Munger Place UMC music reflects spirit of diversity

BY JOHN A. LOVELACE
Special Correspondent

You need look no farther than the choir to catch the multicultural makeup of one of East Dallas' stalwart churches, Anglo, Africa-American, Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, Young, Old, Sighted, Legally blind, and Strong, led the singing. Uncertain, soft murmurs.

Interim music director Charles W. Winslow, Jr., glows in the worship leadership emanating from this diverse group. On the Sunday following one recent Wednesday evening?s particularly arduous 90-minute rehearsal, the senior pastor exclaimed, "They never sounded better!"

"They captured the spirit of the words," Rev. Charles Stovall said, "the contagion of inviting God into our lives and our worship in a praise song like "Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary"..."

In rehearsal the previous Wednesday, both "Sanctuary" and "We are standing on holy ground" had gone well, as had Charles Wesley's triumphant hymn, "O for a thousand tongues to sing."

No one seems to notice the non-air conditioned room as rehearsal begins on this warm spring evening. Winslow summons the group to circle and "pray our way in." Then Winslow passes out words, without music, to a simple, unison song, "Ever I will sing."

Because it is new to this choir, he patiently one-fingers the melody several times on the piano, eliciting slightly surer singing with each run-through. Finally he adds chords and ...success! The choir has it.

As any church choir director knows, all-work makes a dull sound. Winslow, a longtime church musician and jazz pianist in the Dallas area, banters back and forth easily with the 11 choir members. He pops a CD into a nearby boom box so a recorded praise band can lead his choir through yet another new-to-them number, "His goodness, mercy and kindness."

Three of the choir's strongest voices belong to members scanning words on their Braille copies. One brings her Braille keyboard to rehearsal.

To close, Winslow asks for a volunteer to lead in prayer. One woman does, giving thanks that, among other things, "we can say what we want to even if we shouldn?t."

That might not be standard prayer lingo in a lot of churches, but in the multicultural community of which Munger Place UMC is a vital part, it hits home.