South Church - 300th Anniversary Hymn by John A. Dalles

 This past Saturday evening saw a festive celebration concert at the South Church in Bergenfield New Jersey.  They were celebrating a remarkable anniversary - 300 years!  Imagine, the church was begun long before we had the Declaration of Independence.  Indeed, a decade before the birth of Founding Father George Washington. 

I was glad to be part of the celbration.  There was music from various periods n the church's 300 year history.  There were instrumentalist, pianists, soloists, and organist, as well as the church choir.  And as the finale of the evening, the congregation sang the 300th Anniversary Hymn that I had written for them. They sang it with verve.  It was wonderful to hear them.

I wish I could have been there - but thankfully, I could participate remotely on line.  

New Hymns for Churches Celebrating Special Anniversaries

I have completed several new anniversary hymns for congregations marking special milestones.

The Sycamore Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, is marking their 225th anniversary - remarkable isn't it - in a Sunday Morning worship celebration on Sunday, October 15, in less than two weeks from now.  Rev. Ross Reddick is their pastor and they have a robust and warm fellowship.  You can watch their worship that day on line, or see it later in their archive of recent services.

Trinity United Church of Christ in East Petersburg, Pennsylvania is marking its 175th anniversary in 2023.  At the request of the church’s pastor, Chris Rankin, I wrote a hymn for the church entitled “Now Hear God’s Word for Us This Day”, which is sung to the tune JERUSALEM.  East Petersburg is my hometown (where I lived from 1971 to 1982). Although we were members of Highland PC in Lancaster, Trinity UCC played a special part in my formative years, and I have a great fondness for them. (And a first hand knowledge of their past 50 or so years of their 175!).  This hymn will have its debut on Sunday, October 29th; you can worship with them on line to hear it, or consult their worship archives thereafter.  

 

South Presbyterian Church is marking 300 years in Bergenfield, New Jersey. Since 1723 this congregation has been a source of inspiration and strength for the community and a landmark in the local landscape.  As part of their yearlong celebration, I crafted  a new anniversary hymn text, called ”We Praise You God This Day”; it is sung to the familiar hymn tune VRUECHTEN, which is a tune beloved by the congregation and reflects their heritage.  Rev. Osvaldo 'Osy' Nuesch is the church's pastor.  The hymn will first be sung at a celebratory anniversary concert - as the finale - on Saturday, October 21, with the webcast starting at 7 p.m.  You can see it via the church website.

 

The Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey, Pennsylvania will mark its 300^th anniversary in 2024.  For the Derry congregation, I have penned a hymn called “Bourne By the Waters, Braving the Waves”, which is sung, as the anniversary committee requested, to the tune of the “Skye Boat Song”, thus connecting to their Scots Irish Presbyterian roots.  Rev. Stephen McKinney-Whitaker is their pastor.  The hymn will first be sung the first Sunday in April 2024.  The congregation anticipates singing the hymn throughout their anniversary year.   

 

“These churches each have a remarkable and laudable history.  I am glad to lift up aspects of their congregations’ life in a hymn that is theirs alone, that they can sing during their anniversary celebration and in the years to come.”

Currently, I am at work on several other pieces for churches who are marking special anniversaries in the coming year.