I'm Still Singing: A history of a singer turned preacher after 60 years

by Barbara Ward Farmer

Overview

“I’m Still Singing” is Pastor Farmer’s life journey in the Gospel singing world since the age of 4. At age 63, she denotes her beginning experiences from her school, radio, composing and arranging,recording, and teaching days in a field that has seen its ups and downs. You will enjoy her consistency in singing Gospel even when financially it was not popular. She maps out for every reader that her musical journey had a path of its own before the age of 11 years old from singing simply because she could until she had an encounter with Jesus Christ, before she was 12 years old, that not only changed her singing style, but also her understanding of life’s purpose and meaning, which kept her singing even when the “song” and the music changed from a gospel singer to a gospel preacher,in the key of B natural---born again!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496933423
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Publication date:	08/19/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	1 MB

Read an Excerpt

I'm Still Singing

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By Barbara Ward Farmer

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2014 Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4969-3344-7

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CHAPTER 1

"The Sound of Music"

Often, it is said that music is a universal language. For me, that means that music is understood in all seven continents of the world, in all of the thousands of capitals of the world, in all one hundred and ninety-three countries of the world, and in every hamlet and village of the earth. Although words are different from language to language and dialect to dialect, the universal connection that music has that connects us to it and leads us to like or dislike it is the 'sound.' According to the Infoplease English Dictionary, sound is:

1. The sensation produced by stimulation of the hearing organs by the vibrations transmitted through the air or other medium,

2. The particular auditory sound of music,

3. Any auditory effect – any audible vibrational disturbance; and

4. A noise, vocal utterance, musical tone or the like.

I am told that from an early age, I had an awareness of sounds and a sensitive ear to them all like every day noises: a baby's cry, a passing truck, a whispering willow, a barking dog, a clanking noise, a flying plane; musical instruments: i.e., a piano, organ, violin, flute, harmonica, harp, drums, cello, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tambourine, guitar, bass guitar, and the piccolo. And, to the volume of sound: loud, soft, long, sustained, staccato, crescendos, decrescendos; and sound pitch: high, low, sharp, and flat. When I was growing up, all of these sounds were known to me simply as 'vibrations' that were foreign to my everyday common ear.

'Sounds of My Youth'

Most children respond to loud noises, sudden noises, and conversely, to sounds that calm them like the sound of a lullaby. Grade school sounds of 'Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star,' 'Bah-Bah Black Sheep Have You Any Wool,' and 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat,' were songs that I heard sung repeatedly as a child, and now the sound of these songs still have meaning even today. For me, these early 'sounds of music' had a special meaning – I simply loved them all!!!

Another sound that had special meaning to me growing up in the 1950's was the patriotic songs like: 'This Is My Country!' 'My Country Tis Of Thee,' 'America the Beautiful,' and of course, Francis Scott Keys', 'Star Spangled Banner.' The 50's were the times of the Cold War coming out of the Second World War in Europe, and all the propaganda was geared toward love of country, love of family, and love of freedom. In the Wards' household in South Philadelphia, among the poor 'colored' or 'Negro' population (that's what we were called in the 1950's) sounds of school and church were all that we knew.

'The Early Church Sound'

As a child of the 50's, my mother took us to her father's church in Philadelphia on Grays Ferry Ave., across from an area called "The Roads." My maternal grandfather, Bishop Joseph Daniel McDougald was a man relatively short in stature, dark-skinned, hefty, and a fireball of a preacher who not only preached and taught hard, but I remember him playing what is now called the "stride piano." The sound of church for me at age 7 or 8 was that of an upright, out-of-tune piano (I know this now, but I didn't know it then), and a bass drum that was beaten with a stick with some kind of ball at the tip of it that was used for good emphasis in the service to bring on the praise! And then there was someone who played or beat a washboard with a spoon or a bent up wire hanger that ran the demons and devils right on out of you during a high service of deliverance.

While I remember my mother singing in what we at the time called the "Devotional and Testimony" portion of the worship experience, my Dad also displayed musical ability with the 'church sound' that still resonates in me today. It was in the 50's that we heard the 'church sound' in songs like: 'When We All Get To Heaven,' 'I'm A Soldier In The Army of The LORD,' 'In The Name of Jesus,' 'In The Morning When I Rise,' 'The Windows of Heaven,' 'You've Got To Move,' 'Bye and Bye,' 'Jesus, I'll Never Forget What You've Done For Me,' 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, What's He's Done For Me,' 'At The Cross,' and 'I Know It Was The Blood.' As I reflect on those times, I realize that the sound was repetitive yet energetically sung with power, emotion, and conviction. These were examples of the 'sounds of the church,' which were to be sung in church, and for the church. Any other 'sound' was considered for school, which was okay, but not the other sound, the 'secular sound' which we heard in the streets, on the radio, or at a birthday party where 'worldly' or 'rock n roll' music might be played. These sounds were NOT okay. The Word of God tells us in Psalms 100 to 'make a joyful noise unto the LORD.' That's the sound that the LORD wants to hear from His people.

"God Inspired Sounds"

The sounds of music that shaped my life were most definitely the sounds of my youth and the sounds of my early church experience. Looking back, I now know that much was instilled in me by my environment, which included my home with my mother and father, my siblings, and my grandfather's church – the Universal Bible Church of God, in Philadelphia. This was an appropriate name for his church and between the ages of 3 and 7 I believe, it was there that I became acquainted with or was introduced to the 'sound of God.'

The only way that I can explain this sound is to explain what I believe what happened in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were aware that they were special. They were the first to experience the 'sound of God.' This sound is the way God is and it is the 'who' of God. God, The Eternal, both before Genesis and after Revelations, does not ever have to be seen, but He is always heard. His way is heard; His 'who-ness' is also heard. When God wants, He speaks. His voice makes a sound. What He says makes a sound that stimulates and moves the target of His affection to respond. In the Garden, God hovered or moved, which created a sound. Adam and Eve were familiar to the sound of God. They had no visual, just a sound – a sound of the invisible God whose sound was visible. His sound was heard and light was formed; so were the sky, seas, rivers, moon and stars. The 'sound of God,' which is an expression of who He is, was heard when Adam sinned. How, you may ask? Let's look at Genesis 3:8-10: "And they heard the voice of the LORD walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, "Where art thou?" And he said, "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself."

Now, my friends, when was the last time you've heard anyone's voice walking – anywhere? Well, the reason I believe Adam heard God's voice walking is because Adam had a relationship with God's sound, and He realized by the sound of His voice that God was not pleased. It is a known fact that each one of our senses affects the other senses when challenged. For example, what Adam heard (the sound of God's displeasure), affected his visual. He noticed that now he was naked (he was naked all along and it hadn't mattered before). God's sound changed when Adam and Eve sinned (everyone takes notice when one goes from 'piannisimo' to ' forte,' 'soft' to 'loud' in a sound shift). Adam heard the key change, the volume change, and the decrescendo from his original state to the state of a fallen creation.

I believe that the sound of God has been heard throughout His creative works. Whenever God speaks – a transformation, a shift, and/or a reformation is inevitable to occur. And, the 'sound of God' is always God inspired.

As a child, my parents introduced the sound of God to us in our family home. We were taught to reverence God, to respect Him, to love Him, and honor Him. Although I didn't have a relationship with God between ages 3-7, my mother taught me about God and who He is – The Omnipotent One, The Omnipresent One, The Great I Am. He was the Way to go to heaven. So, as a child, heaven was a place that I wanted to go to be with Jesus. That meant that we shouldn't say bad words, cuss, steal, kill, cheat, or fight. Thus, God's sound was heard in my life with the knowledge of right and wrong. This was a God inspired sound that would truly affect the next phase of my life.

CHAPTER 2

"My Parents"

It has been said that you are a product of your environment. Well, I don't know who first said it, but this statement is certainly true in my life as I think of how it began and unfolded over 63 years ago. And this truth is because of the lives of two people – my parents, Edward and Lillian Ward.

My father, Rev. Edward Ward, Sr., was born on May 8, 1918 in North Carolina, to Mary and Lincoln Ward. Although neither of his parents raised him, his children were a reflection of a large portion of his life. My father told us that he never really knew his father, and didn't get acquainted with his biological mother, Mary, until his young adult life. Daddy was raised by his maternal grandmother who according to his own words, was an almost "white looking woman who was stern and mean," and raised my dad to be isolated – repeatedly leaving him alone to play by himself which caused him to eventually become sort of a dreamer. He said that because of this environment of isolation, he would often dream of having a family that he could love and who in turn would love him. Thank God, Dad never revealed any abuse to us, which would explain why he was calm and quiet about dealing with situations in the house and later on in his life.

Because my dad was raised as a lone child, he was set in his ways. Fortunately, he later learned that he had four (4) other sisters and brothers who he eventually met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, years later. He could only finish the 8th grade, forced to work in the fields. Now, I believe that this action revealed two things about my dad's behavior later on in his life. I believe that although he merely completed 8th grade, Dad developed an independence and acquired a thirst for knowledge. He was resourcefully and aptly self-taught. As his thirst for knowledge grew, Dad established his own library of books that ranged from health or related issues to psychology and human behavior. I know because I would read some of those books and magazines that Daddy regularly ordered from the publishing houses. Daddy could have easily gotten what we now know as a GED (Graduate Equivalent Diploma), but there was no such thing available to him, for the GED was initiated in the 1940's for returning military to give them academic credentials that would enable them to gain access to civilian jobs and gain access to secondary education. It remained that way for many years before it was offered to the general public. Needless to say, Daddy did not qualify, however, he became an avid reader and learned man on his very own.

Daddy was always a truly hardworking man. His positive work ethic is the second thing that I believe my dad's early departure from school to work in the fields lead him to. He worked at the Campbell Soup Company in Camden, N.J., for over 30 years without missing a day of work! After he retired at 65 years of age, he kept on working at various cooking and cleaning jobs for over ten (10) years because Daddy believed in working. I don't think he particularly 'loved' to work, but I think he saw the 'need' to work to support himself and his family, a family that God would eventually expand to seven (7) people besides him. Thus, his family included a wife of 56 years, and six (6) children. There is so much more that I could say about this giant of a man and what he really meant to me, my Mom, and my sisters and brothers, and maybe that will be another book. For now, I would like to talk about how my musical talents can be traced back to both my paternal and maternal heritage and influence.

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Upon reflection, I now realize that when I was a young girl growing up in South Philly (South Philadelphia), it was my maternal grandfather, the late Bishop Joseph Daniel McDougald - founder of the Universal Bible Church of God, who planted the seed in me as a child to understand and even appreciate music. Although a gifted '40's and '50's era, fire and brimstone, standing 'flat-footed' and telling the truth preacher and prognosticator of the Gospel, he was also a musician of sorts who dazzled his storefront congregation as he played the upright brown wooden mostly out-of-tune piano as a prelude to stepping into the pulpit and 'preaching until fire rained and the Glory of God fell!' What made him unique as a 'musician of sorts' was that he played, as my cousin Shirley recalls, the piano with two fingers in the key of C major. Now, this may not seem unusual for most people, but he played the same pattern arrangement for every song: basic left octave C notes first, with the right hand chorded with C-E four times; followed by F octave notes with the left hand, with the right hand with F-A two times; followed by the same pattern with C, then varying to G octave notes (left) with the right hand with G-B natural two times, and then back to C. Now, my grandfather played this same pattern for almost every song! Those of you who are familiar with the Pentecostal/Apostolic-type worship of his day are familiar with the devotional service type of songs that were sung such as, 'In the Morning When I Rise,' 'I'm A Soldier In The Army of The LORD,' 'I Know It Was The Blood,' 'The Holy Ghost and Fire Keeps On Falling, Thank God It Fell On Me,' and countless others. My grandfather sang and led the devotional service with his beautiful, resonating baritone voice, and played the same chord pattern until a 'real' musician showed up, usually my mother, who incidentally copied my grandfather to the 'T.'

As for my Dad, I remember seeing and hearing my father play the bass drum in church. His rhythm and sense of it was impeccable as I remember. You see, although my Dad had a quiet and humble manner about his character, he was a young minister who served God in the worship experience with passion and energy. He played the bass drum (I'm not sure what happened to the entire drum trap set, but back in the 50's that's what my dad played), and he played with such 'energy, zeal, and emotion' that eventually he'd cause the congregation to break out in a holy dance, right along with him.

I reiterate - Daddy was indeed a 'praiser.' My dear reader, understand what that phrase actually means to me. You see, my dad, with the consistent sound of the name of Jesus, would 'Shaback,' 'Yodah,' and dance as his expression of giving true thanks and gratitude to God flowed in the worship services. Dad was doing these types of praises before it became popular and even understandable in the late 80's and early 90's. Dad's isolative tendencies as an independent thinker of sorts, made him not really care what people said about how he passionately praised God or what they thought about how he gave glory and honor to the King of Kings, both in church and out of church. Now, please understand that I don't think anyone thought that he was 'kooky' or 'eccentric' even; rather, I sensed that everyone viewed my dad as a person who had a unique relationship with Jesus which was sincere, one who had his own personal touch and approach to praise, which made him quite unique.

Speaking of uniqueness, if you've ever met my mother, Lillian McDougald Ward, you would have to agree with me that there's one and only one her – now Overseer Lillian Ward. She is definitely a book all by herself. Raised by a mother whom she adored, and shaped in the preaching ministry by her preacher father, Mommy was destined to become the following things that affected how I saw the world both musically and socially:

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1. Married my dad at age 22, ending his life of loneliness.

2. Gave birth to six (6) children who eventually would all be outstanding participants in the church and in society: Edward Ward, Jr. – Preacher, Mechanical Engineer and now Septa Specialist(Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation); Brenda Stallworth Njoku, Ph.D – Business Mgr. and Educator, New Jersey School System; Elder Lorraine White – First Lady to Pastor Jesse White, Jr. of Hartford, CT., Elementary Education Principal in the Hartford, CT Public School System; Merry 'Carole' Ellerbe – Elder/Preacher/Teacher, Administrator/ Principal in the New Jersey Public Schools System; and the youngest, Byron – Musician, Composer, Arranger, Producer, and decorated Philadelphia Police Officer, approaching 25 yrs. of service ... (These are my siblings in birth order, with the exception of myself, the second born. My life is chronicled in this book so you'll read more about me later).

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from I'm Still Singing by Barbara Ward Farmer. Copyright © 2014 Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents

Contents

Dedication, vii,
Acknowledgement, ix,
Foreword, xiii,
Chapter 1 "The Sound of Music", 1,
Chapter 2 "My Parents", 7,
Chapter 3 "My Siblings", 13,
Chapter 4 "My Children", 19,
Chapter 5 "Musical Influences", 25,
Chapter 6 "Why Am I Different?", 33,
Chapter 7 'The Impact of Salvation', 37,
Chapter 8 "New Journey, New Experiences", 51,
Chapter 9 "The Wagner Alumni Choir", 57,
Chapter 10 "The National CLG Music Conference", 63,
Chapter 11 "From Spiritual Ministry to Spiritual Leader", 67,
Chapter 12 "International Traveler", 77,
Chapter 13 "I'm Still Singing!", 81,
Chapter 14 "Something To Sing About: A Chronological Scope of My Lifetime Achievements", 85,
Epilogue, 93,