Choir president · alto
Odessa King
She can stop a rehearsal with one eyebrow. Now protecting the church may require her to hear a change she did not choose.
Rich: a lasting church and a paid-off home.
A story in motion · Sound on the song below
A new world inside THE HUB · Storyverse + Musicverse
Gospel
Choir
CrackedControversy & Cash
How everybody in the church got rich. And why nobody agrees what that means.
A young pastor approves a choir song that never says “God,” “Jesus,” or “church.” The choir nearly breaks apart over it. Then radio calls.
Fictional church. Real questions. A little too much choir rehearsal.
“It can point somebody toward God without using His name. But is this one doing that?”
Odessa King · Choir presidentEpisode 01 · Is It Gospel?
The rehearsal that started everything.
Read the opening and the morning after. The full six-part season is in development; one short clip is already turning a choir meeting into a citywide argument.
The Imaginary Church · Choir room · Thursday night
The organ hits one bright chord. Nia cuts it off.
NIA
Again. And this time, when Tee says “elevate,” I need the altos to sound like they’ve been somewhere.
ODESSA
Baby, we’ve been here since six. I can sound like I need to go home.
KEYS
That’s a whole second verse.
Tee sings the hook. The room lifts. Even Odessa taps one shoe, then catches herself. Pastor Micah enters mid-applause with a paper cup and a grin.
MICAH
That’s Sunday.
ODESSA
Which Sunday? Because I haven’t heard “Lord” once, and I’ve heard “yourself” eight times.
TEE
Nine if Keys doesn’t forget the bridge.
KEYS
I never forget the bridge. I explore alternate crossings.
MICAH
A song can point somebody toward God without using the name in every line.
ODESSA
It can. Is this one doing that? That’s the conversation, Pastor. You skipped it and booked the song.
Nia sets down her pencil. Simone’s livestream indicator glows. Nia sees it.
NIA
Before this becomes a clip with three captions and no context: who owns the song, who decides where we sing it, and who are we asking to hear it?
The room goes quiet. The phone’s comment count jumps.
CUT.
Your turn · The room is waiting
What would you do on Sunday?
The pastor made a call before the choir finished talking. Pick a position to hear the next pushback. Your choice adds a take to your choir invite; it does not change the fictional story or create a public vote.
Episode 01 · The clip leaves the room
By morning, everybody has seen half the truth.
Scene 02 · The clip
Friday · 8:07 a.m. · The choir group chat
The clip starts with Micah saying, “That’s Sunday.” It ends before Nia asks who owns the song. Fifteen seconds have traveled farther than the whole rehearsal.
SIMONE “I stopped the livestream.”
ODESSA “After it started touring?”
Tee’s phone fills with praise, prayers, and one booking inquiry. She does not answer it. Nia has a draft split sheet in her bag and no signatures on it.
MICAH “I made the call too fast. We talk before anybody sends that recording.”
NIA “Good. Because a radio station just asked for it.”
The room goes quiet for the second time in twelve hours. This time, everyone knows what the silence is worth.
Bring your choir into the argumentChoir roll call · Share the scene
Rep your choir.
Every choir has an Odessa, a Nia, a Tee—and a group chat with an opinion. Bring yours into the conversation: should the choir sing “Elevate Yourself” on Sunday?
Your details go into the link you choose to share. This roll call does not create a public listing or send your choir an automatic message.
Take the debate to rehearsal · A four-minute choir conversation
After your group hears the scene, give each voice a turn:
- Can a song serve your church without naming God in its lyrics? What would make the difference?
- Whose work should be credited before anyone releases or performs the arrangement?
- If the song earns money, what would a fair decision look like for the singer, arranger, choir, and church?
There is no official choir vote here. Share your take above, then see the optional notebook case pilot if your real group wants to keep talking.
THE IMAGINARY CHURCHWhose choir has something to say?Gospel Choir Cracked · Controversy & Cash
Everybody has a part
Meet the people behind the argument.
Choir director · arranger
Nia Price
She shaped the sound everyone loves. The song is moving faster than the agreement that should name her work.
Rich: ownership and time to breathe.
Lead singer · mother
Tasha “Tee” Monroe
The spotlight is real, and so is the childcare bill. An outside offer could help her family while testing the ensemble.
Rich: steady money and her whole self.
Pastor · still learning
Pastor Micah Bell
He booked the song before the room finished speaking. A hit cannot make that decision wise after the fact.
Rich: humility and the choir’s trust.
Inside the choir room · Three perspectives
Get closer to the people.
A song has one melody and several costs. Watch three short, silent story glimpses, then decide where you stand.
01 · The arrangement
Nia Price
A song can rise while its maker is still asking who owns the work.
02 · The opportunity
Tasha “Tee” Monroe
The offer sounds different when there is a child to care for and a bill due.
03 · The line
Odessa King
Her sharpest look might be the start of a wiser conversation.
Fictional, silent character moments. Captions and character context appear beside each clip; these are story scenes, not recordings by a real church or choir.
Make the Sunday callMore voices · More at stake
The song has more than one story.
The money, the music, and the missing context touch people beyond the pastor and the lead singer.
Treasurer · soprano
Evelyn Baptiste
The ledgerThe roof fund is not a record deal. Evelyn draws a line between church gifts and song money while everyone else asks her to hurry.
Rich means telling the truth about money.
Percussion · harmony
Marisol Reyes
The missing creditThat lift in the live version started with her rhythm. The draft credits call her a guest. Marisol circles the word.
Rich means belonging and being named.
Organist · composer
Ray “Keys” Jackson
The handshakeKeys can find the hook with his eyes closed. He cannot find his share on paper. A joke buys him one beat before he asks again.
Rich means royalties reaching his family.
Livestream · radio
Simone Ward
The full clipHer short clip traveled. The part she left out changes the argument. Simone has the full recording and a station that wants it.
Rich means telling the whole story.
Eight voices · One song
Everybody has a side.
Open a face for a private line from the story. The public argument moves fast; each person is carrying something the room cannot see.
Choir presidentOdessa KingOpen Odessa’s moment +
“I counted nine ‘yourselfs’ and not one ‘Lord.’ Then a stranger called and said that chorus got her home. Now I have two things to think about.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
Take a side in the Sunday decision →Choir directorNia PriceOpen Nia’s moment +
“They want the master by five. There’s a space for the arranger. It is empty. I can fix music quickly. This takes a pen and a conversation.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
Enter the credits crisis →Lead singerTasha “Tee” MonroeOpen Tee’s moment +
“They keep calling it my song. I keep saying our names. I need this to pay, and I need everyone who made it to be seen.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
See what happens at radio →PastorMicah BellOpen Micah’s moment +
“I said, ‘That’s Sunday,’ before I asked the choir. Being right about a possibility doesn’t make that a wise way to lead.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
Return to the first rehearsal →TreasurerEvelyn BaptisteOpen Evelyn’s moment +
“The roof fund is the roof fund. A record deal is another ledger. I can love this church and still ask for the right account number.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
Follow the season →PercussionMarisol ReyesOpen Marisol’s moment +
“A guest? I built that lift in the last chorus. Invite me to dinner if you want. Put my real work on the record.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
See the credits dispute →OrganistRay “Keys” JacksonOpen Keys’s moment +
“I made the bridge. A handshake is lovely. My family cannot deposit it. Let’s put the names on paper before we press play.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
See the credits dispute →Radio and livestreamSimone WardOpen Simone’s moment +
“Nineteen seconds traveled farther than the truth. This time I’m keeping the whole answer on the tape.”
A scripted moment. Performance in production.
Hear the full context in Episode 2 →These are short written previews of the eight planned character vignettes. Invite your choir into the argument →
The song that starts the trouble
“Elevate Yourself”
One song. Two sincere readings. Once it reaches the radio, the argument belongs to more than the choir. Listen to the existing HUB recording while the story choir version is developed.
The radio call changes everything.
The HUB audio previewElevate Yourself
Elevate Yourself
Next Floor Up
This is the existing recording heard elsewhere in THE HUB. The Women of Color Bible Choir — with Bounce! recording for this story has not been released.
Episode 02 · Preview scene
The Amen Was Off-Mic.
The clip made the choir famous before anyone agreed who made the song. Now the station wants a clean master, Tee gets the first interview, and a stranger on the phone changes the temperature of the room.
Local radio studio · Friday afternoon
Simone turns a fader down. Through the glass, Tee sees the red light come on. She has sung in front of a thousand people. One microphone in a quiet room feels worse.
HOSTPeople are calling this your song. Did you know it would take off?
TEEIt’s our choir’s song. Nia shaped the arrangement. Keys found the hook. Marisol built that lift at the end. I’m the one who happened to be near a microphone.
Simone nods. The host asks about the church fight. Tee starts to answer, but the phone line lights up first.
CALLERI lost my job Monday. I heard that chorus in my car and drove home instead of sitting in the parking lot crying. I don’t know what you call the song. I know it got me moving.
Tee presses a finger under one eye. The host lets the silence stay. Simone saves the whole exchange this time.
The Imaginary Church · Same hour
Keys holds up the draft file that arrived with the station request. Under “contributors,” it names Tee and nobody else.
KEYSI’m not asking for a gold piano. A correctly spelled name would be a festive beginning.
MARISOLThey called me a guest again. I brought the rhythm, not a casserole.
NIANo clean master goes out with a credits sheet that erases the people who made it.
Micah reaches for the paper, then stops. Evelyn puts the roof fund folder on the other end of the table.
EVELYNAnd the church account is not a record label. We will write down whose money is whose before anybody says “blessing” to skip a line item.
MICAHI said yes to Sunday. I didn’t say yes to people disappearing.
Simone calls. The station can test the song at five if the master and metadata arrive together. Nia checks the clock: 4:46. Keys finds a pen. Marisol pulls out her original session notes. Tee’s phone flashes a childcare bill.
At 4:59, Simone’s station inbox receives an audio file. The subject line says CLEAN MASTER — FINAL CREDITS. She opens the attachment.
Only one contributor is named.
CUT TO SILENCE.
Whose file? Someone sent the song before the agreement was settled.
Whose name? The station’s document tells a smaller story than the music does.
Whose choice? The choir has fourteen minutes to decide what leaves the room.
This is a free preview scene. The complete Episode 2 audio and the choir-specific recording are still in production.
After the scene · A question for your choir
One body has many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12–27); truth belongs between neighbors (Ephesians 4:25). Tee named her collaborators on air, yet the file erased them. Which action would repair the harm first: correct the credits, hold the spin, or make a public statement? Bring your answer into the choir room →
Season one · In development
Six arguments. One choir.
Read the new Episode 2 preview above. Each episode brings a new song, a hard choice, and a different definition of rich.
01
Is It Gospel?
A rehearsal clip escapes the room.
Rich starts with being heard.
02
The Amen Was Off-Mic
Who gets the credit when the song takes off?
Rich can mean owning your work.
03
The Collection Plate Is Not a Label
The money arrives before the agreement.
Rich asks what the church owes its people.
04
Sunday Best, Monday Bills
The show goes on, but Tee needs help at home.
Rich may be time to breathe.
05
The Solo and the Choir
An offer for one voice tests the whole group.
Rich tests loyalty as much as talent.
06
Rich Enough to Tell the Truth
The choir votes, sings, and leaves one door open.
Rich can mean telling the truth together.
Women of Color Mass Community Choir · Notebook case pilot
Can your choir turn a share into something you can hold?
Bring the argument into your own group. Love a scene, own your answer to “What does rich mean to me?”, and share it with choir friends. We’re exploring a free 66-count case of Women of Color notebooks for a choir that can put them to use.
01 · Love it
Watch and react.
Start with the fictional choir’s first argument. Tell your friends who you agree with and why.
02 · Own it
Write your definition.
Use a notebook for rehearsal notes, prayers, lyrics, reflection, and the plans your choir makes together.
03 · Share it
Bring four voices.
Invite at least three other real choir members to join the pilot under the same choir name. Four distinct responses open a group review.
What is in the case? A 66-count case from existing 2025–2026 notebook/calendar stock, with attractive covers, usable note paper, and information about the devotional and book line in the back. The dated pages are time limited. These are existing products, shown for illustration; the cover mix has not been set.
How the pilot works: Four unique members from one choir may request review. A coordinator should have a real plan to place the 66 copies with members or community participants. We’ll confirm stock, the distribution plan, and a shipping, pickup, or sponsor option before offering a case. Registering interest does not reserve a case or make shipping free. There is no purchase required to express interest.
Join the choir case pilot
Each interested member sends their own response. Use the same choir name so we can match your group. One coordinator can tell us how the notebooks would be shared.
The coordinator can enter the choir name below, then send the case link to three more members. Each person submits their own form.
Stay for the next scene
What does rich mean to you?
Cash, credit, time, peace, a repaired relationship? The answer changes depending on who gets the microphone. Get the next chapter when it is ready.
After the story: Explore the soundtrack, ShopTech Live, and other HUB worlds as they open. The optional Women of Color Mass Community Choir idea begins with the case pilot above. The Imaginary Church and its characters are fictional. Return to HUB Experiences.