Shirley Frazier

Right before attending college I joined a faith group at school and they were like nothing I had ever experienced before. They were Baptist and very spiritual. The songs they were singing, the way that they praised God—it was like nothing I had ever seen before in my entire life. 

And so to be with them, to hear them and why they loved God, it just opened up a whole other book for me, a whole other world. To feel so deeply, and to show it, and to say it, and to shout it was like somebody opened a door and all this light came in.

It was a hard rule in our home that we did not go to any church other than the Catholic Church. We were not to even ask. It was a rule and it was a practice. I remember saying to my friends, “It’s not you, but my dad’s not going to let me come to your church. I don’t care what church it is, he’s not going to let me come.”

One day, we were sent home early from school. My friend, who at the time was a member of the choir, and my other friends asked, “Why don’t you come to my church? My mom’s going to pick us up, and we can take you home, and you can stop by my church and see my church because it’s on the way home.” And I said, “OK.” .

When I walked into that church, the choir was practicing. A woman named Angela played the piano, and suddenly the choir opened up this world of faith for me. They expressed their love in such a different way, and I had to know why and how The songs they sang, the way they expressed their love for Him was exciting. I loved it. I did. I thought it was the most amazing thing to want to sing about God, to God, for God, in this way, in the gospel, the Baptist gospel way. I wanted to learn about it. I wanted to know about it. I never stopped believing. I’d never before had exposure to this way of expressing my love for Him.

My father said, “If you go, just don’t participate or sign anything. Don’t....” That was just how he reinforced his rules. 

I said, “No dad. Daddy, no. You know I’m not…I’m just listening. I’m just listening, OK?” 

“But don’t sign anything. You don’t join. Don’t say anything about joining. You have a church home. That is where you are from. Don’t ever forget who you are. Just don’t.”

“OK,” I said. “That’s fine.”