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 225th Anniversary Hymn Sung at Sycamore Presbyterian Church on October 15th, 2023

 "God is Forever Near" is the name of the hymn that I wrote for Sycamore Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati Ohio.  

The Sunday before last, I tuned in to their online Sunday Morning worship service and it was almost like being there in person.  

The service was lovely in every way.  Much of it was written by and presented by the children of the church - which on an anniversary Sunday is a perfect way to highlight the present and future of the congregation.  

The sermon by the associate pastor Rachel was right on target, focusing on Jesus' words, "Let the children come unto me."  

There was lots of good music, and the hymn I wrote for them was the concluding hymn of the morning.  The congregation sang it with what I can only call gusto, so I believe they were enjoying singing it as much as I enjoyed hearing it.  

What a treat!

 

"Whosoever On the Night of Christ's Nativity" Anthem to Be Published by MorningStar Publishing

Breaking news...

Word was just received that the well-known sacred music company MorningStar will be publishing an anthem that I wrote in collaboration with Glenn Rudolph.  The piece is entitled. “Whosoever on the Night of Christ’s Nativity”.

It is an anthem for Christmas Eve.  My words were inspired by an anonymous quotation.  Here's the quotation.  My words will have to wait for the anthem's publication...

This Christmas Eve Hymn was inspired by the following anonymous quotation:

Whosoever on the night of the nativity of the young Lord Jesus, in the great snows, shall fare forth bearing a succulent bone for the lost and lamenting hounds, a wisp of hay for the shivering horse, a cloak of warm raiment for the stranded wayfarer, a bundle of brushwood for the shivering widow, a garland of bright red berries for one who has worn chains, a dish of crumbs with a song of love for all huddled birds who thought that song was dead, and various lavish delicacies for such children’s faces that peer from lonely windows, to them shall be offered and returned gifts of such an astonishment as will rival the hues of the peacock and the harmonies of heaven; so that though they live to the great age when they go stooping and querulous because of the nothing that is left of them, yet shall they walk upright and remembering, as those whose hearts shine like blazing stars, in their chest.

-          Author unknown, 

Glenn took my lyrics in hand and crafted the music to go with it.  As I like to say, Glenn is the George (music) and I am the Ira (words).  It is a joy to share in this - and a treat that it will be published.  

The anticipated publication date is April 2024, in time to promote it for use at Christmas 2024.

I have another piece published by MorningStar, called "God of Wonder" with music by Donna J. Butler.

Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania 50th Anniversary Hymn

I should have shared this some time ago. In 2020 in fact....

In anticipation of the 50th Anniversary of their founding at Shadyside Presbyterian Church the Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania held a hymn search to help mark the occasion.  At the time, I was very much enjoying my time of serving as the Interim Senior Minister at Shadyside, and I decided to write something for the hymn search.  For two reasons.  First, I admire their work.  Second, the celebratory event was already on the calendar for the spring of 2020 to be held in the Parish Hall of Shadyside Presbyterian Church where it all began.  And it made me think how cool would that be if my song were selected and sung right there where I was currently serving. 

So that is what I did.  

I completed the hymn on December 20, 2019. As these hymn searches go, one sends in the submission in such a way that there is no indication on the submission who the author is.  Off it went, and then all I had to do was wait until the judges had made their decision.

As I waited, something else happened...  

The spring of 2020 will forever be remembered for it.  Covid-19.  The coronavirus pandemic.  When it hit, it hit hard, and churches were put in a tough position.  Do we stop having in person worship or not?  The US government did not give us any guidance in that matter.  I guess they were afraid of later church and state type lawsuits.  So each church in every community had to wrestle with the decision.  We at Shadyside reluctantly decided that out of the utmost concern for our members and guests, we would curtail in person worship, and do online worship only.  We also closed the building to all other activities.  As you can guess, in such a busy church, there were many many activities that were therefore scratched from the calendar in the months ahead.  

And yes, along with weddings, and concerts, and meetings, and classes, we had to cancel that 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania.

Then one fine day the phone rang.  

And it was the person charged with contacting the winner of the hymn search, to tell them that news...  Or I should day to tell me that news, that my submission had been selected by the judges.  Great news! But as you can imagine, I was disappointed that the convergence of the event at Shadyside, and the hymn by Shadyside's pastor, just couldn't occur.

Oh, by the way, the hymn is called: “May We Walk the Way of Jesus”, and it is sung to the familiar hymn tune: CROSS OF JESUS. Let me know if you would like to receive a copy of it.... since we are back to normal, and can gather as usual for worship now, in 2023.

New Work with Glenn Rudolph

As you may recall, I have been creating new hymns and anthems with Pittsburgh sacred music composer Glenn Rudolph for many years.  Looking back, I think the first piece we did together was around 2000, but I will double check to be sure.  Some of these new pieces have been published and are available for church musicians to select and present in their congregations.

Not long ago, Glenn asked me if I would write the text for a new anthem he was writing.  Based on an old and beloved tune, but modified and adapted by Glenn for our present age.  I was glad to give it a go.

Sometimes, working on hymns, it takes a lot of time, trial and error, and fine tuning to get the hymn text into a singable form that I am pleased with.  That is part of the creative process, and something I enjoy doing.  I anticipated this request would go something like that.  But I was happily surprised.  This hymn text practically wrote itself. In a very brief period of time.  Did I feel particularly inspired?  Yes indeed.  And the result not only worked, it was also "as it was meant to be".

At least I thought so.  And then, I sent it to Glenn to see what he thought of it.  His immediate answer back was: "Perfect!"

Isn't it great wen a plan comes together like that?  

So, here's the thing.  Glenn tells me that BEFORE he seeks publication for a new piece, he shares it with friends and colleagues, so they have a first chance preenting it, and also they can give some good feedback on how it was received, both by the choir presenting it and the congregation that received it.  He has done that.  And encouraged me to do the same.  So I sent it out, and have had some encouraging replies from friends who are anticipating presenting it in the near future.  As I learn when they will do so, I will update this post, so you can have a chance to hear it.

The anthem is called "Rejoice! Salvation's Come!" and it begins with the line "Why am I thankful every day?"  the tune is known to those who know the old old hymn "The Gate Ajar for Me" - except Glenn has giving it a new extra verve.  When I heard it, I told him he has a hit on his hands.  At least, that is my conviction.

Stay "tuned" for updates as they come!

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.

As Your Dear Friend Once Welcomed You

As Shadyside Presbyterian Church's Director of Music Ministry, Mark A. Anderson, and I were planning worship during this Lenten Season, back on February 21, we were not finding a hymn that we were happy with, to conclude worship on Sunday April 7.  The Gospel lectionary reading for that morning was John 12:1-8, when Jesus shared a meal at Bethany with his treasured friends Martha, Lazarus, and Mary.  

I said to Mark, "Why don't we sing a hymn that you have written?"  His reply, "John, the other option for the first Sunday in April for a closing hymn would be for you to write a text and for me to write the tune. That might be too much, with everything else on your plate, but keep it in mind for future Sundays. It would be great fun to see what we could do."  

What a gracious and great idea!  

So, that is what we did.  I wrote the words; Mark wrote the music.  And the congregation sang our brand new hymn on Sunday, April 7th.  It was a joy to work on the hymn with Mark, and a joy to hear the congregation sing it.  Here's to more collaborations!

Please contact me regarding use in worship.