Bringing Hip-Hop to the Church in the Bronx

After the Rev. Timothy Holder, saw Tupac Shakur’s movie, “Resurrection,” he was perturbed by Tupac’s alarming question “Who will speak for the thugs?” This cry hit home on March 13, 2004, when Trinity Church, an urban church located in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, became entrenched in the middle of a in a six-hour standoff. As Adam, a distraught grandson held his 85 year old grandmother captive at gunpoint in an apartment building next to the church, Fr. Holder realized the church needed to find a way to reach out to all the Adams out there that are wondering about the future, looking for hope, wanting to believe in love, desperate to see a little life.

Under Fr. Holder’s direction, a group of Bronx clergy and laity began meeting on Fridays to discuss their concerns that the church cannot discard two generations of youth. This group included the Rev. Martha Overall, Priest-in-charge, St. Ann’s in the South Bronx, the Rev. Howard Blunt, Associate at Trinity, Morrisania and Rev. Tom Mercer, Rector, St. Paul’s in the South Bronx with the Rev. Lyndon Harris and the Rt. Rev. Catherine Roskam serving as spiritual advisors to this innovative ministry. Over two dozen Episcopal, Lutheran, Protestant and Roman Catholic clergy and lay leaders have joined in the development and celebration of bringing hip-hop masses to the South Bronx, the home of hip-hop.

Fr. Holder suggested that perhaps they should look at a hip-hop mass as a way to bring the altar to the street and speak to this community in their own language. The great prologue from the Gospel of John – “The Word was made flesh and dwelt in the hood” – represented the theme of their seven hip-hop masses held June 11-July 23rd. During these seven Friday evenings, Episcopalians and friends join in the celebration of God Hip-hop. God is wonder. God is beauty. God is Love. The congregation and the community come together to celebrate the real language, the real hope, and the real message of hip-hop.

The Master Mix and Master Missal, written, adapted and performed by Trinity Congregation members and others from the community, translated portions of the Book of Common Prayer into the language of hip-hop. Community members Ol School Sam and 21 Bones offered their services as DJs, while DeSean Wilson and Urban Ghetto Youth led the kids in dancing to the beat.

Trinity Church’s hip-hop masses, the first of its kind on the East Coast, kicked off on June 11, 2004 with The Rt. Rev. E. Don Taylor, Vicar Bishop of the Diocese of New York, giving his blessing as over a hundred participants danced in the streets, and residents from the 22 neighboring high rises jammed as they surveyed the vibrant scene from their windows. After the service, Bishop Taylor received some “bling-bling” in the form of a sterling silver cross necklace, and the crowd continued celebrating as they enjoyed a hot dog picnic.

Then on July, 2nd, the Rt. Rev. Catherine Roskam, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of New York, rapped to the beat at a special mass commemorating the founders of hip-hop. This event featured such luminaries as Kurtis Blow, the King of Rap; DJ Cool Clyde, True Pioneer of Rap; and Jeannine Otis, Rap Hall of Famer. Fr. Holder presented Bishop Roskam with a white hip-hop cross necklace, and she in turn presented these Old School Hip-hop greats with books of Common Prayer with their names embossed in gold. During her sermon, Bishop Roskam spoke about the positive message of hip-hop. “The best of the hip-hop tradition is love, pride and respect. Jesus taught us to love our enemies. We need to preach the whole word of Jesus, and that is to love everybody.”

Trinity Church expanded its hip-hop programming through offerings such as a Hip-hop Vacation Bible School, where children from the congregation and the surrounding neighborhood enjoyed a range of activities including hip-hop dancing, Psalm rapping, Beads not Bullets! (an activity where the children make rosaries and learn how to pray them), 3 on 3 basketball, double-dutch contest, and free food. Parishes throughout the Diocese of New York, as well as other Episcopal dioceses including Los Angeles, Alabama, and Connecticut have expressed an interest in Trinity Hip-hop Mass.

As Fr. Holder proclaims, “Our hopes and our goals are high for the Trinity hip-hop mass. We want to sing the ‘new song’ of Jesus Christ in the vernacular and language of our younger generations. Our celebrations are ecumenical and widely diverse. We hope that the Trinity hip-hop will serve as a model for other parishes and communities throughout the city and the church that we are evangelists both at the street and at the altar! We are proud to employ and celebrate local talent such as DJs, dancers, party organizers, and set designers. And through it all, we prosper and build the parish community of Trinity Bronx.”

For additional information about the hip-hop mass or to contribute to this vibrant ministry, email trinity.Bronx@verizon.net or call 718-542-1309.