Old Ship Of Zion (PITTS)

Pitt's Old Ship of Zion stirred up many emotions within me and took me back to my youth. Through Pitt's words, I was able to hear the sounds of worship I became accustomed to growing up in rural South Carolina on the Sea Islands. I was proud to see Pitt mention the Gullah tradition with respect to the ring shout in his writings.

Worship has always been a critical component of my life, even when I was not a participant but merely an observer. As a child, I watched closely as my elders would make movements that were combinations of dance and theatrics. The drama in their praise was at times comical and at other times mesmerizing. I was never afraid of it, but always curious and impressed with the way the "Holy Spirit" made those "old bones" in our congregation come alive when throughout the week they complained about their old friend "Arthur."

I can recall one Sunday, Sister White, at the age of 103, got up to give a testimony. Sister White walked with a walker. But on this Sunday, her niece had to walk close behind her because Sister White insisted on not using it. She took small steps, but her spirit was leaping with great energy and joy. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and she wanted to shout. The organist encouraged her. The missionaries praised God along with her, and the congregation and the Pastor provided the call and response when she spoke of how "God was good all the time" and how "All the time God was good."

It was an electrifying moment to see Sister White stand up and shout without her walker and give God all glory and praise for what in my eyes was a miracle. This has always been one of the most amazing memories I hold close to me from my childhood, and reading Old Ship of Zion brought those wave of memories back.

Pitts spoke of a trance and being possessed by the spirit. He spoke of the value of the Ring Shout and the value of the community in shaping these worship experiences. Those elements remain true today. Even now, the spirit of the ring shout lives on at funeral services or in churches that believe in allowing the "Holy Spirit to have its way."

The spirit of call and response is still alive and well, even in those more conservative churches that is quiet and still on Sunday mornings. They incorporate the call and response through liturgy and litany and selected hymnals. Even if the pastor does not get an Amen, they may get a head nod or some nonverbal affirmation that s/he is bringing the "Word" effectively.

Even today, there is still an elitist outlook towards being caught up in the spirit. I can recall many days when Sister McNeal would catch the "spirit." She would catch the spirit every Sunday and at every funeral service. People would mock her and say she was not real; but there were others who were known as being authentic and real. "You can tell her Spirit is real because she don't even know what happened," one person would say. Another would add, "That's true. You know Sister McNeal is faking it because she is always looking to her right to make sure the usher is there." Everyone would agree and then laugh at the idea of the usher allowing her to fall one good day to teach her a lesson.

Pitts was able to capture the brilliance and the heart of the black church and also demonstrated in the process that it is not just a lively choir, instruments, and a colorful preacher. Pitts recognized that the worship experience is rooted in the story of black folks, their African roots, their tenacity and audacity to survive and overcome their oppressive state, and their determination to keep whatever remnants they could find of their heritage intact. This survival mode created the songs, the rituals and gave the preacher the fiery and soul stirring message that speaks to the true spirit and soul of black folks.

Waltrina N. Middleton