Amos C. Brown Shares Significance of Hymn “Come, Come Ye Saints” for the N.A.A.C.P.

Amos C. Brown Shares Significance of Hymn “Come, Come Ye Saints” for the N.A.A.C.P.

Temple Hill

February 8, 2023

News

In an interview with Church News, Amos C. Brown, a civil rights activist, remarked on the similarities that he and Russell M. Nelson share: that President Nelson is the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that he, Reverend Brown, is the 17th pastor of the 3rd Baptist Church of San Francisco. Amos C. Brown also felt touched by the faith both religious groups display through the hymns: “Lift Every Voice and Sing” of the Baptist faith and “Come, Come Ye Saints” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “These two songs are about a people who, in spite of being oppressed, excel, achieve, and remain loyal to their God,” the pastor stated in the interview.

Amos C. Brown “had a wild moment” when he reflected that the words in “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which read, “Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod, felt in the days when hope unborn had died” are in agreement to the faith exhibited in the song “Come, Come Ye Saints” when it says: “Come, come ye, saints. No toil nor labor fear.” From the same hymn of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pastor Brown especially loved the phrase: “Great shall be as your day. Gird up your loins, fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake. And soon we’ll have this tale to tell. All is well. All is well.” The pastor noted that when those pioneers the song was based upon faced oppression, “they didn’t get bitter, they became better, and they endured.” The fact that the two hymns both share messages of having hope and courage in Jesus Christ, despite being from different faiths, stood out to the Baptist leader.

Reverend Brown also spoke of the power of unity when people come together in peace, regardless of race or beliefs. “It can be well in this nation when we lock arms, as I locked arms with President Nelson,” he said during the N.A.A.C.P. convention. “Not as black and white. Not as Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Baptist. But as children of God who are about loving everybody and bringing hope, happiness, and good health to all of God’s children.”

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