Lift ev'ry voice

Voorhees and St. Augustine's singers

Each of the daily Eucharists at General Convention has been a high point in its own way, but Tuesday's had a special South Carolina connection as we gathered near the piano and choir area to hear musicians from Voorhees College combine with those from St. Augustine's in Raleigh, NC to sing for the service. 

An estimated 2,000 people were there to hear their beautiful singing, and to hear the sermon by the Reverend Kimberly Jackson of Atlanta. We were celebrating the feast day of James Weldon Johnson, who wrote the text of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing" – and that was our opening hymn on Tuesday.

Voorhees choir director Rosemary Griffin, right, sings arm in arm
with singers from Voorhees and St. Augustine's at the conclusion
of their postlude on Tuesday.

From the moment the choirs began to sing, hands were clapping or raised in the air as their beautiful and powerful voices rang out in the giant worship hall. But for many of us from South Carolina, the most moving moment came at the end, when the choirs and the crowd that remained to hear them all linked arms and sang "Amazing Grace" together. 

See a photo album from the service here.