Brooklyn's Black church choirs persist amid attendance decline, gentrification

NEW YORK (RNS) — On Sunday mornings in Brooklyn, nicknamed the borough of churches, the muffled sounds of choir singers, hand‑claps and Hammond organs can be heard from the sidewalks. The borough still has a church on nearly every block, but over the years, the number of people in the pews has thinned.

Many church choirs in the heart of Brooklyn, however, have kept singing — despite boasting fewer singers than in years past as neighborhoods face gentrification and organized religious affiliation decreases.

Standing in front of the gospel choir at Concord Baptist Church of Christ in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Jessica Howard, 25, led the gospel standard “God Is” on a Sunday in July. Dressed in a powder-pink floral dress, she called out lines naming God as “joy in sorrow” and “strength for tomorrow.” Some choir members wiped away tears as the song stoked emotions from around the room.'

As a Black Christian person, as a descendant of slaves, I think when I sing, I feel really connected to my ancestors,” said Howard, who grew up in Virginia and now sings as a soloist at Concord, where she’s been a congregant for six years. “I really feel sometimes like it’s not just me singing, it’s my lineage singing.”

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