Greetings Friends at First,

 To begin, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for embracing me into your church family with such warmth and appreciation.  It is my promise that I will, to the best of my abilities, further develop, nurture, and enrich the music here at First Lutheran Church.

 As we begin the new program year, I’d like to highlight some exciting worship opportunities coming up in the next few months.  First, I’m am so excited for our service on the tenth of September.  When I was growing up, we always referred to the Sunday after Labor Day as Rally Sunday; this was the day when ones congregation’s regular programming opportunities resumed. Here are just a few of the musical offerings coming up here at First Lutheran:

•  The Handbell Choir, under the dedicated leadership of Janet Howe, will play for select services beginning with the service on September 10th.  I have so enjoyed learning a new skill and being a part of such an enjoyable group of folks.

 Upon joining the ministry team towards the end of April, one of the first things I did was read, study, and process the survey which was taken by you, the congregation, with the purpose of finding out which elements of the worship experience were most important to you.  I was delighted to read that quality music ranked at the very top of the list. Knowing this, I, after consulting with Pastor Colin, have decided to form a choir which will sing the second Sunday of every month, beginning in October.  The Second Sunday Singers (credit goes to Pastor Colin for that catchy name) will rehearse before the service in order to prepare the anthem for that morning’s worship.  We will gather at 8:20 and rehearse for 45 minutes to prepare an enjoyable, yet highly accessible anthem.  I hope you will take a moment to think about making a commitment to participate in this opportunity to make music in praise of our God.

 Lord, thank You for the gift of music, a universal language that transcends barriers. Help us use it to glorify Your name, to find solace during times of distress, and to celebrate Your goodness in times of joy. May our hearts always be instruments, playing the melody of Your love and faithfulness. Amen.

 Blessings, Ben

“I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.”

—Psalm 104:33