Psalms 25:4-5
*Note: The article below appeared in the Valley Morning Star Newspaper on Feb. 27, 2006 in the Rio Living (C) Section of the paper.
Churches: More than just buildings, they’re communities built on a foundation of faith, family
By DANIEL GARCÍA ORDAZ
danielg@valleystar.com
956-421-9876
Deacon Edgar West slaps the back of Rev. John McDowell, laughing about a private joke between the pastor and the deacons.
After gathering for prayer and to discuss announcements in the pastor’s office, McDowell, pastor at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church, and the deacons line up. The Johnson and Branch children — the church’s new young ushers, wearing white tops and black bottoms — hold open the double wooden doors at the entrance to the sanctuary.
Jan McDowell, the pastor’s wife, is already warming up at the piano on a cool Sunday morning. The service is about to begin, starting with a march down the aisle to the front row by the pastor and deacons.
‘We Stand At Last’
The congregation stands and joins Jan in singing “This Little Light of Mine.”
Rising Star, in Edinburg, is one of four churches in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Association, which also includes Corinth Baptist Church and Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Harlingen and St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Brownsville. The association of historically black churches had about 10 member congregations in the 1970s.
Collectively, the churches have stood the tests of time, discrimination, economic hardships and cyclic gains and losses in membership.
“A lot of people move into the city and (the church) grows,” said Bernice Rice of Mount Zion MBC. “The people that come in move on. It goes up and down, but pretty soon the Lord sends some more people. One time we had 23 new members.”
‘A Steady Beat’
Mount Zion MBC, pastored by the Rev. Dr. RJ Rice for the past 26 years, will celebrate its 80th anniversary the first Sunday in July. Rising Star MBC will turn 68 in May and St. James MBC, pastored by the Rev. LeRoy Roundtree, celebrated its 50th anniversary in December.
By all accounts, Corinth Baptist Church has struggled since the death of the Rev. Norman L. Washington in 2004. Washington served the church and the city as a civic and spiritual leader for 50 years. Washington had been pastor also at St. James until 2003.
The members of Corinth presently meet only for Sunday school and then join the services at Mount Zion as they struggle to stay together.
“We’re just getting started,” said Henry Gant, a long time member. “We’re trying to reorganize.”
Gant met Washington in 1945 when the two were working for the railroad. Corinth was formed in 1946 or 1947, Gant said. Corinth’s congragation is still looking for a pastor.
Early church buildings at Rising Star and Mount Zion were purchased separately from now-defunct military air bases, in Mission and Harlingen, respectively.
When there is a fifth Sunday in any given month, the association gathers, in turns, at one of the churches, enjoying a meal afterwards and some “Old Time Religion” in between. It is also an opportunity for churches to showcase their respective choirs and preachers.
‘Let Our Rejoicing Rise’
Visitors to any of these churches can expect to hear a mix of old and new hymns and spirituals. The sound of music emanating from old and sometimes too-loud speaker systems is nevertheless enough to keep visitors coming back for more.
Music is an integral part of the worship experience. When Mount Zion was lacking a pianist for its revival services, Georgia West, who plays occasionally at Rising Star, was asked to step in. Armand, a young pianist of Filipino descent, also took his turn at the keys, accompanying the choir from Corinth.
On a recent Sunday morning at Rising Star, the choir sang “I Will Go In Jesus’ Name” among other hymns, but the church’s favorite is “He Is Wonderful” — a lively round with three repeating lines that alternate and then overlap in an ecstatic, harmonious conclusion. Rising Star’s children figure in heavily to the church’s music, presenting a song on the second Sunday of each month and often singing in the big people’s choir.
Harvey Smith was a sight for sore ears when he became music minister at St. James two years ago. Smith, whose wife is from Harlingen, brought 14 years of worship-leading experience with him when the family moved here to be close to his wife’s family when her father had a stroke.
He had come to the church during a Fifth Sunday program and he never left. The music at St. James is as varied and adaptable as his resume. Smith, a bus driver for Valley Transit Company, worked with microchips in Austin. No matter the order, before service ends, the congregation must sing “Amazing Grace” on Sunday, he said.
“It’s just a foundation of what the church was built on,” Smith said. “It’s a very spirit-filled church.”
Most churches in the association feature piano, keyboard, organ and drums, but at St. James’ musical accompaniments include a bass and electric guitar.
“If I see that you play, I’ll tell you to come with me,” Smith said. “It’s very diverse. We take that opportunity to mix the music.”
‘Our New Day Begun’
While all the churches have an black majority, they attract a diverse congregation, including whites, Hispanics, Filipinos and Afro-Cubans. All the churches have inter-racial couples.
Bernice Rice, wife of the Rev. Rice of Mount Zion, said that her husband once considered a white member of the church for a deacon.
“We’re not prejudiced about who comes,” she said.
Several of her nine grandchildren are multi-racial.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Rice said. “Our church is for everybody — black white, green.”
A visiting evangelist told the congregation that “church is for sick people,” she recalled. “He said, sinners, if they keep coming, they’ll change their ways.”
Once visitors experience the warmth of the churches, they are bound to stay.
“We have a fellowship period where we stop the service and you get to go meet whoever you don’t know,” Smith said. “Everybody knows everyone. We’re very family oriented.”
Being family oriented is also the case at Rising Star, which explains the two churches’ recent growth spurt. On a recent Sunday, the children of Rising Star were reminded to pray before the TAKS test.
“Repeat after me,” said Rev. McDowell, arming the children with the 23rd Psalm. “’The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ That’s it.”
‘We Pray’
The churches also attribute their survival and growth to prayer, as McDowell reminded the congregation on a recent Sunday in a sermon titled “No Problem. Pray.”
“Who brought you out when you were broke? God.” he said. “Who brought you out when you were sick? God. In a situation when some of us had to make a choice between putting gas in the car or food on the table, who brought them out? God did.”
Afterwards Norma García shared how prayer got her through when she was fired from one job only to be offered another at higher pay.
The church pastors are known for more than preaching. They visit the sick and elderly — whom they hold in deep regard. They will even preach at funerals for members who have not stepped foot in church in years. The pastors work full-time at other jobs, receiving financial offerings only on occasion.
‘Let Us March On’
The association meets annually to decide leadership and, most importantly, whether respective churches will continue their memberships. Despite their bond, individual churches must struggle to survive, and new members are what keep the churches active — a fact not lost on Bernice Rice.
She sees the future of Mount Zion in the number of children in the church. Her six kids are grown and gone. Presently there is only one child in the church, a boy.
“We don’t care what color they are,” Rice said, offering an invitation for fellowship. “Anybody wants to come to our church, they’re welcome. We need you over here. We’ve been praying for the Lord to send us more people. You want to come, come.”
“And we’re looking for a pianist,” she reminded.
After McDowell’s sermon, his wife, Jan, again caresses the keys to the tune of “I Shall Wear A Crown” before the congregations takes to the center aisle for a final prayer of dismissal.
McDowell, a school counselor, stands at the door, shaking hands, and — more often than not — giving hugs. Before leaving, Deacon West again slaps the pastor on the back before walking through the wooden doors and across the street to his house.
Next week, “if it be God’s will,” they’ll do it all over again.
© 2006 Valley Morning Star
