Reformation Hymn Festival Encourages the Faithful!
Pastor Timothy Frank from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs, Iowa along with Deaconess Sandra Rhein and her husband, Dr. Rob Rhein, arrived on Tuesday evening, October 29th. Typhoon Kong-rey struck Thursday, October 31st. We had a little stress getting to Hsinchu from Chiayi on Thursday as all the regular trains were not running, but we were able to catch a high-speed rail train and arrived safely to empty streets and only a few shops open. However, we were greeted warmly on Friday morning by Dr. Lu and his wife Cynthia Han as well as all the staff of the China Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC). We had time to practice and get set up. I am very grateful to God that the typhoon did not cause any issues with the weekend itself!
Saturday was the big, marathon day for Pastor Frank, the day’s music clinician and speaker. We began at 8 a.m. with the festival choir rehearsal. We had a great group of men and women who were there early and well-prepared. They had used the practice recordings I sent as well as had practiced in their congregations. Pastor Frank led the choir in putting the parts together and in leading the congregation’s worship musically. We also had a few quick rehearsals with instrumentalists and a soloist. The vicar’s wife Ayme, who is a very talented aboriginal singer, sang several hymn verses to introduce the melodies. The service began at 10:30 a.m. We had a nice crowd of people who not only attended the service, but many of them stayed the whole day! The service was a combination of Scripture, hymn reflections, hymn singing and choral arrangements of three hymns, including one of my favorites, “Thy Strong Word.” After the service we enjoyed lunch and fellowship together. At 2:00 p.m. Pastor Frank’s lecture began. He shared how Lutheran music is a proclamation of the Gospel. He shared how this has happened in the past and how it can continue to be a clear proclamation to one another and to the world of the great truths of Law and Gospel from the Scripture. Finally, at 4:00 p.m. he gave a workshop to give people ideas of how to arrange hymns for choirs to sing in worship. He described techniques such as splitting up verses or sections of verses between men and women, canon, countermelodies and more. He also showed how he had used these techniques in the choir pieces he arranged which we sang earlier in the day. It was a great day of learning and encouragement and fellowship for all!
On Sunday morning, Pastor Frank had the opportunity to preach at Holy Word Lutheran Church in Hsinchu for All Saints Day. His sermon was called “Saints Sing Salvation’s Song.” Afterwards we had a conversation with the 13-year-old pianist who accompanied the whole service and her father. She was nervous and her father was wondering if he should continue to encourage her in her music studies. We encouraged her to continue learning and serving God’s Church. She did a lovely job in spite of the nerves with strangers in the congregation. Finally, Monday morning, Pastor Frank spoke to China Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) pastors and interested lay people online on the topic of the distinctiveness of Lutheran worship.
It was a great weekend. We are very thankful for Pastor Frank’s service to the CELC, for the gifts he shared, for his excellent preparation (including studying Chinese on Duolingo), for his humble and culturally inquisitive nature and for God’s great blessing on the weekend!
