The Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra presented their Lenten concert on March 25. “Praise through song” is how it was described by Pastor B. Failes.
They previewed part of the program the choir will be presenting in New York City at Carnegie Hall on April 23, Vivaldi’s “Gloria in D Major.” They will be joined by the university choir from Virginia Wesleyan University for the performance. The choirs will also perform Mozart’s “Missa Solemnis.”
The choir will be in New York from April 20-24 and will also present a concert on their own at St. John the Divine Church during the trip. The Thrasher Choir also traveled to New York last year to perform by invitation at Lincoln Center.
The Thrasher choir is directed by Minister of Music Josh O’Dell. Alyssa Melchers is the accompanist.
Members of the congregation were presented with palm frond crosses at each service at Thrasher on Sunday morning in observance of Palm Sunday. The palm crosses are handwoven by villagers in the Masasi area of Tanzania where family income is less than $100 per year from subsistence farming. The crosses are purchased and distributed around the world in observance of the Easter season.
According to their website, www.africanpalms.com, “The Masasi Rural Integrated Development Program is presently implementing a project that covers 21 villages in the districts of Masasi and Nachingwea. The project focuses on improving access to clean water to populations in the villages where the project is being implemented; improving agricultural techniques of small farmers so that they can produce enough food to feed their families and the communities; improving the health of women and children so that maternal and child mortality diminishes; and providing care for people living with HIV and AIDS and AIDS orphans.”
The project recruits community-based volunteers and trains them as community health workers, and farm leaders, who play an important role in training and educating their fellow villagers.
Palm Sunday is the day Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem before his crucifixion on the following Friday and his resurrection. Crowds of his followers honored Him by placing palm branches in his path as He entered the city.