Singing for a cause F
Church’s music series benefits local charities By Wendy Healy
or all the talk these days in the emerging church about how a clear mission promotes ministry, Bethesda Lutheran in New Haven, Conn., has put its music where its mouth is.
The congregation of approximately 300 mem- bers, with 125 worshiping on a Sunday, has made its Bethesda Music Series a ministry that offers four or five professional-level concerts a year. The program attracts both the support of performers from nearby Yale Univer- sity and Connecticut state colleges, and the ecumenical cooperation of churches whose choirs sing in the series. Now in its 21st year, the ministry gives all the money it raises to Habitat for Humanity, homeless shelters, after- school programs, summer camps and other community organizations. “We’re a small church that can, in our own way, make
a big difference in the community with a solid ministry in music,” said Lars Gjerde, music director, a native of Norway and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
Start-up money for the series, which begins every Reformation Sunday, is raised during Music Sunday each May, which combined with an endowment helps make the series self-sustaining. “Faithful donors underwrite the expenses of the series, allowing us to give 100 percent of all freewill offerings to the charities,” Gjerde said. Added Tim Keyl, pastor, “The series combines Bethesda’s passion for song with our commitment to jus- tice, all in the city of New Haven.” Part of the program’s success is attributed to Gjerde,
whose connections to the music community help gather singers and musicians from the Manhat- tan String Quartet, the New Haven Symphony and others. Soprano Margaret Astrup, a Western Connecticut State University (Danbury) opera teacher, is president of the series and a vital part of the concerts. Each Advent she brings a performance of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” to the church, featuring the university’s opera. “We do it for the children,” she said. “It’s kids helping kids.” The series also benefits from Bethesda’s choir, which at 20 people isn’t large but is flexible, Gjerde said. Draw- ing from the church’s extensive J.S. Bach library, a tradi- tion among Lutherans, the choir also mixes it up with other types of music. “Our one choir does all kinds of music,” he added. Often enhanced with an orchestra and harpsichord, the choir is as comfortable with a Bach can- tata as a Mozart requiem or a hymn festival. But amid all the fun of the concerts, Gjerde is quick to point out that music is at the heart of worship. “Music is a sacrifice of praise,” he said. Music at Sunday worship is lively and always changing, exposing parishioners to dif- ferent musical settings. Members, said Gjerde, are open- minded and great at learning new songs. Recalling the words of early Christian thinker Augus- tine, he added: “He who sings, prays twice.”
“Amahl and the Night Visitors” is an annual performance of the music series spon- sored by Bethesda Lutheran Church, New Haven, Conn.
Healy is a freelance writer and member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster, N.Y.
For more information, visit
www.bethesdanewhaven.org. 32 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
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