Before you get too excited, you should know that our newly formed group meets just once a month, has a somewhat overly-broad concept of what constitutes "gospel music," and that in our whole ensemble there is just one other man besides myself (He's a keeper, for sure!) Despite these challenges, however, it seems like we have the beginning of something truly fun and exciting.
Let me fill in a few more details. For some time Mr. Maki (our boss and pastor) has been longing to begin a "gospel choir" as a sort of cultural outreach. He was always a great appreciator of the African-American spirituals and hymns (not "Southern Gospel"), and hoped that someday Funehiki might have a chance to host a "gospel" choir where not only the music, but the meaning behind the lyrics could be shared and enjoyed. This kind of "Gospel" music is very popular in Japan, though rarely are the histories or the meanings of the music fully taught or understood. This is where we come in. Oh, and, as an added bonus, it's a bi-lingual affair because the songs are in English and we speak so little Japanese (though some of us speak more than others, and all of us are studying).
Amy Spencer and I have taken on the direction of the group, but other English teachers are also participating in their free time. Also, several of the church members from Funehiki Evangelical Church are participating, and several of our groups other friends and acquaintances. It's a really facinating mix of people. Many are new to English, or music, or both...but most are pretty strong in both areas. Our goal is not to become a professional choir but only to have fun together learning this new music, so it's a very accessible program (or so we hope).
After formal introductions our first week (a necessity for any kind of activity in Japan) we introduced a popular and familiar song, "Amazing Grace" (gospel-style). It went relatively well considering in our haste to get things together we pulled the piano score rather than the vocal one. Lesson learned. We got an amazing chance to share the meaning of the rich lyrics, through translation, and the story of John Newton, the writer, as well as practicing some singing and a lot of English. As we were flying a little blind our first week, we felt like the night was a pretty good start. There were a lot of good feelings and affirmations of "Enjoy, enjoy" at the end of the night.
Tonight we introduced a new piece. We shared the meaning and music of "Oh Happy Day." We began reading the lyrics in English, then Japanese, and then a passage about the meaning and background of the piece. I'll tell you, it was a rather poignant moment for me when as a group we repeated the lyrics all together, and "with feeling." It's typical English class methodology, but when we were reading the lyrics of this song it felt more like a prayer, or a victory cry! It felt both strange and wonderful. You rarely hear "Jesus washed away my sins" with a Japanese accent. Even here as Christians ourselves, I find, we rarely say those words enough, or with adequate feeling. Tonight we did.
Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day
When Jesus washed, he washed my sins away
He taught me how to watch, fight and pray
And live rejoicing, everyday
It's really a very simple song, but the music has such an effect on you that you can't help but enjoy it.
Now, I do not profess to be an expert at this musical style, or at conducting a choir...but I feel really priveleged to be a part of this experience. I didn't go looking for it, but it found me, and I'm glad. I didn't even pick the song, the students asked for it by name. And yet, I'm the one going away feeling all filled up.
I hope and pray that the upcoming meetings will be still more filled with grace, and that through our humble efforts God might glorify himself, and touch peoples hearts and lives with the life that only He can give.
