By Milt Warkentien
When Mary Palumbo received Ruth Hagander’s Christmas letter last year, she was inspired to create some music. Working closely together, these two crafted Ruth’s lyrics together with Mary’s melodic vision for an original composition. This collaboration inspired our Worship Coordinator, Milt Warkentien, to design this year’s “Service of Lessons & Carols” to include their musical gift. Mary & Ruth recruited vocal soloists and worked with Kathy Tunseth, & the Chancel Choir to prepare the piece to begin our culminating Advent worship, setting just the right tone of hopeful expectancy as we approached our Christmas celebrations.
This amazing effort is just one of the many examples of fresh inspiration we’re experiencing in our worship & music ministries. With increased participation, we’ve been able to feature larger ensembles, special guest musicians, and even a few anthems from our youngest members. Our newest staff member, Dan Ritter, has been a most welcome addition to the benches of our pianos and organ. As a result, the deep reservoir of musical talent, right in our midst, is making our worship as vibrant and creative with each passing week.