A funny thing happened when we went to worship in San Diego last month. The first Sunday we gathered with the community at Christ Lutheran Church in Mission Beach. It was a genuinely welcoming, vibrant, Lutheran worship experience.
(The following week we worshiped right next door at St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church; equally vibrant and alive, just a different flavor. That day we celebrated the baptism of our grandson, Jacob Egan, and his grafting into the Body of Christ. Joyous)
That first Sunday we were dressed casually. The music was familiar. We felt at home. Coffee and ministry displays were hosted outside after worship. We, of course, accepted their hospitality.
That has certainly never happened to me before!! The many talented musicians in our congregation are shouting “amen” to that! I can’t read a note of music, have difficulty ‘hitting’ the notes they play, even when it’s a liturgy with which I’m familiar for nearly three decades! But you give me a song I know, a community around me (or a shower head and a good bar of soap) and I can belt it out with the best of them!
It hasn’t always been that way. I spent most of my adolescence with my hands in my pockets during congregational singing. I felt called to ministry at an early age, but wasn’t sure how someone without musical gifts could succeed at parish ministry. At some point I figured out that the pastor isn’t the whole church ... and the rest is history. Lord of Life Church is blessed with incredible music of every style and form. I am blessed just to worship with us when we gather. Thank you, to all who lend their gifts in our worship song.
But I can sing. And I love to sing... now. It all began in seminary, which was largely male at the time. Sitting in little Schenk Chapel at Trinity Seminary, I was carried by the singing of my classmates. It was the first time I had ever sung with other men... where the voices (somewhat) matched mine... and it was inspirational.
Maybe that’s why I’m so emphatic about the Male Bonding Choir.
So, guys, (I don’t mean to leave you out, ladies, but... )
you are invited to sing with the “Every-Now- and-Then Post-Teen Male Bonding Choir!”
Rehearsal is at Jeff Ramm’s house:
4310 Sunbury Road
Galena, Ohio 43021
Wednesday, July 22, at 7:00pm.
We’ll sing the next Sunday
9:15 and 11:15 worships
Sunday, July 26.
Seriously, no experience necessary.
(The following week we worshiped right next door at St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church; equally vibrant and alive, just a different flavor. That day we celebrated the baptism of our grandson, Jacob Egan, and his grafting into the Body of Christ. Joyous)
That first Sunday we were dressed casually. The music was familiar. We felt at home. Coffee and ministry displays were hosted outside after worship. We, of course, accepted their hospitality.
| While standing there the organist, accompanied by his partner, excitedly approached and said, |
“I was told to look for the big guy in the blue shirt. You can evidently really sing. Would you like to sing in our choir!?” |
It hasn’t always been that way. I spent most of my adolescence with my hands in my pockets during congregational singing. I felt called to ministry at an early age, but wasn’t sure how someone without musical gifts could succeed at parish ministry. At some point I figured out that the pastor isn’t the whole church ... and the rest is history. Lord of Life Church is blessed with incredible music of every style and form. I am blessed just to worship with us when we gather. Thank you, to all who lend their gifts in our worship song.
But I can sing. And I love to sing... now. It all began in seminary, which was largely male at the time. Sitting in little Schenk Chapel at Trinity Seminary, I was carried by the singing of my classmates. It was the first time I had ever sung with other men... where the voices (somewhat) matched mine... and it was inspirational.
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| 2009 Post-Teen Male Bonding Choir |
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Albert-George Schram conducting the Post-Teen Male Bonding Choir |
- It’s not just that Albert-George Schram of the Columbus Symphony conducts us. That’s a gift, for sure, and I’ve traveled miles just to be with George.
- And it’s not just because it’s fun, though it definitely is. That’s why we call it the “Bonding Choir.” Everybody is invited to bring a couple of bottles/cans of whatever it is they will enjoy drinking (beer is the norm) and a few cookies/brownies to share.
- It has something to do with the fellowship... losing a little inhibition... and knowing that others are discovering the same joy of singing as I am.
So, guys, (I don’t mean to leave you out, ladies, but... )
you are invited to sing with the “Every-Now- and-Then Post-Teen Male Bonding Choir!”
Rehearsal is at Jeff Ramm’s house:
4310 Sunbury Road
Galena, Ohio 43021
Wednesday, July 22, at 7:00pm.
We’ll sing the next Sunday
9:15 and 11:15 worships
Sunday, July 26.
Seriously, no experience necessary.
