REQUIEM FOR THE LIVING

from The Fount, Volume 9, Spring Edition

midtown HOUSTON

BY ADAM COGLIANO, MINISTER FOR MUSIC & WORSHIP

including the well-known settings of Mozart, Verdi, Fauré, Duruflé, Brahms, and others. Dan Forrest, however, has chosen to write a Requiem for the Living, flipping the liturgical genre on its head. Through the use of biblical texts not standard to the Requiem (Ecclesiastes and Job), and by reordering a few of the Requiem movements, Forrest has turned a service of rest for the deceased into a service of rest for the weary. As the music wrestles through the arduousness of everyday living, the music also reminds us that, in Christ, there is rest for all who are heavy-laden, and in Christ, all of God’s promises are “Yes.”

Throughout this year’s Lenten season, we explored the promises of God in the Old Testament—promises made in the midst of uncertainty, doubt, pain, and restlessness, and promises that are fulfilled in the Resurrection. On Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023, the Sanctuary Choir, soloists, and orchestra spoke into the tension of pain and promise, restlessness and rest, with Requiem for the Living, by Dan Forrest in a masterful performance in our Sanctuary.

In Christian liturgical tradition, the Requiem is the Mass for the dead, containing texts that implore God to grant rest for the soul that has passed on. Throughout music history, several prominent composers have prioritized composing their own Requiem settings,

ANNUAL FAMILY MINISTRY MLK WEEKEND TRIPS

South Main Youth New York Trip

A recap from brothers Jack Fowler, 8th grade, and Lee Fowler, 12th grade

The Youth group flew out early Saturday morning and hit the city running, or rather walking thousands and thousands of steps. They dropped their bags off in the bunk rooms of Metro Baptist Church where they would stay for the weekend and went off to explore the city. The first day the Youth group saw Central Park, Rockefeller Center where the Christmas tree was still up, and Top of the Rock observation deck, ate dinner in small groups, and walked through Times Square on the way back to the church.

In the spirit of David Letterman’s Top 10 lists, here are the Fowler boys’ Top 10 tips/funnies from the 2023 Youth trip to New York City.

10 Pro tip: If you leave your bag in the airport gate area and then walk out of the secured area, you can’t go back and get it. (Make sure you have friends that will grab it for you!) same time, yet n

9 New York is COLD in January. Even so, you can indeed run the radiator, air conditioning, and open the windows at the same time, yet never find the right sleeping temperature.

8 Going to N Trains & Automo at ver y ain, pulation oom pace. encing ter lunch erty, York pizza, end the talk about onding ecially pping

Going to New York City is really like being in the Planes, Trains & Automobiles movie (with buses).

Day 2 started off with worship at Metro Baptist Church. It was a very different service than South Main, as they have a large online population that worships with them via Zoom with screens in their worship space. The Youth appreciated experiencing another way of worshiping. After lunch they went to the Statue of Liberty, the 911 Memorial, Wall Street, Trinity Church, eat some New York pizza, see Wicked on Broadway, and end the evening gathered together to talk about their highlights of the trip.

Lee noted that it was a great bonding experience for the group, especially for the seniors as they are wrapping up their time in the South Main Youth group.

Riding on the subway will introduce you to all kinds of people, including a guy that preaches about our artificial moon, that the Bermuda Triangle is a portal, and other funny things.

7 Ridin of artificial m and other hom EVE and

6 Simone Biles was on our airplane coming home and graciously posed for a picture with us.

5 Someone in the youth group knew EVERY WORD to every song in Wicked and might have sung along.