Looking for a Choir to Join?

If you've found this page because you're a singer looking for a church choir to join, consider the Chancel Choir of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior.

Our Chancel Choir is directed by our Director of Music, Ginger Minneman. The Chancel Choir helps lead worship weekly at our 10:30 a.m. Sunday service from September through early June. This is a liturgical service that is rich in the heritage of the church--the psalms and parts of the liturgy are chanted, the lessons set out in the Revised Common Lectionary are read, the Word is preached, hymns are sung, and inspiring preludes and postludes are played on a pipe organ. Holy Communion is celebrated at every service. Lay people participate in many worship leadership roles, including readers, acolytes, crucifer, torch bearers, book bearer, worship assistants, communion assistants, ushers, greeters, and choir members. (For descriptions of all of our services click this link.)

The Chancel Choir sings music which Ginger chooses from a wide variety of treasures of the church. A sampling from last year:

- I Will Not Leave You Comfortless, Everett Titcomb
- Clap Your Hands, John Rutter
- Vos Omnes, Pablo Casal's (sung in Latin)
- Blessed be the Name of the Lord, Dale Grotenhuis (based on Psalm 13)
- No Rocks A'Cryin, by Rollo Dillworth
- Sanctus in d minor (BWV 239), J.S. Bach (sung in Latin)
- Offertory, John Ness Beck
- My Master From a Garden Rose, E. Daley
- See What Love, from the Oratorio St. Paul, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
- Praise the Lord (A Processional Song), arranged by Ralph Johnson
- Open Thou Mine Eyes, John Rutter
- Cantate Domino, Guiseppe Pitoni, Ed. by Norman Greyson (sung in Latin)
- The Cross, Pamela Martin/Craig Courtney
- Agnus Dei, from Solemn Mass, L. Vierne (sung in Latin)
- Salvation is Created, P. Chesnokov
- Ubi caritas, Maurice Dureflé (sung in Latin)
- Blessed are the Men Who Fear Him from Elijah, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
- Wondrous Love, Alice Parker & Robert Shaw
- Song, Bob Chilcott
- Kyrie, from Messe G-Dur, Franz Schubert (sung in Latin)
- Walk with Me (An African Walking Song), Patrick M. Liebergen
- Ave Verum Corpus, William Byrd (sung in Latin)

The Chancel Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. An announcement will be made on this blog within the next week about when rehearsals for the upcoming school year will begin.

Consider joining us for worship, music, fellowship, and the opportunity to serve. For more information about the Chancel Choir and our church, browse this blog and contact Ginger Minnenan. Contact information is on the church home page.

Bell Choir Needs New Members

It's hard to believe that it's already time to start thinking about the fall!

If you've ever thought about joining the handbell choir, please consider joining this year. Because of people moving and youth going away to college, we need new people to join us this year.

The handbell choir is intergenerational. It is made up of youth and adults. Some families have found it to be a great family experience - we've had parents play with their children, and grandparents play with their grandchildren.

You don't have to have any experience in ringing - if you have ever sung in a choir, taken lessons on an instrument, or you have other exposure to reading music, you can learn to ring handbells quickly. Joe Beal has volunteered to lead some introductory sessions for new ringers, and when you start playing with the whole group, we'll put you on one of the easier positions and assign a current member to help you out. Regular rehearsals are held each Sunday during the school year after the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. We'll announce the beginning schedule once we find out who will be with us this year.

For more information, contact Dick Freudenberger or Ginger Minneman.

The Great Bible Reef

When you arrive at church next weekend, you'll find that the building, including the sanctuary, has been decorated for Vacation Bible School, which will be held July 30-August 3. (If you can help decorate any time from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 28, call Rachel. Lunch will be provided.)

The theme of VBS this year is "The Great Bible Reef." During VBS, lessons of "life on the reef" will be brought to life, teaching participants about caring, helping, trusting, believing, and listening. These wonderful lessons will be reinforced through music, drama, crafts, recreation and classroom time. VBS is in the evenings. Classes and activities are for both children and adults, and dinner is served each evening. For more information, click on the VBS link at the LCOS homepage.

Children who participated in VBS will share some of the music that they learned with us during worship on August 5. We look forward to that.

Also, in conjunction with VBS, we will be continuing our drive to raise funds to build fish farms in developing countries. This is part of the ELCA Word Hunger Appeal's project called "Global Barnyard."

Thanks for the Music

I'm back from vacation, so hope to start posting more frequently again.

Thanks to our soloists in Sunday worship for the last two weeks. On July 15, Stephanie Lytle sang Sing Ye a Joyful Song, by Antonin Dvorak. Yesterday, Moira Levant played her own arrangement of Shule Aroon on the violin. We appreciate both of them sharing their talents with us in worship.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This weekend, our Gospel lesson is the story of the Good Samaritan, which is a timeless story overflowing with a myriad of faith images. The Health Ministry Team will host blood pressure screenings after both worship services, and we will also offer prayers and anointing for healing during our communion celebration on Sunday.

We will also have an opportunity to participate in God's Global Barnyard this weekend. Sponsored by the Social Ministry Committee, this Hunger Appeal seeks to supply people in poor countries with animals and the skills needed to raise them, helping to break the cycle of chronic hunger and poverty. Please prayerfully consider participating, in any way, in this appeal.

Next Tuesday, July 17, the Funny Bone Comedy Club and Restaurant at the Greene, in Beavercreek, will hold a Benefit Show for WE CARE ARTS (one of our mission partners). Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., and the show, Different Strokes Comedy Tour, is at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $30/person, which includes dinner, non-alcoholic beverages, and a "clean comedy show"; tickets must be purchased in advance. Call We Care Arts at 252-3937. We Care Arts benefits only from dinner proceeds, so if you only wish to attend the show, you purchase your ticket at the door.

It's not too late to register for VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL! From Monday, July 30 to Friday, August 3, children ages 4 through grade 6 will explore "The Great Bible Reef", as they dive deeply into God's Word. Dinner is served in our fellowship hall at 5:30 p.m. each day, and learning activities run from 6:00-8:15 p.m. Jr. High and High School Youth will be assisting adults in leading various activities. An Adult Class will meet in the parlor (off the sanctuary). Terry Bruns and I will lead the class discussion on "Teaching our children/grandchildren to pray – nurturing their spirituality".

Thought for the Week
Before the Lord wills me to do anything, He first of all wills me to be. What I do must depend on what I am. (Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island)

May God bless your week with added time for yourself and your family! And may our paths cross in worship this weekend.

In Christ,
Gary

Thanks . . .

. . . to Ginger Minneman for singing during the offering yesterday. Ginger sang "King of Glory, King of Peace" by K. Lee Scott. Ginger is our Director of Music and the Director of our Chancel Choir. She teaches music at Wright State University and solos frequently in the Dayton area. It's always a treat to hear Ginger sing, and we thank her for sharing her voice with us in worship.