The sanctuary walls seem to vibrate as choir members "make a joyful noise to the Lord" in the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church.
Technically, it's a Thursday night choir practice, this one special because it will ready the singers for the gospel convention they're hosting at the end of June.But for choir member Tracie King, it's more than practice. "We're having church," she laughs. "It's exciting, it's a learning experience. The time goes by real fast."
It's an explosion of harmony and rhythm. As one rousing chorus ends, Rosalind Cazares beams. "It's a miracle," she says.
Cazares knows all about miracles. She's seen them. She's been changed by them. She's even been part of them. In fact, Cazares peppers the story of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church itself with that observation: "It was a miracle."
She was there.
The church, now 800 strong with a companion church in Indianapolis, Indiana, was birthed when her mother, Dr. Rosemary Redmon Cosby, gathered her four young children together in 1961 to set out from Indianapolis for Utah. The Lord had told them to go there and she was determined to obey, even if they had to walk.
Walk they did, between rides offered by nice strangers.
"Rozie," as Cazares was called then, was 10. But she remembers dozens of miracles. When they were hungry, the Lord provided food. When they were tired, He gave them a place to sleep. Once, the woman prayed for a dollar and found it at the side of the road, flapping gently as if an invisible brick had pinned it to the gutter.
Another time, Rozie's feet were cold and her mama prayed for warmth. Steam seemed to come out of the ground. "I got warm right there on the highway and here came a ride." Years later, they looked through old news reports to confirm what they'd remembered: The weather had indeed changed, in seconds it seemed, from a bitter January to one that was unseasonably warm.
It was on that journey that Cosby preached her first sermon, a practice that continued until she died last January.
The church itself was born in the family's home when they finally arrived in Salt Lake City. They worshiped because "Mama was a praying woman." And soon other families had joined them. It's unlikely any of them thought their small band of worshipers would grow so large.
And it's certain that "Rozie" didn't dream then that she would direct a choir 125 voices strong that would become famous for its rich, uplifting gospel sound. Performances at the Utah Centennial celebration, or backing up the likes of Michael Bolton and John Tesh, were more than 30 years in the future.
Back then, she played the tambourine. Today she trains the voices.
As minister of music for Faith
Temple, she's now getting ready for the hundreds of faithful from across the nation who will flood into Faith Temple, located at 1510 S. Richards, for the convention, which will run June 30 to July 6.
It's a party to celebrate God and the music that praises Him. And the entire community is on the guest list.
The building will rock with nightly gospel music programs all week, each beginning at 7:30 p.m. During the day, the conventioneers will attend on-site seminars on topics from spiritual growth to marriage counseling and health. Many of the sessions will be taught by Bishop Robert C. Cosby, who co-founded and now oversees operation of the church since his wife's death.
"We hope people will come out and experience the Holy Spirit to the max," said Mark Cazares, Rosalind's husband. "Anything they need, anything lacking in life, just come out and God will supply it."
Perhaps it's not surprising that Rosalind Cazares, whose life has revolved around music, finds words from a song to promote the convention: "If there's a condition or a problem no one else can help you with, well, God can take you where peaceful waters flow."
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Additional Information
Faith Temple choir's recent accomplishments
The Faith Temple Pentecostal Church Choir, directed by Rosalind Cazares, has more than 120 members. Among their recent accomplishments:
- Backup for John Tesh and Michael Bolton in separate local concerts.
- Participation each year as invited guests in the Days of '47 parade.
- Performances at the Utah Centennial Celebration at the Delta Center in 1996, First Night at the Capitol Theater, the Gallivan Center grand opening, the rededication of the Salt Lake City-County Building and in the Capitol Rotunda, among other places.
- Two subgroups have spun off from the choir - The Faith Temple Ensemble #1 and the Faith Temple Chorale #1. The chorale sings in the Days of '47 parade each year.