Bibb County Christian Harmony Singing Convention

Old Pleasant Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Centreville, Bibb County, Alabama
Sunday, July 24, 2005

All selections from The Christian Harmony ('Alabama book', Deason-Parris revision, 2002 printing).

<Greetings, Art. Pardon the delayed report. Glad to know Donna Carol beat me to it. I'm doing my annotating trick here again with these minutes, putting my notes inside arrows <like this>.>

Singers started out by singing 110, Volunteers before organizing into a class.
Filling in for President Billy Thompson (on vacation) and Vice-President Jeff James (present, but with laryngitis), Tim Cook called the class to order leading 185, Corinth.

<We were blessed with surprise visitors again, but low on home folks. Jeff said he could sing but couldn't talk, so he asked me to do the talking. Read your last letter again, marveled at how great e-mail can be for seniors who can't go out so easily, and said we hope you can get to the Deason Reunion in October.>

Prayer offered by Harrison Creel.

<Yes, Harrison came again with Flarce and several of his kinfolks. Happy day!>

Leaders called as follows: 171, Sessions - Jeff James
59t, Mear - Jeff James
92, Promised Day - Ruth Wyers
264, Harwell - Ruth Wyers
123, Rapturous Scene - Danny Creel
255, Watchman (Second) - Danny Creel
51, Lonsdale - Mako Cook
30b, Dennis - Mako Cook
31t, Home - Donna Kornegay
128b, Ninety-Fifth - Donna Kornegay

<Donna brought a bunch of old Christian Harmony vinyl recordings that I understand you all recorded sometime in the 70s in Birmingham. Donald had kept them and Sue gave them all to Donna, who gave them all out at the singing. Donald had already given me one before he passed away so I didn't take one. The people who made the record must have been so hopeful about Christian Harmony. I hope they're not disappointed to see our humble efforts today.>

167b, Come Along - Sandy Scott
337b, To Die No More - Sandy Scott

<You probably don't recognize the name Sandy Scott. She's a Sacred Harp singer from Tennessee (originally from Kalamazoo, Mich., as I found out during the break) and I saw her the previous day at Elder J.L. Hopper's Sacred Harp singing in Eva, Alabama (Gum Pond). She said my letters to you motivated her to come to our Christian Harmony singing. (Oooh, the pressure's on to write something memorable now.) Apparently having done some homework beforehand, she wanted to sing things written by Christian Harmony singers. The first one, Come Along, was by John Hocutt, and the second one, To Die No More, was Donald's arrangement.>

338b, Davis - Mary Earnestine Thompson
289, Happy Land - Mary Earnestine Thompson
253, Is It Far? - Emily Creel.
149, A Good Time Coming - Emily Creel.

Recess.

Tim Cook reconvened the singing by leading 35b, Boylston and calling the following leaders: 210b, Contented Soldier - Ola Meadows
89, Northfield - Ola Meadows
184, Where We'll Never Grow Old - Teddy Creel
109, Not Made with Hands - Teddy Creel

<That's Harrison's nephew, who was also at Little Hope in June.>

359, Wondrous Love - Edie Richardson

<She's the daughter of Edith Tate (Harrison's sister), who was also there, but didn't lead. This was my first time to meet Edie.>

128t, Hester - Gary Smith
46t, The Hill of Zion - Gary Smith

<Gary and Sarah Beasley Smith came last year to Old Pleasant Hill too. They live in Bessemer and always have a big party for singers at their house on the second evening of the National Sacred Harp Convention in June. They like to support all kinds of singing. This time Sandy drove to their house and stayed with them and they all came together on Sunday. When Gary led The Hill Of Zion, he wanted us to pay attention to the second verse, which isn't in the Sacred Harp. It goes "The sorrows of the mind, Be banished from this place; Religion never was designed, To make our pleasures less." That's good because we had a real good time in that church on Sunday.>

239b, I Want to Be an Angel - Luke Smith
84, Homeland - Luke Smith

<When Luke showed up, he kindly relieved me of my pitching duties, which I've learned to do so-so, but not without thinking real hard about each song. Luke just has an instinct like Donald did about how to pitch songs. I always like when Donald's children are together because they'll start harmonizing to songs in their head during the breaks. I just wish Tish was there.>

129, Coronation - Robert DuPree
91, There is a Fountain - Robert DuPree
85, ?No such tune? - Sarah Smith.
Danny Creel offered the blessing on the noon meal.

Recess for dinner.

Tim Cook called singers to order leading 228, Pass Me Not and then called leaders as follows: 248, Twilight is Falling - Louise Crunk and Dawson Dockery
179, Traveling On - Louise Crunk and Dawson Dockery
180, The Sinless Summerland - Dawson Dockery
287, Indian Convert - Dawson Dockery
96, Mighty Love - Martha Sue Thompson
70b, Brown - Martha Sue Thompson
100, Tennessee - Harvey Dockery
289, Happy Land - Harvey Dockery
93, Something New - Harrison Creel
111t, Fleeting Days - Harrison Creel
117, Angel Band - Jeff James, for Tucker Medders
64, Youthful Blessings - Jeff James, for Tucker Medders

<Don't know if you know that name or not. Mr. Medders was sitting in the back and when I asked him if he wanted to lead, he requested that one of us lead Angel Band. As often as I've sung that song, when others asks us to sing it, it always moves me knowing that it means something to them.>

143, Farther Along - Sandy Scott
175, O How I Love Jesus - Tim Cook
38, God Is Our Refuge - Ruth Wyers, by request of Sandy Scott

<That's your song, God Is Our Refuge. Sandy really wanted to have us sing a song by you.>

172, The Grand Highway - Danny Creel
159b, Long Sought Home - Gary Smith
19, The Day of Days - Emily Creel.

Announcements were made.

<Miss Cugar (Louise Crunk) came with an older gentleman who introduced himself as Uncle Jack. He played the guitar, and could sing too, but declined to lead a song himself. At the end, just before announcements, he recited a poem of a patriotic nature from memory.>

Tim Cook led 59b, Dove of Peace as the closing song.
Prayer offered by Harvey Dockery.

Respectfully submitted by
Tim Cook

<Don't think I've been particularly erudite, but I hope you got a little flavor of our singing. We miss you. Tim>