Raising Their Joyful Voices
Rose Marie Rimson-Brown leads the Fountain Church of God in Christ choir.
“Every time we walk through these doors, we think about how it used to be,” said Rose Marie Rimson-Brown on Sunday evening. “Amen!” came the response from several members of the Fountain Church of God in Christ.
Those doors now lead into the Fountain Street home of Tamara Real and Carl Rinne. The couple renovated the former church, which was originally built in 1907, and this is the fourth year they’ve held a holiday open house for neighbors and church members who used to worship there.
Rimson-Brown has especially strong ties to the building – her father, the late Rev. Booker T. Rimson Sr., was pastor of the church for more than 50 years. The congregation’s church is now located at 530 W. Stadium Blvd., with Superintendent Samuel L. Peppers as their pastor. You can hear the choir in person at their services: Sunday morning at 11:15 a.m., and Tuesday and Friday evenings at 7 p.m.
The Chronicle dropped by Sunday’s open house – it was our second time at that location, having covered an Obama fundraiser there in October. We wish we could provide an audio clip, but we hope these pictures capture some of the joyful vibe from the evening.
Samuel L. Peppers, pastor of the Fountain Church of God in Christ.
Teens from the Fountain COGIC take a turn in the spotlight.
Terrence Vick II and his father, Terrence Vick, an associate elder with the church. Vick played piano accompaniment for the choir on Sunday evening. His wife Niki is one of the directors for the choir, which has about 40 members.
Some of the men and boys who sang on Sunday.
Shadows of the choir reflected on the front window of the former church, facing Fountain Street.
Wish we’d been there…what a truly joyous event to celebrate the season!!! And a good reason to move into the neighborhood!
Merry Christmas to all….
Marguerite and Jim
Would have loved an audio clip! Great work by Tamara Real and Carl Rinne. Thanks for covering the story.