoyin the name of Jesus! Praise our God! (Amen!) (Alright!/Amen!) (Amen!) (Praise Him!) Sister Perry's cries of "Praise God" roll one after another, emphatically punctuating her remarks. They remind listeners at every turn that the purpose of this 126 Chapter 11 gathering is not to celebrate the Branchettes' accomplishments, but to praise the many and wondrous achievements of the Lord. As Sister Perry makes clear, such praise is itself a thing of enjoyment. «We're coming to have a good time in the name of the Lord!" she declares at the beginning of this segment. «We're happy to welcome you to enjoy in the name of Jesus!"she announces at its close. Both references firmly set «enjoyment" in a devotional frame. This is not the «enjoyment " one finds in worldly engagement, not the «good time" one experiences when being «entertained." Instead, these are «good times in...