What Wondrous Love: Folk Passion

Meridian Chorale

Palm Sunday
March, 24, 2002
4:30 PM
Old Church
Oxford, Georgia Directions

March 25, 7:30 PM
Druid Hills Baptist Church
Atlanta, GA - Corner of Ponce and Highland

The Passion of Christ has been central to the life experience of common southern people. Their love and empathy is well recorded in the heartfelt strains of their songs. Singing from their experience, this unique Passion service is built around folk hymns from the famous 19^th century The Sacred Harp tunebook, compiled in Georgia in 1844.

Southern Folk Passion was presented for tits first four years with the prophetic preaching of Fred Craddock. Recordings of this service with his preaching are available by clicking Folk Passion Recording.

With Rev. Craddock's retirement from this service in 1999, the Folk Passion Service changed character from a preaching service to a musical service based on readings from the Passion narrative. Renowned Georgia actress, Brenda Bynum, read the Passion story last year and will do so again in 2001. Woven through the narrative will be congregational singing of folk hymns from The Sacred Harp hymnal commenting on Christ's Passion, as well as original arrangements of folk hymns by Steven Darsey, sung by the Meridian Chorale. Thus, using folk materials, this service will be modeled on historic musical Passion settings similar to those of J.S. Bach.

Steven Darsey will lead the music. His Georgia heritage and graduate work on The Sacred Harp have engendered a deep love for this music and the people from whom it sprang.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

A free-will offering will be taken. Seating will be on a first come, first served basis. For information and directions, please call (404) 525-4722.


Gordon Boice	Old Church, Oxford, Georgia