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in tempo 0-25-100-0 100-22-22-0 0-80-100-0

a practical resource for Lutheran church musicians

Association of Lutheran 2020, No. 2 Church Musicians l alcm.org Adjusting Worship during the Pandemic In this issue of In Tempo:

Adjusting Worship A Perspective during the Pandemic 1 0-25-100-0by Tim Getz 100-22-22-0 0-80-100-0

WELS Worship and t Grace Lutheran Church in doing on this one occasion. Just COVID-19 4 Palo Alto, CA, we wanted to writing about that could be an entire akeep things as much the same article, but my overall impression is as possible, to keep a feeling of that Zoom would not be an effective Lenten and Easter continuity, provide a solid rock, and medium for worship on a regular Services in a Pandemic 6 help people feel closely connected basis. to their church home The Retired Church Musician and church family. We Subbing: A Brief Guide 8 are very fortunate to have a video record- Children’s Choir ing ministry already, Seasons 10 and we already have six cameras discreetly installed around our Both Sides Now worship space, so Five (More) Things that the only new hoop Cantors Would Like to jump through to Tell Pastors 14 was going “live.” We use YouTube as our Organ Maintenance platform, and people access the services via Which C? 16 our church website each Sunday at 10:00 Interview with a.m. In addition to all a Church Musician Sundays, we also pro- John Jahr 18 duced live broadcasts on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday evenings. We did try an abbreviated Easter Vigil via Zoom, which was an interesting experience, enjoyed by many, and worth Covenant Society The Covenant Society honors individu- als who have included the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in their will or estate plans, as well as congregations that have included ALCM in their asset disburse- ment plans. Please consider joining those who support ALCM in this way:

Arletta Anderson Donald and Mary Armitage Grace Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA Julie and David Grindle Linda and Robert E. Kempke Pauline and John Kiltinen We take government restrictions make their offering of money Rev. John D. Morris very seriously. In California, electronically. All of us are gatherings of up to ten people careful to stay at least six feet William A. Mowson not considered to be in high- apart from each other, usually Gregory Peterson and risk groups are allowed, and more like eight feet, ten feet, or Ann Sponberg Peterson houses of worship may meet in even more. I play both organ Mark W. Pinnick their buildings for the purpose and piano. The bulletin, with Jim and Stephanie Rindelaub of recording or broadcasting hymns and readings included, is Thomas and Kathleen Schmidt worship. So our entire staff, available on our website either David S. Thoresen including our two paid staff for printing at home or for singers, plus our fantastic viewing on a screen. volunteer AV technician, have continued to meet in church There have been controversies every Sunday morning for the within the wider church and broadcast. That’s normally even within our own church seven people. On Easter Day, we staff about the theological In Tempo is published three times a implications and logistics for year by the Association of Lutheran added our parish administrator, Church Musicians, 810 Freeman St., who is also a virtuoso handbell celebrating Holy Communion. Valparaiso, IN 46383. musician, and two trumpeters. Though we have not done so in the first seven weeks since our Copyright © 2020 Association of Everyone wears a wireless micro- Lutheran Church Musicians phone, and our AV technician state’s shelter-in-place order began, plans are developing to 800-624-2526 l www.alcm.org blends the feed from each mic offer communion in some way [email protected] in addition to “room” sound in the house mics, to create a very on occasion, as our weeks apart Subscription is included with convincing congregation. may well drag into months. Most membership in ALCM. likely this will involve a system Editor: Allison Schweitzer One change thus far has been of delivery of the sacrament to Editorial Support: Anne-Marie Bogdan the exclusion of Holy Com- people’s homes following our munion. We have had services worship broadcast each week, Designer: Kathryn Hillert Brewer of the word only. Beyond that essentially expanding the usual ALCM Business Manager: Cheryl Dieter omission, the liturgy has other- practice of bringing commu- Contributors to this issue: Karen S. wise been exactly the same as nion to the homebound to a Eddinger, Tim Getz, Bryan Gerlach, Jim Hild, we would do on any “normal” much wider scale. Adam Lefever Hughes, Nancy M. Raabe, Sunday: four hymns, all three Luke Tegtmeier readings plus the psalm, My choirs and handbell choir Featured Interview: John Jahr sermon, creed, and prayers of are, obviously, not meeting. I Hymnal Abbreviations: intercession. One or both of have stayed in contact with them ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship my staff singers offer a piece by sending a cheerful email LSB: Lutheran Service Book of music during the usual time every week or two, usually with CW: Christian Worship for the gathering of gifts, while a link to some music for them to the congregation is invited to listen to for their own spiritual uplifting and enjoyment. I also 2 ALCM in tempo 2020, No. 2 Though it’s no substitute for direct human interaction, people have even enjoyed greeting each other in the YouTube chat box as the service begins, and sharing the sign of peace in the same way. typically ask a question or two they are then uploaded to You- congregation. If there’s one and invite them to respond to Tube and posted on the church thing I personally may continue the whole group as a way of website. And I try to remember doing, it’s the weekly video staying in touch. to share them on Facebook. We hymn introductions. These have may soon experiment with proven to be very popular, and I play hymns in the same way I having some musically gifted they’ve been helpful for me in would if the full congregation members of the congregation my preparations for the coming were present, although I have record pieces of music at home week as well. backed off alternative accompa- that could be inserted into the niments and mostly stick to the livestream at appropriate places. I wish everyone much patience, page. We encourage people to joy, and the spirit of adventure sing along at home, and it seems The whole experience has gone as we continue stepping each that many are doing so. I play much more smoothly than week into this great unknown. rather short keyboard voluntar- I would have pessimistically God is with us! ies, both because I think long anticipated back in March. pieces of music are not suitable Our weekly attendance online Tim Getz is for the livestream and because has actually been magnitudes director of music I have not been going in to the higher than it normally is on ministry at Grace church during the week and Sunday mornings. We have peo- Lutheran Church my only practice time has been ple tuning in from all over the in Palo Alto, CA. early on Sunday mornings! It’s world! Though it’s no substitute Photos courtesy the author. been a fun opportunity to dust for direct human interaction, off some shorter, simpler “old people have even enjoyed greet- favorites.” For the Easter season ing each other in the YouTube I decided that the prelude chat box as the service begins each Sunday would be one of and sharing the sign of peace in the “Eight Short Preludes and the same way. Fugues” attributed to Bach. Though it may prove to be We normally have a Taizé prayer another point of lively conver- service one Sunday evening sation with our staff, I would every month. I have been prefer that we not continue to recording and posting online a livestream our services when “mini” Taizé prayer each week. the time comes that no one This past fall, I also had initi- is mandated to stay home. I ated a “Be a Better Assembly think gathering in one place Singer” class. (We call it “Not as a community for worship is Choir,” because I couldn’t think an essential Christian value, of a better name!) The part and people should not have the people enjoyed most of that opportunity to use “I can just weekly class was an introduction watch it on TV” as an excuse to to the hymns for the upcoming stay home from church under Sunday, so I decided to continue normal circumstances. I would that online. I record the weekly assume that the availability of Taizé prayer and the hymn recordings of the services after videos after church on Sunday the fact will continue, as it has afternoons using my iPhone; already for over 30 years in our

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