Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' Used by Church Choir for Recruitment Drive (VIDEO)
The music minister at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., thought it would be an excellent idea to attract interest in the church choir by using a remix of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" and having choir members dance to the tune.
The Aug. 29 video, published on Geyer Springs First Baptist Church's website and on YouTube, features minister of music Jon Skelley commenting on how blessed he and his wife felt to join the church choir 10 years ago, and then to eventually have the opportunity to lead the choir.
"You know, being a part of this family, with the orchestra and choir has just been amazing," Skelley says in the three-minute video. "There's nothing that compares."
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Skelley continues, "When the choir's on on a Sunday morning during worship, the intensity just raises to a whole [other] level."
The minister of music then begins to describe what being a part of First Baptist's choir is like, but stalls, being at a loss for words. Skelley says it would be easier for him to simply sing how he feels.
At that point, Skelley snaps his fingers and the scene cuts to the music minister and four other men adorned in robes standing in a line across the screen.
The music for Beyonce's "Single Ladies" starts to play, but instead of the pop singer's lyrics, choir members are heard singing, "All the singing ladies, all the singing fellas..." and "If you like the choir, then won't you come and sing in it."
Skelley and male members of the choir sing and dance their way through the promotion clip, inviting interested church members to join the choir.
The video was posted on Youtube on Aug. 29 by Cyndi Wilkerson, Music Ministry Assistant at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church, with the title "Geyer Springs First Baptist Church Celebration Choir Singin' Fellas promo."
By Sept. 13, the promotion video had attracted nearly 2,900 views.
The track for the song was not a First Baptist original, according to Wilkerson. The choreography, however, as put together by a young woman in the choir, the music ministry assistant told The Christian Post.
Geyer Springs First Baptist Church produces an in-house promotion for the adult choir every September, Wilkerson said, adding that the video was received "really well" when it was played in church.
"The young people especially liked it," Wilkerson said.
Despite a few negative comments on YouTube, the video has essentially been a hit for Skelley and the choir, which has attracted about 10 to 12 new members since the promo was launched.
The Celebration Choir is comprised of adults, each bringing their spiritual gifts, abilities, heart, and passion to make our choir a unique body, according to First Baptist's website, which also notes that the choir's goal is to share the love of God.
In 2008, First Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Ark., released a video featuring the Senior Choir doing a rendition of various popular hip hop songs. A YouTube version of that video has attracted more than 800,000 views.
Geyer Springs First Baptist Church Celebration Choir Singin' Fellas:
