23: Take Me to the Water
The congregation gathers on the banks of the river to be baptized. An audio fiction based on Baptism Study by Benny Andrews.
Content Warning: There are sound effects simulating being underwater.
Baptism Study, Benny Andrews, 1994, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 2000.5.
Notes
The Art:
This episode was inspired by Benny Andrew’s Baptism Study at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sources:
This episode drew inspiration from a number of people talking about their experience with baptism and river baptism on YouTube, including Dr. Rev Bracey Jr, Maranatha Tours, and Neffy Anderson. As well we watched baptisms performed at Jerusalem Baptist Church in Jarratt, Virginia and New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. We also drew inspiration from the experience of George Frizzell talked about in this interview with Smokey Mountain Living. Finally, the words of the preacher were transcribed from Rev. J.M. Gates’ recording of Baptize Me.
Support:
Visit AGTrapHaus to bring their art into your home today.
Credits:
The episode was written and sound designed by T.H. Ponders and produced by Keisha TK Dutes. The musical director was Jeanette Berry. Our recording engineer was Conscious Walker.
This episode features Jeanette Berry as the Young Person, Steven Strickland as the Reverend, Yhane Smith as the Older Person, and Mel Flannery, Jason Randall Smith, Noonie Greene, Conscious Walker, Keisha TK Dutes, and T.H. Ponders as the Congregation.
The shows theme music is played by Mike Harmon, with recording and production by Casey Dawson. This episode features music by Blue Dot Sessions. Our season two art was made by the incomparable V Silverman. Accession is produced by T.H. Ponders and Ana O’Daniel. Our executive producers for this season are Charles Gustine and James Oliva.
Show
Welcome to Accession. Today, we're at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana. Now normally this is the part where I would guide you through the twists and turns of the museum so you were standing right in front of the piece ready to go but... full confession here- I don't actually remember where in the museum it is. We saw hundreds of thousands of works of art on this road trip this summer and I can tell you the location of each and every one of them. But somehow this one escapes me. So instead, I recommend that as you enter the museum, you take a minute to say hi to the fine folks at the desk on your left. Tell them you're here to listen to a podcast, and you're looking for Ogden Museum of Southern Art accession number 2000.5 Benny Andrews' Baptism Study.
We start with the sounds of the water, a river flowing, and gentle splashes, as the Reverend enters the river. He pauses, and then he sings the first chorus of Wade in the Water.
Reverend: Wade in the water,
Wade in the water children,
Wade in the water,
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Quartet: Wade in the water,
Wade in the water children,
Wade in the water,
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Reverend: Jordan’s river is deep and wide
Quartet: God’s gonna trouble the water.
Reverend: Meet my brothers on the other side
Quartet: God’s gonna trouble the water.
The whole choir joins in.
Choir: Wade in the water,
Wade in the water children,
Wade in the water,
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Wade in the water,
Wade in the water children,
Wade in the water,
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Choir drops to a hum on the last chord.
Young Person: I hold tight to my momma’s hand as we walk, slowly, step by step to the edge of the water, my white gown catching the breeze off the river's edge. Despite the bright sun and the heat of the day, the moment my toes touch the water, I feel a chill run all the way up my spine. How could the Reverend wade out there with not so much as a flinch?
The choir drops out.
Young Person: My momma lets go of my hand, I step into the river, and the mud of the river bed reaches out to take my feet. I feel the squishing between my toes. The mud is smooth, even soft, but imperfect. A pebble, a rock, a branch, a weed; the river bed is smooth but imperfect, and so am I. With the shock of the cold water, the world turns white around me. It’s me, the reverend, the water, and the sun above. I wade towards the Reverend, his eyes closed, looking towards the sky, his arms raised high. As if he knows, his eyes open as soon as I reach him, his eyes open, he smiles at me, and reaches out to place his hands on my shoulder and turns me around.
Reverend: (with the congregation ad-libbing church responses between lines)
My beloved bretheren, and sisters, and friends-
We are down here on the banks of this Jordan this morning,
Symbolizin’ the death and the resurrection,
Here in the presence of god
And all the holy angels.
And these witness.
In water I believe a child of God is born again.
I said in water I believe a child of God is born again
To be baptized,
Clothed in water
Out of sight
And then brought back in sight.
It is as much natural
For a little duck to desire water
As it is for man
To desire water.
The reverend leads the choir into song.
Choir: Oh Take me to the water,
Take me to the water,
Take me to the water,
To be baptized!
Reverend: (Back to call and response)
Oh beyond!
To the commandments
I baptize you my sister
On the confession of your sins
In the name of the father
And of the son
And of the holy ghost
I said…
Choir: None but the righteous,
None but the righteous,
None but the righteous
Shall see god!
Oh Take me to the water,
Take me to the water,
Take me to the water,
To be baptized!
Choir drops into a hum.
Young Person: I feel his hand raise high above my head, and the other come around in front of me.
Reverend: Are you ready?
Young Person: Before I have time to answer…Breath.
Splash. We hear the choir on the bank from under the water.
Young Person: I feel him hold me underwater for what feels like forever. I feel my feet kick up out of the mud, and what few clumps stick wash off in the flowing water. I hear the rush of water pass my ears and the congregation singing on the bank. I see the bright light of the sun coming through the river water and my closed eyelids. I feel weightless. I feel clean. I feel healed. And it feels like forever before the hand behind me pushes me upward.
Splash. Choir drops out.
Choir: How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God.
Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God.
Choir drops down to a hum.
Older Person: How great. How great. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I made a promise that day, to myself, to my God, to let the river guide me, carve me by it’s will, and clean me all the while. I think that day, I still was a bit afraid. I thought that I might drown in the river. But it did just the opposite. It saved me. And now I’ve been by these waters, seen so many go into these waters- it’s just a marvelous thing. The river is here for all- any who wish to go down to it, to wade into those waters, to make the promise we all made. And there is always a river. Flowing water. Life. How great. How great.
Choir: Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God.
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God.