Worshiping God can occur anywhere, and a woman at a Sam’s Club in Alabama proved this.
In Dothan, Alabama, Slade and Danielle Alday went for a walk after dinner to Sam’s Club in the middle of November. A friend they dined out with needed a few items and suggested the walk.
Alday was the worship pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church, and currently serves as the worship leader for Bowen Baptist Association. He is also involved with a Baptist chorus with worship leaders throughout Georgia, the Sons of Jubal. They were out to dinner with friends who also serve as pastors and lead various worship services in the area.
An individual started playing one of the keyboards on display at Sam’s. Alday and his group of friends began to sing along to the music. Strangers shopping in the store stopped and joined in with the singing.
A witness began recording the impromptu event, and then posted the video to Facebook. More than 9 million people have already watched the video that has now become viral.
The Holy Spirit Showed Up
Shoppers weren’t planning on conducting a spontaneous worship service that day, but that’s exactly what happened
“The Holy Spirit just showed up in a mightily way,” Alday said. “In this time when people can’t get along for various reasons we were all together. We were just singing praises to God.”
After the keyboard jam began, a group of strangers joined the chorus.
The group sang a number of songs during this impromptu worship service. Their set included “Every Praise,” “My Life is In Your Hands,” and “Total Praise,” before an individual began recording the video of what was going on.
People were crying and saying ‘Amen’, raising their hands up to God. The moment was beautiful and one where those present felt God was among them.
“Sing Louder!”
The group was asked to start singing louder by one of the crowd members, and they were happy to oblige. Using social media, Alday began broadcasting the singing through a Facebook Live feed.
Even one of the Sam’s Club employees joined in. Christian Melton “sounded just like Whitney Houston.” The video has been trending on both Facebook and Twitter ever since. The event garnered coverage from The Today Show the following day.
As the singing ended, Alday was moved by the whole experience. He stated that he was reminded of John 12:32.
“Jesus said, ‘If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me,’” he said. “In that little bit of time the gospel was proclaimed around the world.”
Singing has always been a way for people to praise God. Whether in the middle of church or in the aisles of a Sam’s Club, the Holy Spirit can appear at any time.
With people seeming turning away from God throughout America, it becomes more important to share the joy that the Holy Spirit can bring. Alday and his friends were filled with joy, and they simply shared what they felt inside.
You don’t have to go to church to have an experience with God. In fact, many people report having a divine experience outside of the confines of a traditional worship space. Some find peace and God while out in nature, while others find God in the stillness of their own home.
For the shoppers at Sam’s Club that evening, the Holy Spirit was there, full of glory. Those that participated in the singing were deeply moved by the experience.
No matter where you are, God is with you. This couldn’t be more clear than on a random evening in Sam’s Club. As more people embrace what is good in the world and let their love of God shine through, the world becomes just a little bit better.
God is everywhere. It’s time that we all start paying attention to the messages we receive.
~ 1776 Christian
