Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 40th Anniversary (Post #7, final post)

So, this happened yesterday.  Good Shepherd not only celebrated its 40th anniversary, but we also acknowledged and thanked Jeanette Schneider for being our organist for 30 years.  Most of those years have had Jeanette exclusively as our organist, as well as serving as our choir director for most of those years.  We express our thanks to God for all these years and Jeanette for many years of faithful service.

Brian Wilder put together a short video montage of our 40 years.  Colleen Fadool and Rob Skrycki supplied many photos used for it, as acknowledged where the video was paused during the sing-a-long.

Here are some photos.  Below are the lyrics for a sing-a-long that we enjoyed after the service.  The performance can be found somewhere on Good Shepherd's Facebook page.

WE DIDN’T START THE CHOIR

(sung to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel)

1) Wednesday night, rehearse.

      Ladies get to sing first.
         Stretch your voice: “Rejoice!” Plunk out each note.
   Then the tenors get to go,
      Basses get to sing low:
         “Kyrie Eleison!” Learn it by rote.

2) Quarter notes, eighth rest,
      Deep breath in your chest.
         Lost our place in this space. Now we have to stand.
   Try to make the tune stick;
      Look up from your music.
         Make it ring, try to sing From your diaphragm.

REFRAIN
We didn’t start the choir--
   Alto and Soprano,
      Organ and Piano--
We didn’t start the choir
   With our manly voices
      Making churchly noises.

3) Hold the note a full beat.
      Get it right. Repeat.
         Flies are in the chapel, Buzzing ‘round my head.
   Try to make Jeanette proud;
      Crescendo s’pposed to get loud.
         No surprise. There’s more flies. WHAP! That one’s dead.

4) Price and Besig write the songs,
      Jeanette always plays along.
         Adding extra notes to play—Just for our sake.
   Home piano gets employed;
      Daniel Schneider gets annoyed.
         Three more times, then he chimes: “How long will this take?”      REFRAIN 

5) Lenten season, Easter time
      Christmas songs in Advent-tide
         4 parts, pianissimo, Dulce Silent Night.
   Friday driving in her car
      Arms are swinging wide and far,
         Directing there, collecting stares At the traffic light.

6) Sunday morn, someone frowns,
      “Do we have to wear gowns?”
         “I can’t find…” “Where is mine?” “Can we stand in back?”
   Take time for a run-through.
      See who you stand next to.
         Walking in, follow him, Try to stay on track.                            REFRAIN

7) 30 years, Extravaganza Organ music, hymn, and stanza,
      Offertory, Prelude, Liturgy, Postlude.
         Blessings for us many moons. TLH has better tunes.
   “Pick a hymn with five flats?! Pastor, have you gone bats?”
      We all want to say THANKS, for music in the ranks.
         On this day, blown away. What else do I have to say?                REFRAIN