F irst Pulse
First United Methodist Church Grand Rapids | grfumc.org
Stories from First Church and the impact on the lives of our community
Winter 2020
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Winter 2020
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New sermon series, “Hitting the Reset Button!” 7 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Family Story-Telling Christmas Eve Service
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OUR MISSION To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
OUR PURPOSE
To fulfill the call of Christ to be spiritually alive in the city while embracing the world.
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INCLUSIVITY Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enable all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the community, and the world; therefore, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination.
Pastor’s Message February at First Church is largely focused on the Celebration of the Arts. 2020 will be the 47th annual juried Christian art show that attracts artists and patrons from all across Michigan. The dates of this year’s Celebration of the Arts are February 8 – 19. You will read extensively about the specifics of all the opportunities during the nearly two-week emphasis. One of the hallmarks of First Church is our commitment to the visual and performing arts. And my, how blessed we are as a result of our congregation’s historic commitment. Historically, the visual and performing arts have always been enhanced and developed by the community of faith. For centuries, the church was the center of education, art, music, creative thought, and writing, as well as faith development. As both church and society developed through the Medieval era as well as the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras, there was an extraordinary partnership between the church and community. It is not possible to isolate church history from human history. They were mutually interdependent on one another. In the relative recent past and the separation of church and state, there has been an attempt to segment life by compartmentalizing faith from society, politics, and government. (As if the influence of values that are shaped in one area of our lives does not affect all areas of our lives.) The argument here is akin to the segmentation that has happened in our thinking about the practice of medicine: do we treat persons as though they are body, mind, and spirit, OR do the emotional, spiritual, and physical dimensions of a person come together in a unified whole that must be treated as a unified whole? After all these years, we are continuing to learn that there is an undeniable connection among all facets of our lives.
The Youth Choir So it is fitting that the community of faith asserts (or perhaps reasserts) its influence in all aspects of society. And one of the more striking ways that people of faith influence our world is through the arts. While public schools often devalue the role of the arts by cutting funding for teachers of art, music, creative writing, theater, and dance, I believe that the church is called once again to fill a void. Of all the characteristics that we teach about God, one of the most dominant of all divine characteristics is creativity. We need to teach and encourage creativity, and then celebrate the creative gifts of people within the community of faith. So I invite you to use the month of February to invite friends and family to enjoy and connect with God (and people of the church) through the arts. It might be their entry into our faith community! On January 26, we are also kicking off an Introduction to First Church membership class at 9:15 am each Sunday morning. We are blessed to have many guests who are attending Sunday after Sunday. In sharing their names with us, they often reflect that they are searching for a new church home. Based on the patterns of attendance, guests are becoming regular attenders and getting active in classes or ministries of First Church. Introduction to First Church is a way to get acquainted with the values, vision, and ministry of First Church in order to make a decision if officially joining the church is desirable. If you have been considering learning more about First Church, please come and be part of the class. Finally, our Lenten journey begins on February 26 with Ash Wednesday services at noon and 7:00 pm, with an additional opportunity at the Clark Retirement Community - Franklin Campus Chapel at 3:00 pm. Blessings to you throughout these winter weeks and our spiritual journey toward Lent. Grace and peace to you all. Pastor Bob First Pulse | Winter ‘20
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Radical H ospitality Behind the Scenes
Have you ever watched behind-the-scenes clips to your favorite TV shows or movies? Many times they are filled with how stars get along or the goofy moments that happen when someone misses their cue. Or do you prefer to watch the intricate making of your favorite movies: the set design, computer imaging, or the cosmetic transformation of a person into their character? While First Church is far from Hollywood, have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes? Your typical Sunday morning starts with a custodian running around the building to get lights and coffee going. Other staff and volunteers are setting up for classes and worship. The nursery staff comes in next. They are ready to watch your little ones while you go to class and worship. Usually their morning is full of play and joyful laughter. Now, it’s 9:15 am, time for classes to begin. From children’s classes, to confirmation, to adult classes, faith development is a top priority. What you may not know is that teachers have been preparing all week for this very time together. (Teachers, thank you for the time and energy you put into preparing for class!) If you haven’t been a part of one of classes, you may not see the quality relationships that development or the ways class members encourage and pray for one another. If you are not a teenager or don’t have a teenager, you may not see that our youth leaders are eager to ask about our students’ week and be a positive role model during some of the most challenging times of growing up. Do you know what happens between 10:15 - 10:45 am? For some, it’s a relaxing cup of coffee or a stroll through the Celebration gallery. For choir members, this is their time to warm up, robe, and do a last minute run-through (practices are on Thursday evenings, email erics@grfumc.org if you’d like to get involved). For children and youth, this their primary rehearsal time. Our worship support teams are now preparing for worship: setting out friendship pads, handing out bulletins, greeting, helping visitors find their way around, sharing large print bulletins with those who need a larger font, and warmly greeting all who enter. If it is a communion Sunday, communion stewards are preparing the elements and bringing them into worship. They even make an extra set for one of the pastors to take to Children and Worship. During this time our acolytes (the ones who bring in the [candle] light of Christ to worship) are robing 4
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up and taking their places. The pastors are also robing, while the sound and video techs are checking microphones and preparing for a soundcheck. Just before 10:45 am, the gathering music begins, played by staff or volunteers, typically at the piano. As worship begins, you will see a combination of pastors and lay people (anyone who is not a pastor) help to lead worship through word, music, scripture, message, prayer, and by serving communion. Behind the scenes, the worship support members are still attentive to the needs of worshipers, offering rocking chairs, giving children worship bags, pointing people to the restrooms, and helping with the offering. In the pews, you will see regular worshipers greet the visitor and help with worship cues. I especially love to watch members jump in to show visitors when to use the smaller, Faith We Sing book. This small action acknowledges the person beside you and says you are meant to be here. At some point in almost every service, something will get dropped (bulletin, pen, clipboard, toy) and it will slide a row up. Rather than turn to give a cranky look, the person in the front row will pick up the item and turn with a smile that says, “That was me last week.” As worship concludes, our acolytes re-light their sticks, put out the candles in the front to symbolize all of us taking the light of Christ into the world. The pastors move to the exits to greet and meet new visitors. The worship support teams, nursery staff, Shine room staff, and Children and Worship teachers wrap up (they are the ones leading the classes for the children who left during worship). If there is an after-church activity, another set of volunteers have been working to make a scene change and are waiting for worshipers to join in. From meals, to Unplugged, to youth groups, to yoga, to Celebration events, the opportunities continue. There are so many beautifully moving pieces to First Church (and we talked only about Sunday mornings!). I hope you will take this start of 2020 to see how your piece can fit in and make a positive difference. Lights, camera, action, connect! Sami Marasigan Director of Invitation and Hospitality samim@grfumc.org
PASSIONATE WORSHIP Music and Arts Ministry
Celebration of the Arts The 47th Annual Celebration of the Arts will open with the of the Artists’ Reception on Friday, February 7 at 7:00 pm in the Wesley Hall Gallery. Open to the public, this is an opportunity to speak with artists, view the art, and hear as the prize winners are announced. There is live jazz music and a reception running throughout the evening.
CELEBRATION
Arts
There are a few innovations this year, including a new look with our branding and graphic design. By scrutinizing the gallery attendance patterns, we have refined our gallery hours, and this year have included three evening gallery events. Additionally, there is a new award this year called the Social Justice Prize, honoring art that raises awareness and encourages action in support of contemporary causes of justice. Of course, the opening of the gallery is the result of many weeks of advance planning and preparation. The weekend prior to the opening of the gallery is devoted to receiving the art submissions by hundreds of artists from the region. Once the art is received, then a juror examines the submitted works and selects a show of approximately 125 pieces. The juror for this year is Rehema C. Barber, who is the Chief Curator at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. A highly skilled curator and a significant voice in the contemporary art world, we are deeply honored by her willingness to serve as juror for this show. Celebration of the Arts offers a variety of experiences and expressions and this includes the worship service on Sunday morning. On the first Sunday of Celebration, February 9, the Beer City Brass Quintet will be guests in worship. Founded in 2016, this ensemble, as implied by their name, is dedicated to the Grand Rapids community. The members of the ensemble are all music teachers in the area. On the second Sunday of Celebration, February 16, the Girls Choral Academy and the Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus will be the guest choirs for the 10:45 am service. Both ensembles sing a repertoire that celebrates the rich diversity of women of all races, ages, cultures, and traditions. Directed by Lori Tennenhouse, they are guided by a belief that music is a powerful tool to promote equity and social justice, and that all our lives are enriched by the experience of live performance.
In the afternoons of both Sundays, we present hour-long concerts followed by a reception in the gallery. The first concert at 3:00 pm on February 9 features works for the dynamic combination of saxophone and organ. Well-known local jazz artist and performer, Hugh DeWitt, will join me for a performance of contemporary music by Paul Halley, James Whitbourne, and Hans-Andre Stamm. With parts both lively and reflective this concert will be full of sonic interest. At 3:00 pm on February 16, we present a very exotic concert for Organ, Marimba, and Taiko Drum in Music of Japan. This is an amazing opportunity to hear music that is rarely performed and to see the kinetic drama of the art of Taiko drumming. Our featured non-profit arts organization this year is DisArt. DisArt describes itself as “a production company and arts and culture organization that focuses its energy on creating public art events that cultivate and communicate a Disabled culture. All of this work presents the highest quality, contemporary art done by Disabled artists from around the world.” In conjunction with this feature, we present local artist Wesley DeVries in the upstairs Gallery. DeVries creates vivid art in the realm of abstract expressionism. DeVries has had several significant showings and exhibitions in the area and will speak about art and journey in a presentation on Wednesday, February 12 at 7:00 pm. What an amazing and rich observance that is in store for this year’s Celebration! Your presence is vital to the continuation of this event. See you this February! Eric Strand Director of Music and the Arts
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January/February 2020
Wednesday, February 5 5:30 pm – Building Committee 6:00 pm – Young Adult Group
Tuesday, January 21 7:00 am – Work Program 6:00 pm – I Light Grief Group 6:00 pm – Mat Yoga 5:30 pm – Social Justice Team 6:30 pm – Mission Team
Wednesday, January 29 6:00 pm – Young Adult Group
January 22 5:30 pm – Young Adult Group: Dinner Creations
Friday, January 31 10:00 am – Art Intake
Friday, February 7 7:00 pm – Celebration Artists’ Reception
Saturday, February 1 10:00 am – Art Intake
February 8 - 19 47th Annual Celebration of the Arts
Sunday, February 2 Communion Sunday Juror Sunday 8:45 am – Nursery Care 9:15 am – Church School Classes for all ages 10:15 am – Choir Rehearsals 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 11:00 am – Children & Worship, and Shine: Sensory Room 11:45 am – Blood Pressure Clinic 5:00 pm – Jr High and Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Gentle Yoga
Saturday, February 8 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 3 pm 9:30 am – Feeding America
Thursday, January 23 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 6:00 pm – Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal Sunday, January 26 8:45 am – Nursery Care 9:15 am – Church School Classes for all ages 10:15 am – Choir Rehearsals 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 11:00 am – Children & Worship, and Shine: Sensory Room 12:00 pm – Advance Care Planning Lunch 5:00 pm – Jr High and Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Gentle Yoga Monday, January 27 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 12:45 pm – Weekly Staff Check-In 7:00 pm – Leadership Council Tuesday, January 28 7:00 am – Work Program 6:00 pm – Mat Yoga A
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Thursday, January 30 6:00 pm – Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Monday, February 3 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 12:45 pm – Weekly Staff Check-In 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Tuesday, February 4 7:00 am – Work Program 6:00 pm – Mat Yoga
Thursday, February 6 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 6:00 pm – Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Sunday, February 9 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 5:30 pm Coffee Can Offering 8:45 am – Nursery Care 9:15 am – Celebration Gallery Walk-Through 9:15 am – Church School Classes for all ages 10:15 am – Choir Rehearsals 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 11:00 am – Children & Worship, and Shine: Sensory Room 3:00 pm – Celebration of the Arts Concert: Music for Organ and Saxophone 5:00 pm – Jr High and Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Gentle Yoga
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Monday, February 10 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 3 pm 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 12:45 pm – Weekly Staff Check-In 5:00 pm – Board of Trustees Tuesday, February 11 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 3 pm 7:00 am – Work Program 5:30 pm – SPRC 5:30 pm – Finance Team 6:00 pm – Mat Yoga Wednesday, February 12 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 8 pm 12:00 pm – Celebration Gallery Walk-Through Thursday, February 13 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 8 pm 6:00 pm – Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:00 pm – Celebration Gallery Walk-Through 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal Friday, February 14 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 3 pm Saturday, February 15 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 3 pm Sunday, February 16 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 5:30 pm 8:45 am – Nursery Care 9:15 am – Church School Classes for all ages 10:15 am – Choir Rehearsals 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 11:00 am – Children & Worship, and Shine: Sensory Room
12:00 pm – Unplugged (3rd - 6th Graders) 12:00 pm – Families in Faith: Monthly Brunch 3:00 pm – Celebration of the Arts Concert: Music of Japan for Organ, Marimba, and Taiko Drum 5:00 pm – Jr High and Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Gentle Yoga Monday, February 17 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 3 pm 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 12:45 pm – Weekly Staff Check-In 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry 7:00 pm – Art and Organ (AGO) Tuesday, February 18 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 3 pm 7:00 am – Work Program 6:00 pm – FAN of I Light: Specialized Grief Group 6:00 pm – Mat Yoga
Sunday, February 23 8:45 am – Nursery Care 9:15 am – Church School Classes for all ages 10:15 am – Choir Rehearsals 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 11:00 am – Children & Worship, and Shine: Sensory Room 4:00 pm – New Worship Service: The Movement 5:00 pm – Jr High and Sr High Youth Group 5:00 pm – Sunday Soul Sisters 5:30 pm – Gentle Yoga Monday, February 24 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 12:45 pm – Weekly Staff Check-In Tuesday, February 25 7:00 am – Work Program 6:00 pm – Mat Yoga
Wednesday, February 19 Celebration Hours: 10 am - 1 pm 9:00 am – Caring Connection 4:00 pm – Off the Wall Party 6:00 pm – Young Adult Group: Game Night Thursday, February 20 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 6:00 pm – Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal
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Casey’s Breakfast 2020 Christmas Eve Services Christmas Eve Dancers
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Intentional Faith Development The start of the new year is a great time for reflection and goal-setting. In the area of health and wellness, however you interpret that, how would you rate yourself in 2019? Did you find yourself living a healthier, more grounded life? What health and wellness goals do you have for yourself in 2020? How do you plan to reach those goals? Our sermon and program series this past summer focused on mental, physical, and spiritual health. I hope that the series left you wanting more opportunities to focus on yourself so that you can become closer to God and the Spirit. One way to improve one’s mental, physical, and spiritual health is through the practice of yoga. At First Church, we offer two free community yoga classes every week: a traditional yoga class on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm and a gentle yoga class
on Sundays at 5:30 pm.
From our Gentle Yoga instructor Kathy Julien: “In gentle yoga, we begin momentby-moment and breath-by-breath, steadily, softly, and mindfully moving our bodies to improve flexibility, strength, and balance. We move toward yoga postures that are gentle, supportive, and are adapted to allow students of all levels and abilities to benefit, regardless of limitations or restrictions. Experiencing various breathing techniques, guided relaxation, and taking things at your own pace are emphasized. While each class is unique, they share a common intention: A self-care practice that cultivates being present in mind, body, and spirit, as opposed to an “exercise” class. When we practice gentle yoga we are not “doing” yoga but instead receiving yoga. Students typically report physical benefits such as improved range of motion, flexibility and balance, as well as an increased sense of calm and peace and overall well-being. I have personally experienced the healing and transformative effects of Yoga in my own life. I believe this is a practice for every-body and I enjoy sharing it with students,
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especially those that think they “can’t” do yoga. My desire as a yoga teacher is to guide students to come home to themselves, one breath at a time. I have almost 20 years of personal practice and training. I completed Prairie Yoga’s Teacher Training program as well as additional training in chair yoga, trauma-informed yoga therapy, meditation, and holistic counseling. During the week, I provide yoga therapy and meditation services at the Eagle Park Wellness Collective.” In whatever way you choose, I hope you will make your health and wellness a priority this year: take a vacation (or a stay-cation), meet up with friends, join a class, get moving. Watch the bulletin for additional mental, physical, and spiritual health and wellness development opportunities. Audrey Kawel Director of Faith Development and Children’s Ministry
Risk-Taking Outreach and Mission As a Christian faith community, we use the liturgical calendar to inform our celebrations. Many of the liturgical seasons are very familiar to us: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc. And some seasons are less familiar. Epiphany, celebrated in the Western Christian Church from January 6th until the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, is a season that tends to be less familiar to some people. The main theme of Epiphany is that Jesus is the light of the world revealed to all people. It begins with the celebration of the three magi who followed a star to see the child Jesus in Bethlehem, and continues to draw us throughout the season into stories that have to do with the manifestation of Christ to all people. As I was reading The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr the other day, I found his reflection on Christ as the light of the world particularly fitting for this Epiphany season. Fr Richard points out that the expression “the light of the world,” used to describe Christ in the gospel of John, is the same phrase that Jesus uses to describe us in the gospel of Matthew: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Christ is the light of the world, revealing God’s love to us...so that we might be the light of the world revealing God’s love to others.
and First Church volunteers generously donated time and gifts to bring joy to over 200 children. On December 14 we had close to 25 First Church volunteers show up to help with the Feeding America food truck distribution. And on Christmas Eve morning we hosted our annual Casey’s Breakfast, where many volunteers donated warm socks and toiletries, and nearly 100 First Church volunteers showed up to celebrate Christmas with breakfast and socks for over 350 of our Heartside neighbors. Thank you for all of these ways you were a light in our world during the Christmas season.
As 2020 begins with our journey through the season of Epiphany, I look forward to continuing “Christ is the to partner together with you light of the world, to celebrate Christ, the light revealing God’s love of the world, and to answer to us...so that we Christ’s call to be the light of might be the light of the world. We will have many the world revealing opportunities in the coming God’s love to months, including mission trips, others.” our next Family Promise host week in March, and our ongoing Work Program and MLK Tutoring Program. Prayerfully consider how you might shine your light in 2020 by participating in our mission, outreach, and I witnessed First Church revealing God’s love to social justice ministries - and, as always, I’m more others throughout the month of December in some than happy to help you get connected! beautiful ways. The month kicked off with our annual MLK Gift of Giving event, where generosity Rev. Dr. Joan VanDessel abounded. MLK parent volunteers generously Associate Pastor donated their time and effort throughout the year Director of Outreach and Mission to benefit numerous non-profit agencies in our city,
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EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY Resource Development
Seeking God’s Guidance About Our Giving Happy New Year from the Finance Committee! It is indeed a Happy New Year! I’d like to share some inspirational information that illustrates the extravagant ways our church family exercises faith through giving. First of all, some information about our fall giving campaign. We were a little bit concerned about our level of giving for 2020 because of the loss, through death, of a few of our larger giving folks in 2019. This is inevitable, of course, and this inspired our campaign theme, “From Strength to Strength.” Our message was to encourage our many younger and active families to think about how they will find a path, over time, to become the new base of solid financial support for the wonderful ministries of First Church. Our hope was that our giving would remain the same in 2020 as it was in 2019. I am happy to report that our amazing congregation surpassed this goal! It now appears that our giving will actually be between $50,000 and $100,000 higher in 2020 than in 2019, even with the loss of the givers I mentioned above. With this incredible response, we will be able to move forward confidently with our ministry plans in 2020. Thank you for your generous response to our campaign. God is clearly leading us to be a bright light for those struggling with the darkness of life’s problems! If you have not yet responded, or wish at any time to adjust your pledge, please feel free to contact Emil Jensen (emilj@grfumc.org) in the church office. Next, I’d like to update you on our 2019 year-end financial results. We are wrapping up the final details of the year, but it appears that we will “beat” our projections by a substantial amount. As a reminder, we annually “subsidize” our general fund budget by a small amount from our bequeathed Legacy Funds in a manner consistent with donor or estate wishes. For 2019, we expected to need to use about $65,000 of these funds to balance our budget. This subsidy represents only about 4% of our total general budget. As it turns out, we will need to use only about $50,000 of these funds, about $15,000 less than planned, to balance our 2019 budget. This is due to very good expense management by our staff, but also because once again, we will be close to receiving 10
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Birthday Party for Jesus!
100% of our total pledged funds for the year, in spite of losing some generous givers during the year. Our congregational giving in 2019 was about $1,100,000, made up of many incredibly generous individual statements of faith! So we have a very good financial story to tell here at First Church! But the underlying good news has nothing to do with money. Rather, First Church is alive! First Church is living out God’s call to be in ministry, to become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, to know what it means to call ourselves Christians! Every day, we are impacting the lives of people in our congregation, in our community, and around the world. I hope God is leading everyone to find their personal ministry passion that results in joyful generous financial giving. Thanks again for your continued generosity and commitment to Christ through the ministries of First Church! Chris Hawkins Finance Committee
Congregational Care At times you have to look back in order to move forward. As the Christmas décor is boxed up and put away for another year, we rest assured that we made our way safely to Bethlehem with Jesus and family. We face the New Year, aware once again, that God is with us. The struggle begins when that last piece of décor is put away. Does the message of Christmas get packed away or does it lead us forward? The Benediction Pastor Joan and I shared on Christmas Eve was the Howard Thurman poem “Now the Work of Christmas Begins.” Thurman was an African American Civil Rights leader and theologian. He mentored Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others in the work of justice and human rights. The relevance is timeless. When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.
Our work continues way beyond the holiday season to develop a prayerful spirit and disciplined determination that brings about the work Jesus. Our way of speaking, sharing, and acting makes real the mystery and wonder we so keenly discovered in a stable in Bethlehem. How do we find that in these first days of the New Year? How are we finding God in all that is happening locally and globally in just these first few weeks?
Howard University Chapel - Howard Thurman, detail of stained glass window.
At times, it seems the way is lost, and yet I have found a new way. I have realized that my prayer and my thinking have changed over time. I thought for so long that I had to find God in the midst of all that was happening, when in reality, it is the other way around. God finds us. The reality that God is with us already. The search is over and so joining God is a journey of sharing. That is truly the work set before us and that is the work of Christmas. We don’t need to pause one or two times a year; we can remember daily the ways that this divine and human partnership pioneered by Jesus as the way forward provides an opportunity to continue building the reign of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Rev. Tim Tuthill Associate Pastor Director of Congregational Care
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CELEBRATION February 8 – 19, 2020
Arts of the
www.TheCelebrationOfTheArts.com
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. 1 Corinthians 12:4
CELEBRATION of the Arts 2020
EVENTS
Artists’ Reception ― Open to the Public Friday, Feb 7: 7 - 9 pm Jazz, special desserts, and presentation of awards! Celebration of the Arts — Gallery Walk-Through Sunday, Feb 9: 9:15 - 10:15 am Wednesday, Feb 12: 12 - 1 pm Thursday, Feb 13: 7 - 8 pm Adults are invited to experience the show through the special insight of Nancy Clouse, artist and retired faculty member from Grand Rapids Community College. Celebration Sunday Worship with Music for Brass and Organ Sunday, Feb 9: 10:45 am Join us for this powerful combination of brass, organ, and voice that is sure to lift your spirit, even in the middle of winter. Music for Organ and Saxophone Sunday, Feb 9: 3:00 pm Eric Strand, organist, is joined by Hugh DeWitt, saxophonist, in music of Paul Halley, James Whitbourne, and Hans-Andre Stamm. Seasoned and frequent performers in West Michigan, this music features diverse stylistic elements including jazz and the avant-garde.
Celebration Sunday Worship with The Girls Choral Academy and Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus Sunday, Feb 16: 10:45 am Singing songs of inspiration and hope, the Girls Choral Academy will be joined by the Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus for the annual Celebration of the Arts series. For more information about the artists, go to www.girlschoralacademy.org and www.grwc.org. Music of Japan for Organ, Marimba, and Taiko Drum Sunday, Feb 16: 3:00 pm, with Carolyn Koebel, taiko drum; Mark Lopez, marimba; and Rhonda Sider Edgington, organ Featuring music of Japanese composers, this concert will feature each instrument in solo, as well as ensemble works. The seldom heard Fuijin Raijin for organ and taiko drum by Tokuhide Niimi forms the centerpiece of the program. The title, Fujin Raijin, refers to Japanese gods of lightening, thunder, and storms, and these two powerful instruments will evoke thoughts of wind and thunder during this piece. A Fantasy for organ on the popular Japanese folk tune Sakura, sakura, as well as the solo marimba piece Land by Takatsugu Muramatsu will be performed. A piece commissioned especially for these performers by Carson Cooman will close the concert. A free-will offering is taken at each concert.
GALLERY HOURS
Open to the public beginning Saturday, February 8:
Sundays: 10 am - 5:30 pm Mondays,Tuesdays, Fridays, & Saturdays: 10 am - 3 pm Wednesdays & Thursdays: 10 am - 8 pm Wednesday, Feb 19: 10 am - 1 pm Off the Wall Party: 4 - 7 pm
C. JUROR Rehema Barber
is the Chief Curator at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Previously, she was the Director and Chief Curator at the Tarble Arts Center at Eastern Illinois University. Barber has held other significant appointments at universities and museums, including the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. A full biography detailing her significant curatorial work and writings may be found at TheCelebrationOfTheArts.com. Permanent Collection Display Enjoy a sample of the over 100 pieces of art in the First Church collection.
SPREAD THE WORD! To be added to our email list or to print extra entry forms, visit: www.TheCelebrationOfTheArts.com. Like us at www.facebook.com/ TheCelebrationOfTheArts.
ATTENTION ARTISTS! For an Entry Form visit: www.TheCelebrationOfTheArts.com. Deliver artwork January 31 - February 1, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.