Larry Strahan is used to singing in a church choir that averages 10 to 15 participants a week.

That's why he's thrilled to have about 50 more singers surrounding him for an upcoming Easter cantata in the recently renovated sanctuary of Redeemer Lutheran Church, 743 E. Magnolia.

"It's exciting," said Strahan, who sings bass at Redeemer. "Our church space is too nice not to share with others."

Nearly 70 singers will gather in the sanctuary on Palm Sunday to perform "A Mighty Fortress," an hourlong festival of hymns celebrating the Easter season.

Performances will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Ellsworth First Presbyterian Church and 7 p.m. Sunday at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Admission is by donation. Proceeds will go to the Salina Emergency Aid-Food Bank, 255 S. Chicago.

The Redeemer choir will be joined by the Ellsworth County Community Choir.

For more than 30 years, the Ellsworth choir, which includes singers from Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic and Lutheran churches in Ellsworth, Kanopolis and Holyrood, has performed an Easter cantata each year on Palm Sunday at a different host church.

"Whichever church hosts it that year, that choir director gets to direct it," said David Rankin, choir director at Ellsworth's First Presbyterian Church; he'll direct this year's cantata.

Worship the same God

When Rankin became choir director at First Presbyterian in 1987, the annual cantata primarily was a collaboration between the Ellsworth Presbyterian and Methodist churches. Soon other churches were invited to join.

Having extra voices in the choir not only improved the quality of the cantata, but the different denominations found fulfillment working together toward a common purpose, Rankin said.

"We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes, but we often find that things aren't that different between us," he said. "We all worship the same God."

Alice Robson, a member of Ellsworth United Methodist Church and a soprano in the church choir, said it was a learning experience to visit with people who weren't in her own congregation.

"It's wonderful knowing we serve the same God and can all sing the same praises," she said.

"Bringing together different churches in one unit makes us all stronger," said Pete Donley, a tenor in the Ellsworth First Presbyterian Church choir.

The first Salina church

This is the first year a Salina church has participated in the cantata. Redeemer choir members were invited by Rankin, who designed a new sanctuary organ for the church while working for Combs Organ Specialists of Newton.

Rankin also played the organ at a dedication ceremony at the church last September.

After the dedication, he invited Redeemer choir members to participate in the combined choir cantata.

"It's a neat thing to have them join us," Rankin said. "Now we have close to 70 people singing. You don't have the chance to direct that big of a choir very often."

Rankin will direct cantata presentations in both Ellsworth and Salina. That's just fine with Redeemer choir director Mary Mertz, who's happy to expand the number of choir members who usually sing at her church.

"We have a small choir of about 10, so to have all these people come here was a thrill for us," she said. "We want to offer more musical events to the community. The sanctuary was designed for music."

Backed by Wesleyan brass

The cantata will consist of a collection of songs and hymns chosen by Rankin that combine traditional and contemporary Christian music. The singers will be backed by several brass instruments played by students from Kansas Wesleyan University directed by Wesleyan band director William McMosley.

The combination of voices and instruments has created an unbelievable sound in the renovated sanctuary, Mertz said.

"At the end of every piece we sing, you can hear the reverberation," she said.

Mertz would like to continue her church's musical collaboration with the Ellsworth County Community Choir and hopes other Salina and area churches will become involved in the future.

"It can continue to grow from here," she said. "Music brings people together -- that's one of the gifts it gives us."

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.

Join the Discussion:

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Dave Rankin says....
It was truly an AWESOME experience for everyone involved. Thank you to all who participated and attended. (This was a fantastic article by the way....thanks for the great coverage.)
4/12/2009

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Jan Bontrager, 1st UMC, Ellsworth says....
You have no idea how AWESOME this is! I would encourage ALL to attend either session of the Easter Cantata this Sunday.
3/31/2009

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