The Church Clap

By Kevin Kusunoki, Ministry Resident

“Now church clap, let me hear the church clap, church clap
Church clap, let me hear the church clap, church clap
Church clap, let me hear the church clap, church clap
Church clap, let me hear the church clap”

Who knew that such simple and repetitive lyrics would drive our youth group into a frenzy. If one were to come into the youth building on a Sunday morning, they would see teenagers and Sunday school teachers caught up in the frenzy that is called the “Church Clap.” This line-dance is one of the easiest dances to learn, and it pales in its complexity to the electric slide or the cupid shuffle. The students love it, and to them there is no cooler dance to learn.

Part of the reason is because this dance was learned at Fuge Camp. This summer we took 10 students to Panama City Beach for a Bible camp. At the camp the students were challenged about living a life of convergence. An average person makes 35,000 decisions everyday; decisions about food, direction, speech, planning, etc. In every one of these decisions we can be obedient to God or be disobedient to God.

At camp, we studied the life of David to examine where he was obedient and where he was disobedient. He demonstrated immense faith when he slew Goliath, and he demonstrated great restraint when he spared Saul’s life. But he also made sinful choices when he committed adultery with Bethsheba. Studying David’s life was great for the students because they were able to see that he wasn’t a perfect person. He made many mistakes, but he was also a man after God’s own heart and that’s what we should be!

On the surface the church clap is just a dance to an awesome song. However, beneath the surface it is a constant reminder of what it means to live a life yielded to God. We are to dance undigified unto the Lord (2 Sam 6:22); that is the worship of one who is truly after God’s own heart. So if you come by the student building on a Sunday, you’ll see us dancing undignified. We’ll be dancing like David.