Music at Bethesda - Winter 2024 | Articles

Music at Bethesda - Winter 2024

by Randy Ewing on February 09, 2024

Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter are busy times for everyone, and church musicians are no exception. As we prepared and awaited the birth of Jesus, we also prepared for the return of the Bethesda Christmas Festival. Thank you to everyone who helped, participated, and attended the wonderful afternoon of music, crafts, photos, treats, and fellowship! The 2023 Bethesda Christmas Festival was a huge success that was enjoyed by many.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. The mid-week worship services and soup suppers will be here
before we know it! The weekly suppers will begin at 6 pm on Wednesdays in the Commons, with the Holden Evening Prayer Service following at 7 pm in the Sanctuary.

Bethesda Adult and Carillon Choirs are preparing anthems for the Lenten journey and the Easter Sunday celebration. If you've ever thought about joining either (or both!) of these groups, now would be a great time to give it a try! Beginning Ash
Wednesday, the Bethesda Choir will be rehearsing in the Sanctuary immediately following the Wednesday evening service until 8:30 pm, and the Carillon Choir will continue rehearsing on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the Music Room.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend this year's Good Friday Tenebrae: A Musical Service of Darkness. This service's structure and music will be similar to last year's, but expect some changes that will further enhance this moving experience. We hope to see you all on Friday, March 29, beginning at 7:00 pm.

About the Author

Randy Ewing

I was born and raised in a small town in eastern Iowa. I knew I loved Ames from the first time I came to town for an Iowa All-State Concert when I was in 8^th grade! Years later, I landed in Ames to attend Iowa State, where I met my wife, Nancy, and eventually finished my bachelor’s degree in Music Education. We will celebrate our 32^nd wedding anniversary in December 2022. Nancy and I are blessed with two children, Katelyn (29) and Karter (26). When we retired and moved back to Ames in July, we knew we’d be able to spend more time with our kids, their spouses (Layton and Brooke), and our grand dogs too!

Throughout my career as a music educator, I taught general music, choral music (and even one year of high school band), to students of all ages ranging from kindergarten through college. Most recently, I retired from Le Mars Community High School, where I was the high school choral director for the past 16 years. During our time in Le Mars, I earned my master’s degree in music education from the University of South Dakota.

My first official church job was as organist at the age of 11. Over the years, I’ve served several churches in a variety of different roles including organist, accompanist, choir director and soloist. We’ve enjoyed Bethesda since our first visit (which was before the pandemic) and I’m excited to share my talents with the hope of enhancing the worship experience for others.