Thank You

The church programming season has ended and we have much to be thankful for in this Centennial year. We have an amazing level of talent in this church, and are blessed by all the folks willing to share theirs!
Choirs are taking a break for the summer and worked very hard right up to the end, recording special anthems for our centennial CD on Saturday, May 31. Then they led the Hymn Festival services on Sunday, June 1. The same Milwaukee company that does all the Kantorei recording in our Worship Center recorded our choirs. David Nethery recorded our worship teams and organ separately. The CD should be available for purchase by Rally Day. A huge thank you to all our choirs, ensembles, directors and accompanists for another wonderful year of worship leadership!
Many thanks to Jeff Wessman who designed the beautiful Centennial Worship Banner, Deb Bobzien who created it and Ted Breidigam who built the wonderful stand to display it! It is a great addition to the Worship Center during this centennial year of celebration.
We are grateful to Paul Laprade, director of choral activities at Rock Valley College for writing “Upon This Rock”, our second commissioned work of the centennial year. (The first commissioned work, “We Are Alive” was written by Pastor Reid Matthias and sung as our Hymn of the Day on May 3 and 4. It will be sung again when Pastor Hub Nelson preaches on July 12 and 13.) Paul Laprade’s piece was our Hymn of the Day for the June 1 Hymn Festival services. Paul spent considerable time researching and writing the text, which is based on our Values and Vision. Another arrangement for choirs and brass will be forthcoming this fall.
Finally, thanks to John Wahlquist and Kaare Nevdal for creating “Den Himmelske Lovsang”, (The Heavenly Praise Song) which was our anthem for June 1. Kaare sang the tune and dictated the Norwegian words to John, who translated the text and created a beautiful arrangement sung by our Sunday School children and choirs.
Rest well everyone, and return invigorated for service again this fall. All our choirs and ensembles are eager to invite new members, so please think and pray about where God might be able to use your musical gifts at Our Savior’s.