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August Greetings!
I had the pleasure yesterday of attending the main Eucharist service for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians' (NPM) annual convention in Washington, DC. (NPM is our sister organization for Roman Catholics). As I anticipated, the liturgy and music were quite wonderful.
The Epistle lesson was from Paul's letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verses 4 - 9. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! . . . Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. . ."
The Homilist noted that while Paul wrote that letter from prison, it is not a despondent letter at all. He encouraged us, even at times in our ministry when we feel as if we are "in prison," to remember Paul's words. That, of course, got a big laugh. But there is some truth and good advice there for all of us to keep in mind.
After the service I saw a former colleague who introduced me to the President and CEO of NPM. We made plans to meet again soon. It was an enjoyable and productive day.
I hope that each of you is enjoying some 'quieter' time and relaxation this summer while also finding ways to re-energize for the coming church year.
Peace,
David Bielenberg
Executive Director
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"God Is Here: Worship in a Wireless World"
June 30-July 3, 2013
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso IN
Plans for a mid-July e-newsletter highlighting the conference did not materialize, but here are some conference highlights and postings:
- Photos from the conference have been posted on the ALCM web site.
- Handouts from workshop presenters have also been posted on the "Non-Musical Resources" page in the Members Area of the web site. (You will need to log in to the site to view them.)
- There was an amazing array of materials available from exhibitors. The complete list of exhibitors with links to their web sites is posted on the ALCM web site. Many thanks to all of our conference exhibitors!
- Many thanks to the three exhibitors who made additional contributions to the conference:
- Prelude Music Planner from Augsburg Fortress hosted the Sunday evening Reception
- MorningStar Music contributed the conference bags
- MySundaySolutions.com by Concordia Publishing House provided refreshments for the Tuesday morning break at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
- To accommodate our large numbers at the Tuesday business meeting, lunch was served in newly-designed ALCM lunch bags, which the conference attendees were then able to take with them. Additional lunch bags are available for purchase for $10 each in the ALCM Marketplace. While you're looking over the lunch bags, check out the ALCM totes on the same page.
- This was a conference with numerous highlights: National Lutheran Choir hymn festival, Tuesday evening prayer with the Valparaiso University Bach Choir and others. Among the final highlights was the impromptu ritual handing off of the presidential binder from out-going president Lorraine Brugh to incoming president Anne Krentz Organ. (See the photo of Lorraine at the bottom left on the photo page.)
- During the opening and closing worship services, offerings were taken totaling $2,259. The money was divided equally between the ELCA and LCMS malaria campaigns.
- During the closing worship, we remembered the following ALCM members who died since the 2011 conference in Seattle: Stanton Althouse, Rev. Martin Bangert, Delores Bruch-Canon, Donald Busarow, Linda Busarow, Bartlett Butler, Sally Cherrington Beggs, David Deery, Helen Dunham, Norman Gregory, Paul Hanson, Richard F. Horn, Ashlyn Ramsburg Mengel, Edward Wolf, Rändel Lynn Wolfe.
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National Lutheran Choir
Releases New CD
 You may have missed the conference hymn festival, which featured the National Lutheran Choir, but you can hear many of the hymn festival pieces on their latest CD, Sheer Grace. Included on the recording is the 2013 Raabe Prize-winning composition "Nada Te Turbe," by Jake Runestad, which the choir performed at the hymn festival.
CDs are available for purchase online at nlca.com or by calling the NLC office in Minneapolis, MN at 612-722-2301.
The National Lutheran Choir, led by Artistic Director (and ALCM member) David Cherwien, seeks to strengthen, renew and preserve the Lutheran heritage of choral music through the highest standards of performance and literature. The choir was founded in 1986 by Dr. Larry Fleming.
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2013 Raabe Prize Music Available
 One of the pieces of "business" at Tuesday's business meeting at the conference was the awarding of the 2013 Raabe Prize to composer Jake Runestad. The prize-winning piece, "Nada Te Turbe," was performed by the National Lutheran Choir at Monday's hymn festival. Copies of the piece are available for purchase on Jake's website at http://jakerunestad.com/.
Congratulations, Jake!
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2013 Faithful Servant Award
Another piece of "business" at the business meeting was the awarding of the Faithful Servant Award to John Ferguson. The award is presented to hose who demonstrate a life-time of shared faith and dedication to the expression of worship and music in the church and have served with distinction in ALCM roles of leadership.
Congratulations, John!
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St. Cecilia - She's Back!
St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, is back - this time on the ALCM web site. The St. Cecilia column, which previously appeared in print in ALCM's Grace Notes newsletter, is back by popular demand. Pastor Ron Koch, the "Dear Abby" of the Lutheran church music world, is the voice behind St. Cecilia, and he welcomes your questions and concerns. The "Dear St. Cecilia" column is available in the Members Area of the ALCM web site. There are already two postings, so be sure to check her out!
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Kyries and Glorias
Do you have a prayer request for an intercession (Kyrie) or thanksgiving (Gloria) that you would like to share with other ALCM members? Prayer requests will be posted on the "Kyries and Glorias" page in the Members Area of the web site. To add a prayer request, complete the request form, and it will be posted within 24 hours, although it may be a bit more on weekends and holidays. A sample posting appears on the Kyries & Glorias page.
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For Sale
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Temple, Texas needs to sell their handbells, accessories and catalogued music library. Interested parties should contact Dr. Don Lynn, Senior Minister, at 254-773-9061.
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Organ Rededication
Zion's Evangelical Lutheran Church in East Germantown (Pershing), Indiana will rededicate their 1897 M. P. Möller two-manual tracker this coming Sunday afternoon, August 4, at 3:30 with a recital by Dr. Karl Moyer. Michael Rathke, once protégé of Charles Fish and John Mander and now an organ restoration specialist Indiana, has restored the instrument to its original state. This concert is open to the public.
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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
Valparaiso University
810 Freeman Street
Valparaiso, IN 46383
800-624-2526 |
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