Natalie Monique Potter, 22. Sings alto in the church choir. Gymnastics coach at Gold Star gymnastics in San Jose.

When I'm up there, I’m just singing for God. I try to take self out of it, and just sing all praises for Him. I’m not up there for show. I’m out there trying to witness to somebody else how good He’s been to me: you know depending on what the message is for the song.

The hardest part is like now, in rehearsal, when we’re trying to learn a new song, and people don’t focus, including myself sometimes. We get a little playful up there, and joke around and stuff, which makes it harder for the director, which makes it hard on us, because then if we’re supposed to be singing a song for a certain occasion, we don’t learn it when we’re supposed to. That--and then sometimes having to sing a lead. A little nervous. In rehearsal it’s not a problem, because I know all those people. But you know on Sunday morning it’s everybody else, and other people that may visit or whatever. I get really nervous, and I shouldn’t.

Sometimes people bring songs they want the choir to sing. Sometimes it may be something they actually want to lead, or the director hears it and she knows exactly who she wants to sing it, because she can pick up the voice. Or someone she wants to loosen up and bring them out to not be as shy. Because a lot of people are like: "No, no! I don’t want to do it!" And she’s like: "No, I want you to do it." Then eventually they’ll get up there and they’ll loosen up, so they’re not as nervous or as shy as they were, even in rehearsal.

We are very spirited. Whenever they’re announcing our pastor, we’re whooping and hollering and giving him the utmost respect. We like to have fun while we’re up there. We like to always do something different. You know our choir director always changes things up all the time. The most fun part is when she changes our rocks or our claps, or starts adding on different things we hadn’t gone over in rehearsal, and everybody’s on one accord and they pick up on the new change.

I make sure I set aside my fifteen minutes a day. Well, of course when I get up in the morning, I always pray. Before I go to bed I pray. But I always set out some personal time for God, whether it’s working on my Sunday school lesson or something that was reviewed in Bible study. Since I work late, I don’t get to come. My mom’s the church secretary, and she usually sends me everything.

I try and come down on the weekend on Saturday night, so I don’t have to drive that far. But if I am at home in San Jose, I'm probably rushing. You know: Hurry up, get up, make sure I pray first or whatever. If I didn’t set out my clothes for Sunday, then I’m really rushing, especially if I have to usher, because then I’m like: "Where’s my uniform?" Sometimes if I’m not on time, I do miss Sunday school, or I’ll get here in the middle of it. We have our own devotion, and then we go upstairs for devotion with the whole church and we stand in the aisles. It’s kind of like our praise team.

After the deacons pray and do their scripture, the praise team sings to get the congregation uplifted, because sometimes we have a lot of visitors, or you get people who look like they’re sleeping or they’re bored. You want to get them in the spirit of things. Then we always have fellowship--welcome people you don't usually see there. We have something called FRANdalism. On first Sunday you bring your friends, on second Sundays you bring your relatives, third Sundays you bring your associates, fourth Sunday you bring your neighbors. You know, to get everybody witnessing out to other people.

A lot of the members here I grew up with. Everybody knows my personality, so they know when something’s bothering me. Everyone always goes: "I know something’s not right with you. Come talk to me." Because you can’t always go to Mom. Sometimes you need someone else to talk to. So there’s always somebody to talk to that helps me out.

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Natlie Potter