A WEEKLY COLUMN ON MUSIC MINISTRY
Sunday, May 24, 2026 • New Light Baptist Church
When Amazing Grace Doesn’t Fit
Reading the room when the Spirit moves the program in a new direction.
By Robert Wright | Minister of Music, New Light Baptist Church
THE PROGRAM called for Amazing Grace as the hymn of preparation before Rev. Vance Price brought the morning message. But the spirit in the building that Sunday at New Light Baptist Church was already intense — praise and magnification had carried the entire service. When the moment arrived, I leaned in to the minister in charge and proposed a change. He nodded. Proceed.
I began singing Elevation Worship’s “Trust in God.” And like an anthem at a concert, the choir came in with hands lifted — and it seemed the whole room already knew the song. It spoke to them. “I trust in God, my Savior, the One who never fails.” The timing was right. The song landed exactly where Rev. Price needed to step into the text, and he was on fire from the moment he opened his mouth.
Sometimes the minister of music has to know when to stick to the printed program — and when to read the room and make a necessary adjustment. The preacher does it all the time. We’ve all heard him say, “I was going to preach a certain sermon, but the Spirit told me to go another direction.” The minister of music has to be willing to follow that same lead. The program is a guide, not a cage. When the Spirit is already doing something in the room, our job is to recognize it and serve it — not override it with whatever was printed Friday afternoon.
Amazing Grace is one of the great hymns of the faith, and it has its rightful place. But on May 24, the congregation didn’t need to be eased in. They were already there. Trust in God met them where they were standing.
“The program is a guide, not a cage.”
FROM THE CHOIR STAND
Songs for When the Room Is Already There
| “Trust in God” | Elevation Worship | The Sunday call — declaration, anthem, full-room song. |
| “I Believe” | James Cleveland | Quartet-tradition conviction; lets a fired-up house keep climbing. |
| “I Believe in You and Me” | The Four Tops / gospel adaptations | When the room needs a personal anchor. |
| “We Fall Down” | Donnie McClurkin | If the praise needs to land in reverence before the Word. |
| “He’s Able” | Deitrick Haddon | Confidence in God’s power — pairs with a strong preaching moment. |
| “My Worship” | Phil Thompson | When the magnification in the room is the whole point. |
THE CHOIR STAND PULPIT • By Robert Wright • Minister of Music, New Light Baptist Church
May 24, 2026 | Sunday Morning Worship
