(RNS) — At Middle Church, a historic congregation in Manhattan’s East Village, hundreds gathered on Thursday evening (Feb. 26) for a two-hour “ICE Out, Sing-In” service, where prospective protesters were trained to “try to touch the hearts” of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as they confront them, said Middle Church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Jacqui Lewis.
The singalong, the second such service held at the church this month, included movement and testimony as well as song and honored one congregant’s husband who was absent because he’d been detained.
Two weeks ago, Middle Church hosted its first sing-in, drawing more than 1,000 people online and in person, with crowds spilling onto the street, according to Lewis.
Thursday’s service began with Middle Church’s Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir, followed by the Resistance Revival Chorus. The groups trained attendees on songs originating in the Civil Rights Movement as well as newer music written by activists in Minneapolis. Selections included the chorus of “Ella’s Song,” about civil rights activist Ella Baker, the Christian hymn “This Joy” and “All You Fascists Bound to Lose.”
At one point, the gospel choir led an original song in Spanish with lyrics that said: “You are not alone. Together we create liberation.”
The crowd included community members, churchgoers and activists, many of whom cried throughout the two-hour event. Nina Resnick, who has attended both sing-ins at Middle Church, though she is not a member, said she views singing as both therapeutic and communal. “I think almost physically, my heart is so open, and physically I feel so much tingling and alive,” Resnick said. “And I love singing anyway, but I think singing songs with meaning, with protest, about important aspects of life …