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

16. False Purpose: "We Didn't Come for No Form or Fashion"

Chapter 16 False Purpose "We Didn't Come for No Form or Fashion" At Evangelist Lofton's call and the congregation's warm applause, the four Jerusalem Travelers stride down the center aisle. Dressed for the occasion in sharply tailored purple suits, the Travelers hail from the Greater Six Run Missionary Baptist Church in the nearby town of Turkey. They've been singing together for twenty-six years and are long-time friends of the Branchettes. Three of the four are brothers. The front two men quickly move toward the deacons' corner, where they retrieve a guitar and bass from their black plastic cases. As they each move toward amplifiers on opposite sides of the center aisle, the quartet's other two members busy themselves aligning four chrome mike stands. While they're moving mikes, the guitarist and bass player check their tunings. A baby in the pews starts to cry. Somebody calls out, "Thank You, Jesus:'«Check one, check one:' The lead's deep voice booms from the working microphones . "Test one, test one." The baritone's does the same. "Thank You,Jesus,"says the sister in the pews once again, adding a passing note of praise to the cross-aisle's mundane workings. "Check." The guitarist starts to finger a quiet, wandering melody. "Thank You, Jesus;' whispers the baritone singer into his mike. Then the quartet's lead, Brother Sonnie Stevens, starts to speak. His voice is soft, humble, almost hesitant. Echoing the opening words of Sister Love and the St. James Gospel Choir, he begins on a note of praise and tribute. Giving honor to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, We're happy to be here on the Branchettes' I think they say,twentieth anniversary. Praise God! God certainly have been good to us. And we are happyto be here. We didn't come this afternoon for no form or fashion. (Thank You, Lord) (Amen!/ Amen!) (Oh yesl/Yes He has!) (Praise God!/Well!) (Alright then!) 16. "We didn't come for no form or fashion;' declared Brother Sonnie Stevens as the Jerusalem Travelersstepped into the cross-aisle. "We came to lift up Jesus!" Those prefacing words invite the saints to recognize Brother Stevens's impassioned singing as real and to read his emotion as heartfelt. (Photo by Roland L. Freeman) Neither did we come for outside show, like be in the world. We came to lift up Jesus! We don't want to be like that old rich man, who prayed, but his prayer was too late. (Lord Iesusl) (Yes!) (Alright!) (Too late!/Alright!) As Brother Stevens utters the last line, the guitarist strums his strings, setting the key for the Jerusalem Travelers' first song. Before the final note fades, the four "WI Didn't COilelor NoFor. or Flshlon" 231 voices lock together in sweet, high tenor harmony. Their opening song is the slow Nightingales' piece "He Prayed, but His Prayer Was Too Late." )(- )(- )(- )(- )(- "We didn't come for no form or fashion. We didn't come for outside show;' declares Brother Stevens. "We came to lift up Jesus!" Even before offering the familiar statement of purpose, Brother Stevens extends two emphatic disclaimers, announcing to all what the group is not here to do. He recognizes the honorees, gives thanks for being at the program, and then twice deniesfalsepurpose.Before talking about praise, before talking about ministry, before talking about "having church:' The disclaimers come first. As if to say, "We may be here as singers,but first we're here as saints.Judge us by our faith rather than our artistry:' Such denials of «form, fashion, and outside show" are almost as pervasive in gospel services as declarations of praise and ministry. Some programs include dozens of such disclaimers, often all from different speakers. They show up in prayers, in testimonies, in the comments of devotional leaders and emcees, andwith the greatest frequency-in the introductory remarks of singers.«We're not here for no performance;' proclaims Evangelist Evelyn Gilchrist at her family's fifteenth singing anniversary. «We're not here to be seen or heard by man, nor for any form or fashion! We're here to give Godthe glory, and to have a hallelujahgood time!"«We're not here for a program;' echoes emcee Josephine Booth at a Durham gospel service. "And we're not here to entertain you! This is your time to just praise God!"«AndI tell you...