Weekend in Nashville

I flew to Nashville last week to visit my cousin and audition for a Southern Gospel Tribute group. I had a great time and except for flying through storms on the flight home, the trip went off without a hitch, praise God.

I absolutely loved Nashville and Murfreesboro (where the audition was). Cousin Chicken lives in a beautiful neighborhood, with historic homes, community parks and a lake around the corner. I could totally picture our family living there. It would be fantastic for my son to grow up running around the neighborhood with the Mayo chickadees. Bill could keep his boat on the lake and go fishing as much as he wants.

The cost of living in Nashville is a major draw as well. We could buy a house for half of what we still owe on this house! No state income tax. And the people are all so nice, even traffic is polite. The pace of life, slower. All very attractive reasons to consider moving there.

But...

Our Jersey roots are deep. And if we sell our house to move to Tennessee, there is no way we could ever afford to move back. The school systems in Tennessee is not anywhere close to what we have in Bergen County. Teacher's max pay is a mere fraction of what Bill is already making. Plus, Bill is a year away from being vested in his pension and, despite the uncertainty of the NJ Teacher's Pension fund, we can't walk away from something he has worked so hard for.

Another deterrent is the group isn't as ready to hit the road as it sounded. There's some information I wasn't able to verify in fact checking the group that left me uncomfortable. And, most of all, the group sings to pre-recorded tracks. While I understand tracks are easier to transport than musicians, I have never liked using tracks instead of live musicians.

So, instead of moving to Tennessee and joining the Renaissance Revival group, I am hoping to put something similar together here. A Southern Gospel group of singers and musicians to perform in our neighborhood, like at the Christian Health Care Center or other similar places.

Ideally, I would like at least 4 or 5 other singers for harmonies, a piano player, bass, guitar and some type of percussion or drums. If anyone is interested in joining me, or have any song requests, please email me at RKAbma@gmail.com.

The Old Stone Church

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of singing at the Old Stone Church in Upper Saddle River. The church was built sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s and attending service there is a real throw back to the olden days.

The first thing to note is how beautiful and well preserved the church building is from the outside with thick stone walls, enormous arched windows and a classic steeple. Inside, the church is even more beautiful, with red carpets and cushions, white pews and polished wood, and a wrap-around balcony where the choir sits.

The centerpiece of the sanctuary is a raised pulpit where the pastor climbs up a spiral staircase to read the Bible. The reason it is raised is because the Word of God should be elevated above all else.

Unlike most churches today, there is no amplification system and no projection screen. Prayers and announcements are posted in the bulletin. Songs are sung out of hymnals. As a singer, I couldn't ask for better acoustics. And as a worshipper, it was nice to not be distracted by the technological bells and whistles.

The congregation of the church is as beautiful as its architecture. Though small in numbers and getting up there in years, the people are warm and friendly (without being overbearing). After the service, I was invited out to breakfast at a local diner with more than half of the people who were in the service — something they do every Sunday. And since it was a communion Sunday, the pastor and an elder left early to bring communion to shut-ins.

I can't say enough nice things about the Old Stone Church in Upper Saddle River. If you are in the area on a Sunday morning, I highly recommend checking it out.