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During the early 1950's I attended a little country church named Goodsprings Church of God. Goodsprings was the name of the small town. It didn’t even have a traffic light. Two Sunday morning worship services here stuck in my memory. I was about ten years old at the time.
Before congregational singing and preaching, Pastor Key always invited the younger kids to come up front if they had a song to sing.
My younger sister, age 6, sang “This Little Light of Mine”. He complimented her efforts and thanked her.
She did good for a slightly shy little girl.
Next, his own daughter, about eight years old, sang a song from the church hymnal. He complimented her, and she sat back down front.
Finally, a little tomboyish girl with reddish-brown bobbed hair made her way up front. All the other girls had long hair, including myself. This girl’s name was Ann. She was eight years old.
“What would you like to do?” Pastor Key asked Ann.
“Sing” she replied.
“Well, go ahead, if you are ready.” he told her.
As Ann began her song, a flood of smiles spread across the congregation. Even the kids were smiling.
With all her heart and soul, Ann was singing “Mule Train”!
To those of you who are too young too remember, this was the theme song for a T.V. western series. And Ann was really belting it out!
When she finished her song, Pastor Key said, “Ann, you have a powerful voice. You did very good. Thank you.”
Ann beamed with pride.
Some of you readers may be smiling by now, but there’s still more!
The very next Sunday Ann was back in church, and back up front. She had a new song to sing.
This time she bellowed out the song, “Rawhide.”! Again, another loud theme song from a T.V. western series! But this time, she really got with it.
She raised her arm, came down fast and furious as if popping a whip, with wrist motion and all! Each time, she voiced terrific sound effects, and raised her leg slightly as if she really was putting “A whipping on”! Then came the cattle calls!
We kids were “having a ball” with her performance, so she got even more dramatic and louder with each slash of the whip.!
When she finished her performance, Pastor Key, once again, quietly said, “Ann, you have a terrific singing voice. Thank you.”
She beamed again with pride and returned to her seat.
Not once did Pastor Key interrupt her, nor tell it that it was inappropriate.
I just imagine that God must have been smiling with the congregation in love as Ann gave the performance of her life, to do her part in the worship service. And Pastor Key seemed to preach a livelier sermon that day!
Just maybe that’s what the little church needed. God seemed to allow it to happen through the innocence of a little girl with a booming voice.
Someone must have “put a bug in her ear” though for she started to sing more appropriate spiritual songs. But she boomed those out too!
Through the years I ‘ve lost track of Ann, but I hope she’s in a church somewhere still belting out those songs and honing her God-gifted talent.
Bless you, Ann, wherever you are, for just being yourself, and “making our day” those Sunday mornings many years ago. And for giving everyone who was there, a church service memory to cherish for a lifetime...and for lifting our spirits in the process...
Copyright 2004 Martha J. Currington
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