COLUMN: Ministering through movement
When most people think about religion or church they usually depict it the same way. A person, whether it’s the pastor, minister, deacon, reverend or priest, standing in front relaying a message to the congregation. However, word of mouth is not the only way to practice religion.
Praise dance is another form of ministry, usually done by women, which some churches do on the first Sunday of each month. A soundtrack, usually gospel, plays in the background while dancers' movements closely mimic the message of the song.
It’s powerful and beautiful all in one. When I was younger my mom took my sister and me on the praise dance team at our church. To me it was just a good time. I got to prance and twirl around in the cute skirts my mom made for all of us. I didn’t feel as though I was ministering, I was just going through the motions.
After attending Faith Church here in Mount Pleasant, praise dance holds a much deeper meaning. Without saying anything at all these women deliver such a profound message just with a striking wave of their bodies. They embody the message of the song and they bare their hearts and souls. It’s as if the message from the song is ringing through their bodies straight to our eyes and ears.
Another form of ministry that I’ve heard about but haven’t seen until I got to CMU is miming. It’s along the same lines as praise dancing where a song plays in the background and a person relays the message through movements and gestures.
If you thought regular miming was cool this takes it to another level because it’s far more energetic and there’s also emotion connected to it. When I think "mime" I think of a solid and emotionless performer, but when ministering through mime you feel every movement. The movements are fluid and they actually tell a story.
I have never mimed but I attended Christ Central Choir’s (a gospel choir on CMU’s campus) winter concert where I first saw one of their member’s mime. It was cool to see him minister the message of the song in such a unique way. The gestures shot out of him as if every time he moved, he spoke. The message would resonate with you because every time he reached out he’d pull you in.
These are not the only ways in which someone can minister; ministry meaning service or to provide service. People can also minister through music whether it’s playing an instrument or singing a song. Different religions may call it different things and may also practice different things but, the sole purpose is to serve and to teach.
