Genesis Sunday

Conference Weekend. Don't you just love it?

A friend of our family spent conference with us yesterday and invited us to a fireside in Salt Lake in which he was participating. He is in a group called R.O.C. (which stands for "Remembering Our Culture"). Both my sister, Andrea and I were part of this group a few years back! Immediately, I got kind of a bad taste in my mouth- Andrea and I left because of some unfairness we felt in the group. Anyway, Joshua asked us to please go with him to the fireside because it was going to be a special fireside. This was going to be in Salt Lake with a congregation known as the Genesis Congregation which basically is a group for "colored" LDS people. I've heard in the past that Genesis is a lot of fun to be a part of so I decided I'd go. I really didn't know what to expect- like, I didn't know if I was about to attend a Baptist congregation or something I wasn't used to.. and I was partly right. ... I definitely wasn't used to this. 

We finally found our way to the church and sat in the congregation. The chapel filled and ROC began to sing. Although the music was nice (and just as I'd left it), it wasn't the music that made my evening great. The evening was filled with gospel style LDS music and even some real gospel music.. Yes. And that came with clapping, standing, dancing, and a number of hallelujah's and amens. Like I mentioned before, I was not used to seeing such behavior in a chapel.. Then again - I've never seen so many Black people in one room! It was really really fun. Andrea felt a little bit uncomfortable getting into the swaying and the clapping but I felt right at home. I think I really needed to feel the spirit that way. I can't really describe the way it feels other than, the music is so wonderful, and loud and everyone is singing almost like it was their way of offering praise for the Lord. It just filled me and made my heart swell.. (I hope I did an adequate job at describing that feeling.. It only happens with music)

At one part of the meeting, a gentleman got up and sang "Amazing Grace" in the most beautiful way I've ever heard it sung. It wasn't full of technical runs or high notes.. It was just sung in the way he knew best and the congregation hummed along in the verses and sang the words they knew during the chorus. It was really very touching. 

And my favorite part of this particular fireside was a lady who'd just recently moved from Alabama who called herself Sister Dee. She is also a recent convert to the LDS faith from being a deep south Baptist! She talked about how "at home" she felt with the music and the spirit and also her conversion story. She shared her story about growing up- Sister Dee actually had the privilege of knowing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. AMAZING. And she told of the marches she'd participated in and hearing the "I Have A Dream" Speech at Washington D.C. and also how Dr. King told them to be peaceful and to overcome. I was amazed at her experiences and her testimony of faith (Not to mention, she wore the coolest hat). I can't say enough about that amazing piece of history that she shared with us. 

The evening ended with one of my favorite songs by ROC called "My Life Is In Your Hands" (Listen to the song, here.) No matter the bitterness I feel sometimes toward my experience in ROC, I nearly ALWAYS am brought to tears by this song when I hear it sung in a fireside. 

Wow, this is a very long entry.. Sorry.... 

Anyway, I was so glad to have gone and been part of Genesis for one night. I had a marvelous time.

Sister Dee also recalled singing "We Shall Overcome" while marching with Dr. King.