Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church - 200th Anniversary

Hamilton Union 1824 – 200 years.

Celebrating 200 years, the Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church is located in Guilderland, New York.  

Carol Scott is Choir Director and Organist. We began planning the anniversary hymn a few months ago.  From its inception, we envisioned that Carol would write a new tune to go with my new anniversary text.  

Thereafter, I wrote and sent to Carol “With Tenderness, You Shaped The Past”. Carol liked the hymn, and plans to write the new tune for it.

Also, as you can see from the photograph of the interior of the sanctuary, this congregation sings from the correct blue 1990 Presbyterian Hymnal.  Good for them!

400th Anniversary of the First Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts

 Here is a remarkable story.  In Weymouth, Mass., you can worship on any given Sunday, with a congregation that began in 1623.  Just three years after Plymouth Rock!  It boggles the mind, that this congregation has been gathering for worship every Sunday since then, and is considered to be the oldest church in the USA offering continuing weekly worship.

As you might guess, a church this old also must have some interesting stories to tell about its many years of faithfulness. And you would be correct.  Regarding their history, nothing stands out for me as much as the association with the Smith family.  As in Abigail Smith Adams, who grew up in this congregation before marrying John Adams (in the church parsonage) and becoming the second First Lady of the United States, a celebrated letter writer, and one of the chief definers of the role of First Lady.  Her father was the pastor of the church, and its longest tenured minister - serving a total of 46 years.  Awesome as that is, there is more to tell about Rev. Smith.  Indeed, he was one of the first people anywhere to read the newly written Declaration of Independence to a gathered crowd, in this case, from the pulpit of the church which is still in use, to this day.

I love this kind of history.  And so I am glad to say that the church has given me the responsibility of writing their 400th Anniversary Hymn.  It is written, and in the hands of the church's music director, Jane, who has written a brand new tune to go with my words.  Exciting indeed.

The church has been celebrating its 400th all year long, and had a special concert several weeks ago.  

I enjoyed working on this new hymn with Jane Cleary, who is the music director and also a long time part of the congregation.  Here is how it unfolded...  I sent Jane a list of questions to consider as we began our work.  Jane sent me a nice informational email answering many of the questions and adding additional helpful details.  From it, I was immediately inspired to write their hymn “Four Hundred Years Before Us”.  When it was done, I sent the first draft to Jane.  Jane loved it.  Better yet, she composed a brand new hymn tune to go with it, which she completed on October 28, 2023. 

Anniversary Sunday is still on the horizon, December 10th of this year.  The hymn will have its debut on that day in worship.  I am so honored to be a part of their amazing and wonderful 400 years in this way.

South Presbyterian Church in Bergenfield New Jersey Sings the 300th Anniversary Hymn I Wrote for Them

 This past Saturday evening saw a festive celebration concert at the South Church in Bergenfield New Jersey.  They were celebrating a remarkable anniversary - 300 years!  Imagine, the church was begun long before we had the Declaration of Independence.  Indeed, a decade before the birth of Founding Father George Washington. 

I was glad to be part of the celbration.  There was music from various periods n the church's 300 year history.  There were instrumentalist, pianists, soloists, and organist, as well as the church choir.  And as the finale of the evening, the congregation sang the 300th Anniversary Hymn that I had written for them. They sang it with verve.  It was wonderful to hear them.

I wish I could have been there - but thankfully, I could participate remotely on line.  

Sycamore Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati Celebrates 225 Years with a New Hymn by John A. Dalles

 "God is Forever Near" is the name of the 225th Anniversary hymn that I wrote for Sycamore Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati Ohio.  

The Sunday before last, I tuned in to their online Sunday Morning worship service and it was almost like being there in person.  

The service was lovely in every way.  Much of it was written by and presented by the children of the church - which on an anniversary Sunday is a perfect way to highlight the present and future of the congregation.  

The sermon by the associate pastor Rachel was right on target, focusing on Jesus' words, "Let the children come unto me."  

There was lots of good music, and the hymn I wrote for them was the concluding hymn of the morning.  The congregation sang it with what I can only call gusto, so I believe they were enjoying singing it as much as I enjoyed hearing it.  

What a treat! 

Recent New Anniversary Hymns for Churches...

I have completed several new anniversary hymns for congregations marking special milestones.

The Sycamore Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, is marking their 225th anniversary - remarkable isn't it - in a Sunday Morning worship celebration on Sunday, October 15, in less than two weeks from now.  Rev. Ross Reddick is their pastor and they have a robust and warm fellowship.  You can watch their worship that day on line, or see it later in their archive of recent services.

Trinity United Church of Christ in East Petersburg, Pennsylvania is marking its 175th anniversary in 2023.  At the request of the church’s pastor, Chris Rankin, I wrote a hymn for the church entitled “Now Hear God’s Word for Us This Day”, which is sung to the tune JERUSALEM.  East Petersburg is my hometown (where I lived from 1971 to 1982). Although we were members of Highland PC in Lancaster, Trinity UCC played a special part in my formative years, and I have a great fondness for them. (And a first hand knowledge of their past 50 or so years of their 175!).  This hymn will have its debut on Sunday, October 29th; you can worship with them on line to hear it, or consult their worship archives thereafter.  

 

South Presbyterian Church is marking 300 years in Bergenfield, New Jersey. Since 1723 this congregation has been a source of inspiration and strength for the community and a landmark in the local landscape.  As part of their yearlong celebration, I crafted  a new anniversary hymn text, called ”We Praise You God This Day”; it is sung to the familiar hymn tune VRUECHTEN, which is a tune beloved by the congregation and reflects their heritage.  Rev. Osvaldon 'Osy' Nuesch is the church's pastor.  The hymn will first be sung at a celebratory anniversary concert - as the finale - on Saturday, October 21, with the webcast starting at 7 p.m.  You can see it via the church website.

 

The Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey, Pennsylvania will mark its 300^th anniversary in 2024.  For the Derry congregation, I  have penned a hymn called “Bourne By the Waters, Braving the Waves”, which, by  the church's anniversary committee's special request, is sung to the tune of the “Skye Boat Song”, thus connecting to their Scots Irish Presbyterian roots.  Rev. Stephen McKinney-Whitaker is their pastor.  The hymn will first be sung the first Sunday in April 2024.  The congregation anticipates singing the hymn throughout their anniversary year.   

 

“These churches each have a remarkable and laudable history.  I am glad to lift up aspects of their congregations’ life in a hymn that is theirs alone, that they can sing during their anniversary celebration and in the years to come.”

Currently, I am at work on several other pieces for churches who are marking special anniversaries in the coming year.