The Travelling Cokesburys Dwell in Beulah Land With Recording Project

Here's an article that's to run in an upcoming edition of THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER:

The idea sparked in the midst of a conversation between John Kilzer and me.  As he and I had come to know each other in recent years, we recognized a resonance in our spirits for the Church, music, and all things “theological,” from which the blessing of a friendship was blooming. Reflecting upon the differences between being a pastor in a rural setting and an urban setting, which both of us have been, I asked John what he noticed and what he thought those differences meant about the practice of ministry.

John shared how moved he was by the folks he had served in Crockett County and the sense of the Spirit they tapped into when they starting singing hymns from this little, brown hymnal.  He talked about how when they sang these hymns they reared back and gave it all they had.  It sounded to me a lot like what John Wesley meant in his rules for singing:

“Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.”

Recognizing that John was referring to The Cokesbury Hymnal, I started naming hymns and their number in the hymnal.  He seemed surprised that I knew it so well.  I told him that for many of us who grew up Methodist, the songs in this hymnal are as fertilizer tilled into the soil from which our faiths emerged.  And even now, when sadly, what style of hymn to sing can be contentious, be it from the forebears of our faith to the latest contemporary hit, singing these hymns, especially in a congregation, is a means of grace—an assuring thing. 

The thought of doing a project together quickly bubbled up.  We sought to do something that celebrated not only these hymns, but the congregations who sing their faith through them.  For me, it was an opportunity to remember well some of those churches I grew up in and honor their contribution to who I am.

And so, The Travelling Cokesburys were born.  The name?  Well, as it is with most things John and I do, there are multi-layers of meaning.  The rock-n-roll side of us tips a hat to the collaboration of musical giants known as The Travelling Wilburys. The United Methodist side of us knows that travelling and the itineracy go hand in hand.  The Cokesbury part is pretty obvious.  Other than that, we thought it sounded cool, which is always among primary importance when naming a band, so there you go. 

We spent most of the last half of 2010 recording the hymns in a collection we’ve titled, “A Church Singing Tonight.”  We tried to record it in such a way that we hope elicits a listener’s desire to jump in and sing along.  Several tracks have us singing multiple parts (hearing yourself sing lead, alto and bass at the same time is a little surreal), but there’s always at least one “open” part—one unsung.  We found that those with whom we shared the project in advance, without telling them what we’d done, tended to fill the open part with their voice, which is what we were after; to invite listeners to join “the Church singing” (or “sanging” depending on where you’re from).

“A Church Singing Tonight” is available on CD for $15ea.  It can be purchased at the Artisan Store at Saint John’s in Memphis and in the office of Covenant.  And yes, if you live in or near Huntingdon, Ann and Jerry Jeffords have a few copies, too!  For shipping details, contact us at thetravellingcokesburys@gmail.com.  Follow us on Facebook (The Travelling Cokesburys) and our blog www.thetravellingcokesburys.blogspot.com. 

All proceeds beyond expenses will go to ministries of justice and peace in The Memphis Annual Conference.

We hope you find it the blessing we did of producing it.  And if you like it enough, there’s plenty more from that little brown hymnal to be shared!