CHARLESTON, SC - In response to popular demand from the congregation, the worship band at Soul River Church, led by guitarist Nate "Ganja" Paddock, nailed a powerful rendition of hit Lynyrd Skynyrd ballad "Free Bird" as church ushers passed the Communion elements up and down the aisles Sunday morning, sources confirmed.

The band had reportedly prepared a soft medley fusing together several popular worship song and hymn melodies, but shifted to "Free Bird" at the last moment as several congregants shouted the name of the song out in an impromptu request, and they all instantly started jamming in a moment of "really dope synergy."

"Everyone was screaming out 'Free Bird!' and we've never been one to disappoint the crowd," the worship band's backup cellist told reporters. "So while we prepared our hearts to take of the Lord's Supper, we let the Spirit lead, and He took us on a wild ride."

Sources also confirmed that hundreds of those in attendance, moved by the stirring performance, pulled out lighters and iPhones and slowly waved them back and forth in sync with the hit Skynyrd ballad.

As Paddock hammered out the final, soulful notes at the end of the song's blistering solo, he quietly transitioned back into a generic picking riff, stepping back from the spotlight and allowing the pastor to finish administering the elements, according to witnesses.