Scripture Reading and songs at George Floyd’s Funeral
By Bede
The home-going ceremony of Tuesday, June 9 for George Floyd’s funeral resonates the rich heritage of gospel music in the black church.
Over five hundred loved ones, community leaders and guests assembled at Fountain of Praise Church, Houston for the occasion.
They were present to remember a man whose demise instituted a movement. The program line-up for the service, including the final memorial before Floyd’s funeral witnessed some unforgettable events. Leaders of some charismatic black mega churches in Houston were in attendance.
In addition, national figures like Joe Biden and Al Sharpton offered their remarks through video and eulogy respectively.
Among the gospel musicians who performed were the likes of Kur Carr, Kim Burrell and Ne-Yo, the popular R&B artist. Their songs lifted the bereaved crowd through the event, lasting almost four hours.
Huge online presence at Floyd’s funeral
There were thousands of viewers watching online live stream from Fountain of Praise Church. The membership of the church is one of the largest of Southern Baptist churches in the state. Pastors Remus Wright and his wife Mia are close with Floyd’s cousin and extended their support to his family to host the funeral.
They started the service by reciting the opening lines from various psalms such as Psalm 121, 91, 34, 46 and 24. They highlighted God’s help and presence in time of tribulation.
Most of the crowd dressed in white rose to their feet and swayed as the Houston Ensemble rendered their songs. From the choir stand, the ten-person group spaced out for social distancing.
The service began with Adrae Crouch’s “The Blood Will Never Lose its Power”
“It soothes my doubts and calms my fears and it dries all my tears/ The blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power”
– Andrae Crouch
Tammy L. Kernodle, a musicologist at Miami University Ohio, has this to say about the music: “The music is very important in both meditating the grief and also leading people into the notion of celebration.”
Furthermore, Kernodle who is also the President of the society for American Music stated: “There is an arc that takes place emotionally but there’s also an arc that takes place musically.”