Bartelt_Taiwan_Nov2024

Thanksgiving for Music at the Luther Building in Chiayi!

On November 30th we held a Thanksgiving Recital at the Luther Building in Chiayi. (This is the headquarters for the LCMS Office of International Mission-Asia and the building where I have my apartment and office. It will also house the new music center in the future.) This year the city of Chiayi offered group music lessons to seniors over fifty to learn to play instruments. So, we had flutes, clarinets and French horn players who had only been playing for 4-5 months performing in our space. There were also three a bit-more-experienced erhu players. The erhu (pictured below) is a 2-stringed Chinese instrument played on the lap like a cello along with a Chinese flute. In addition, there was a vocal ensemble, a hand chime ensemble, 2 vocal solos, 3 piano solos, a flute solo, a vocal duet and more. It was a nice variety of music and a nice way to introduce musicians to our space and future music program. Pastor Wu ended the afternoon by letting people know about Salvation Lutheran Church, Thanksgiving and a prayer. Then a group of six sisters (ages 3-15) sang “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” and accompanied themselves with chimes. Afterwards there were Thanksgiving desserts (including pumpkin pie bars, pecan pie bars, pumpkin cookies and apple crisp) to share and time to talk and enjoy getting to know new people.

Advent and Christmas

Even though most people don’t celebrate Christmas in Taiwan, the trees and lights are going up here and there in shops in Chiayi just to be festive. At Salvation Lutheran we decorated the church on Sunday and lit the first Advent candle. We are busy preparing for our Christmas Eve Community Outreach Music Event. The choir will sing “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” in Chinese, arranged by Dr. Ken Kosche and “Shepherd’s Joy” by Mark Hayes in English. In addition, we will have a chime choir, strings and more singing! The children from the community class will sing and play chimes for “Sing We Now of Jesus” by Michael Burkhardt” and will play “Joy to the World” on chimes.

In addition, I am helping with a Christmas Outreach Concert at the CELC (China Evangelical Lutheran Church) in Hsinchu this year. I have chosen music which they will rehearse on their own. We will rehearse together on Friday night and Saturday morning, and then we will have a concert.

My parents will be coming to visit in Taiwan this December and will get to be at both concerts and even participate! My dad will accompany the choir in Hsinchu. We will sing a duet, and both will play hand chimes! I am looking forward to showing them around and introducing them to all the people and things they have heard about from me.

I pray you have a blessed Advent as you prepare to welcome our Savior, Jesus, born humbly and simply to live, to die and rise again for our salvation!

Please pray for…

• continued perseverance in learning Chinese.
• that God would bless connections made with those who attended the Thanksgiving Recital.
• preparations for Christmas concerts at Salvation Lutheran Church and Hsinchu Lutheran Church.
• connections with and witness to local people in our everyday lives.
• preparations to present/share on chanting and choosing music from a Lutheran perspective at the seminary in Nagercoil, India and in Sri Lanka in February.

Please give thanks…

• for a successful and encouraging Thanksgiving Recital.
• that Irene Yu’s thyroid nodule just needs to be monitored annually.
• for many upcoming opportunities for ministry.