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Olde Tyme Religion
Strange Increase In Volume Of Congregational Singing Noted When Worship Leader Slips In Old Hymn
2023-07-19
[BEE] FULLERTON, CA — Members of a local church gathering took notice of a substantial increase in the volume of the congregational singing when the worship leader snuck in an old classic hymn during last Sunday morning's service.

"It seemed like they finally had something great to sing," said the worship leader, Luis Garcia. "After so many contemporary songs, tossing in an old hymn is like kicking praise and worship into hyperdrive. It's a night and day difference!"

After what had seemed to be a ho-hum time of worship during songs from modern creators Bethel, Hillsong, Elevation, and Chris Tomlin, Garcia dropped a hymn bomb out of nowhere with "It Is Well With My Soul." The vibe in the sanctuary immediately experienced a palpable shift, with congregants raising their hands in the air and weeping as they sang impassionedly to their Lord.

"You can only take so much of today's songs," said churchgoer Brad Armstrong. "Singing repurposed U2-style songs with endless bridges gets old after a while. When Luis busted out ’It Is Well With My Soul,' it was almost like the Spirit of God descended on the congregation. We were truly in awe of God and how great He is. If I didn't know better, I'd say there's a reason old hymns have stood the test of time for hundreds of years."

At publishing time, Garcia was considering the revolutionary idea of doing an all-hymn worship set, believing it could lead to an outpouring of worship greater than anything the church had ever experienced.
Posted by:Besoeker

#11  Or maybe these Corkers singing Parting Hand as the lockdown rolled in?
Posted by: Blinky Tojo9439   2023-07-19 23:59  

#10  Just some folks singing sacred harp (Bound for Canaan) on a rooftop in Tel Aviv.
Posted by: Blinky Tojo9439   2023-07-19 23:55  

#9  We talk about Mr. Wife as being tone dyslexic, SuperHose. He hears pitch — and both sounds and music in general — far more finely than I, but what comes out of his mouth is only in the general direction of the intended note. He loves music so much, it makes him really sad that he cannot participate fully.
Posted by: trailing wife   2023-07-19 21:45  

#8  In my church some of us call praise songs "7-11 songs." They have seven words, but you have to sing them eleven times.
Posted by: MW   2023-07-19 21:43  

#7  I open the hymnal and lip synch as a public service. I am not tone deaf. I guess I am tone mute? The Bethel stuff is fine when it is well done. Psalms sung well are also good. Sacred music of any sort is pleasing when done well.
Posted by: Super Hose   2023-07-19 20:09  

#6  I prefer Gospel:

No Hiding Place (Down here)

The Original Gospel Harmonettes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp6wwREjO6Q
Posted by: Sheba Thease8880   2023-07-19 19:39  

#5  I'm sure the church I last attended sings stuff like "Praise we now our ghey Syrian refugees."

But I'm not.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2023-07-19 13:31  

#4  It was once a competition:
It is well (women loud) It is well (men blasting) (All together, now hit it) It is well with my soul.
Followed by smiles all around. Hipster music and juvenile lyrics will not replace the old standards.
Posted by: Chaiger Henbane8193   2023-07-19 12:57  

#3  We still have hymnals in the pews that are full of oldies but goodies. Lyrics on the screen are no problem but those old hymnals should never be discarded. I mean, who knows, there might be a power outage but we could still sing.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2023-07-19 12:09  

#2  Lyrics are on the big screen just like Taylor Swift.
Posted by: Super Hose   2023-07-19 11:32  

#1  The big problem with the modern praise songs is that they change every week. There is no way to learn the lyrics or especially the tunes. So, though I want to sing along, I can't--because I don't know the lyrics (unless they're flashed on a jumbotron) or the tune (which is never flashed.)
Posted by: Tom   2023-07-19 11:04  

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