‘Let Everything That Hath Breath Praise the Lord!’

“Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!”

These words sang out across the Mississippi Gulf Coast in sanctuaries, chapels, hallways, courtyards, and streets as the Southern Staff Songsters (SSS) offered their voices to God in worship. Over the weekend of October 16-19, members of The Salvation Army Southern Territory’s premiere choir gathered from all corners of the southeastern United States to blend their voices for God’s glory and to testify of His goodness to all who would hear.

Major Paul Egan, area commander and senior Kroc Center officer for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Area Command, welcomed the group with a good dose of southern hospitality and settled them into the MS Gulf Coast Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center (Kroc Center) for rehearsals. As they practiced their music under the direction of Songster Leader Robert Snelson, territorial worship arts publications director, the group’s harmonies drifted through the hallways, filling the space while the Kroc Center continued with daily activities and services. Many community members returning from the aquatics center or heading into the gym for their weekly exercise classes paused and lingered, witnessing words of life, praise, and scripture through song.

Major Egan received many comments on the musical excellence and expertise of the group during their rehearsals. He especially enjoyed opening the doors as classes in the building changed and seeing the looks on people’s faces as they witnessed the music. He even shares that “Because of the visit, one person who has been on staff for years came to our worship service for the first time!”

On Friday afternoon, the group travelled just around the corner from the Kroc Center to visit the neighboring First Missionary Baptist Church. The SSS was blessed to follow the Baptist choir’s weekly rehearsal with a short concert, the host choir adding their heavenly voices to the tunes of “Nothing but the Blood” and “Total Praise.” In addition to thanking them for allowing this afternoon of joint worship, Major Egan thanked Reverend Eric Dickey, the church’s pastor, and Reverend Kordell Sims from St. Paul United Methodist Church, both of whom are current Salvation Army advisory board members, for their partnership in serving the community.

On Saturday morning, the SSS set up for an outdoor concert in the courtyard of the Villa Maria Retirement Apartments in nearby Ocean Springs. Despite traffic noise, heavy winds, and even scattered showers, the songsters lifted their voices, encouraging all residents and passersby with songs of praise.

A gentleman from the apartments silently wept as the SSS sang a modern retelling of the Sunday school hymn, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and a setting of John 3:16 entitled “God So Loved the World.” He later explained to Lt. Colonel Allan Hofer, territorial secretary for program and executive officer for the SSS, that he had only recently gone back to church with his son after not attending for years. Hearing the gospel message in such a moving way helped him realize what he had been ignoring for so long — that God loved him and had never let him go.

The Kroc Center hosted a full concert that evening, families coming from surrounding area corps and the Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi (ALM) Divisional Headquarters to join Kroc Corps members and the songsters in fellowship and a night of worship. The chapel reverberated as attendees were invited to stand and join in singing a praise and worship medley including “Holy Forever,” “We Fall Down,” and “Give Thanks.” The group concluded their night of worship with a setting of Psalm 150, proclaiming “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!”

On Sunday morning, the songsters brought all into a praise mindset, opening the holiness service with a corps favorite, “Goodness of God.” Lt. Colonel Hofer brought the morning message, imploring Salvationists to cry out for God’s presence in our lives, making Him preeminent in all that we do. Teaching the congregation a new song, all present sang of “A Future Filled with Hope,” knowing that we can have joy and peace, despite sorrow and suffering, through God’s boundless grace.

Major Egan shares that this weekend brought many new and beautiful opportunities for ministry, even within his own corps building: “Experiencing the love and support of divisional officers who went out of their way to support our programs; watching the songsters take time to speak with individuals who needed encouragement or a friend; praying for an old friend and reinforcing the message that she has a promised future filled with hope; and happy conversations with individuals who had never attended a worship service in our building before.”

Worshipping God and sharing the message of His goodness and greatness with the world through song is the Southern Staff Songsters’ purpose. But God takes even the small moments in between and multiplies them for His glory. Praise the Lord!