ChoirIntro

CONGREGATION

By Faye Lederman

In the west 30's of Oakland, the houses, cars and sidewalk blend into a
single gray strip. But each Sunday, the grayness lifts on 33rd near
Telegraph Avenue where the street overflows with double and triple parked
cars outside of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church, out of which climb
parishioners dressed in brightly colored suits. The heavy thumping of the
bass in the church's band, audible on the sidewalk outside, melds with the
harmonies of the choir once you enter the foyer. The singers, outfitted in
magenta robes, pass a portable microphone among themselves as they hover
above the congregation, keeping an eye on the cues of the choir director.

The building is modest: two stories with deep red carpeting on the stairs
and foyer. The sanctuary, where an overflowing Bible class meets on
Wednesdays, is airy, with red, blue and gold stained glass windows, white
wooden pews, and an elevated level where the pastor and choir preach and
sing respectively. There is a chilly basement where Thursday's feeding of
the homeless happens, and a balcony in the sanctuary where no one sits,
except the cameraman who videotapes the choir's weekly cable broadcast on
Sundays. This physical space, while inviting, is secondary to the spiritual
space it creates for the 150 worshippers who gather here each week.