From the Choir Loft

"A 1940's Christmas Homecoming"

The Christmas musical from behind the scenes...

It was Sunday night, December 17, 2006. What a great night! We had a packed house...it seemed as though each person we had invited to the performance showed up...it was the best weather we had ever experienced for a Christmas musical...the audience was responsive...the actors were very believable...and the choir was powerful! Everything I wanted for Christmas I received in one night.

The town historian loaned us a black & white video showing our area in the 1940's & 1950's. While we projected that historic video, we played recordings of Christmas tunes played by the Glenn Miller Band.

Many people loaned us uniforms, helmets, posters, pictures, etc. The USO Ambassador from Ft. Drum had sent us USO banners to use and they looked great. I'm sure the audience felt as though they were participating in a WWII USO show.

JoAnn and Pastor Molly did last minute decorating on our "living room" scene and "barracks" scene, while poor Terry was lugging wet pallets up the stairs for our scenery. The army barracks came to life when JoAnn got our local Paper Factory store to enlarge an army barracks picture to 4 feet x 14 feet and applied it to a vinyl canvas.

The biggest victory of the evening came while I was conducting. I fell off the stool and off the podium and ended up vertical. The choir never missed a beat. What a group! For my next act I'm going to fake a serious injury just to see if they'll stop when they see me lying on the floor.

I can't thank Diane enough for all her help!

December 17, 2006

Christmas Tunes

"The Chipmunk Song"

This is a song, which is dusted off every year for the Christmas season. Ross Bagdasarian was a novelty writer in a non-novelty world. Making a living as a quirky songwriter, Ross had one major triumph…he had written the wacky hit, ‘Come Onna my House’ for Rosemary Clooney in 1951. He was later pushed to the other side of the recording booth to the position of recording engineer. Bagdasarian loved the dials, the buttons, the little gauges and lights. He truly got a kick out of playing with the technology of recording. By deliberately recording on the slowest speed possible on his reel-to-reel tape machine, he found he could sing normally, and sound like a freak on helium if he sped-up the recording to normal speed on playback. Using this novelty voice as the background singers for the chorus, he recorded ‘Witchdoctor’ and hit the top of the charts in 1958. With the same recording technique, he created the Chipmunks and their hapless manager, Dave. The character ‘Alvin’ was based on his son who drove him crazy with very complicated questions. The Chipmunk Song, released for the Christmas season of 1958, sold 5 million copies that year and the Chipmunk Song received two Grammy Awards in 1958: "Best Comedy Performance" and "Best Recording for Children."

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From the Choir Loft

Tonight is the culmination of 6 months of planning and rehearsing. Tonight, our combined choirs and drama members will present the exciting Christmas drama: ‘A 1940’s Christmas Homecoming.’ Over 200 people have helped us in one way or another. The choir members, the drama members, the church secretaries, those who have helped us with the church decoration, construction, logistics, promotion, coaching, accompanists, our families, etc. It would be impossible to thank everyone! Please support our many efforts by attending and invite others to come!

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History of Christmas Toys

1952

Banking on the idea that children like to play with their food, Hasbro introduced "Mr. Potato Head."

George Lerner of New York City invented and patented Mr. Potato Head based on an earlier toy called "make a face" that used a real potato. A year after his appearance, Mr. Potato Head was introduced to the future "Mrs. Potato Head" and a short time later, were married. "Mr. Potato Head" was the first children’s toy to be advertised on TV.

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Today in history

(December 17)

1992 – ‘A Christmas Carol’ opened on Broadway (would continue for 22 performances)

1975 – Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for attempt on President Ford

1965 – The Houston Astrodome was opened (1^st event was Judy Garland & Supremes in concert)

1962 – The Beatles appeared on TV for the 1^st time in London, England

Church office: (716) 672-2048, Bud: (716) 934-7734, email:

tubamanbud@yahoo.com www.frombudsworld.blogspot.com

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From Bud’s

History of the Carols

December 17, 2006

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"

(1856) pg. 240

Words by Charles Wesley (1707 - 1788)

Music by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)

The "poet laureate of Methodism," Charles Wesley, the younger brother of John Wesley, who founded Methodism in England, wrote the text for ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ and published it in his ‘Hymns and Sacred Poems’ of 1739, a volume so popular that it went through five editions. It is said that Wesley wrote this about one year after his conversion. Charles Wesley is credited with authoring 6,500 hymns. These lyrics were originally sung to a different tune than it is today. Many hymns in the eighteenth century consisted merely of printed words without music. It was left to those leading the congregational singing to choose an appropriate tune based on the meter of the verse.

A century later in 1840, Felix Mendelssohn, whose reputation as a musical genius bore no challenge, was asked to compose a "Festgesang," or ceremonial cantata, in honor of Johannes Guttenberg and the 400^th anniversary of the invention of the printing press.

Englishman musician Dr. William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.’

Meanwhile…1856…150 years ago…in the United States

…

U. S. President: Franklin Pierce…Vice-President: William King

Woodrow Wilson was born

YMCA opened a branch in New York City

The average American family had 5.4 kids

The main cause of death was: smallpox, typhoid, malaria & "accidents"

Congressman Brooks hit Senator Sumner with his cane on the Senate floor over slavery

Pascal Pratt and Bronson Rumsey founded The M&T Bank in Buffalo, NY

Buffalo, NY had a horse-drawn streetcar named the "omnibus line"

The S. Howes Corporation of Silver Creek, NY was founded

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From the Choir Loft

Sunday night (12/17/06) is the culmination of over 6 months of planning and rehearsing! Our combined choirs and drama group will present the wonderful Christmas musical: 'A 1940's Christmas Homecoming' at Sheridan United Methodist Church (2679 Route 20 in Sheridan, NY). Over 200 people have helped us prepare for this exciting night as we present this Christmas musical arranged in the 'big band' style. We will be opening the church doors at 6:00 pm where the audience will listen to Christmas music played in the big band style while we project old video of our area in the 1940's and 1950's. We thank our local historical society for supplying the video.
The choir/drama members are asked to report to the church at 6:00 pm and you're asked to report to the St. John Bosco church parking lot, where you will be shuttled to our church. Don't forget your dark sunglasses for the "cool" arrangement of 'We Three Kings.'

Merry Christmas...Bud

12/10/06

Christmas Tunes

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Ad-man Robert L. May created ‘Rudolph’ in 1939, when he wrote a whimsical little story and circulated it at Christmas time in pamphlet form among the Montgomery Ward mail-order department. Ten years later, composer Johnny Marks composed a musical setting, and ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ burst onto the holiday scene in Gene Autry’s hugely successful recording. The whole story of ‘Rudolf’ appeared, out of nowhere, in 1939. The Santas at Montgomery Ward stores gave away 2.4 million copies of the booklet entitled ‘Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer.’ A person in the advertising department named Robert May wrote the story, and Denver Gillen illustrated the booklet. Robert May was rather sickly, shy and introverted as a child and he loosely based the Rudolph character on his childhood feelings of alienation from children his own age. The original name of the red-nosed reindeer was to be Rollo, but executives did not like that name, or the other suggested name of Reginald. The name Rudolf came from the author's young daughter!

[As a side note to this story: Robert May’s wife passed away from a long and terminal illness about the same time he created Rudolph. Since he had created Rudolph as a Montgomery Ward employee, the company held the copyright to all royalties received from the story. Deeply in debt from all the medical bills resulting from his wife’s illness, May persuaded Montgomery Ward’s corporate president, Sewell Avery, to turn the copyright over to him in January 1947. With the rights in hand, May’s financial security was assured.]

From the Choir Loft

Our choirs will be presenting the musical drama:

"A 1940’s Christmas Homecoming Sunday (12/10) at 7:00 inside the beautiful First United Church in Silver Creek, NY. (The big white church in the center of Silver Creek) We would like to encourage you to come out and bring a few visitors. This musical is a powerful Christ-centered message presented in the "big band" style of the 1940’s. We guarantee you will be impressed and encouraged…Or your money back! (By the way, we’re only asking for a "free-will" offering!)

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History of Christmas Toys

In 1949, Ole Christiansen, a Danish toy maker, began to manufacture toy blocks with a new twist. Christiansen created a plastic brick that can be locked together in different configurations…The Lego, which comes from the Danish ‘leg godt,’ meaning "play well" was born. The world's children spend 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks.

The Lego Blocks fit together in 102,981,500 different ways! (For those of us from N.T., that’s almost 103 million!)

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Today in history

(December 10)

1995 – Worst snowstorm in Buffalo history with 37.9" of snow falling in a 24 hour period

1963 – 6 year old Donny Osmond made his singing debut on the Andy Williams TV show

1915 – The ten millionth Model-T Ford was assembled in Detroit, Michigan by Ford Motor

1672 – NY Governor Lovelace announced mail service to begin between NYC & Boston

1520 – Martin Luther publicly burned papal edict

Church office: (716) 672-2048, Bud: (716) 934-7734, email:

tubamanbud@yahoo.com, www.frombudsworld.blogspot.com

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Bud’s

History of the Carols

December 10, 2006

"O Little Town of Bethlehem"

(1868) pg. 230

Words: Phillips Brooks (1835 – 1893) Music: Lewis H. Redner (1830 – 1908)

Three years after his return from a trip to the Holy Land in 1865, Philadelphia preacher Phillips Brooks found himself still deeply moved by Bethlehem’s "simplicity and wondrous beauty." Brooks wrote about his horseback journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he assisted with the midnight service on Christmas Eve, 1865. "I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God. How again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the Wonderful Night of the Savior’s birth."

He penned some lines that he thought captured the serene atmosphere of the place where Jesus was born, and asked the organist of his church, Lewis Redner, if he could compose a melody.

Redner was a wealthy real estate broker as well as the church organist at Holy Trinity Church. Redner struggled with his task day after day, until, waking from a nap on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, he seemed to hear "an angel strain" and was finally inspired to jot down a tune that matched Brooks’ verses perfectly.

That was in 1868, but ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ did not gain its universal popularity until 1882, when it was published in the new hymnal of the Episcopal Church.

Meanwhile…1868…138 years ago…in the United States…

U. S. President: Andrew Johnson…Vice-President: None

U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) was opened

Brigham Young married his 27^th wife

William Hinds received a patent for the "Candlestick"

Frederick Olmsted was hired to design the City of Buffalo’s public parks

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December 3, 2006

Christmas Tunes

‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!’

One oppressively hot day in July 1945, Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn were in Los Angeles to talk with their publisher, Edwin H. Morris. Their business finished, Cahn suggested that they go to the beach to cool off. But Styne, always businesslike, thought they ought to work a little first. He suggested that they cool off by writing a winter song. Cahn finally agreed and dashed off the beginnings of a lyric; Styne responded with the beginnings of a tune. Before long, ‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow’ was finished. Vaughn Monroe’s recording shot to the top of the pop charts during Christmas of 1945.

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The Christmas season From the choir loft

As Christian musicians, our sole focus must be to worship God in our music. God created us for fellowship and with fellowship comes communication. We communicate our thoughts and feelings through our songs. In the Bible, from the time of Moses up until the present time, God has blessed us with powerful sacred music to worship Him. All our musical efforts during this blessed Christmas season are to lift our music in worship to Him. We only hope to honor Him for who He is!

"He is the reason for the Season!"

You know the Christmas musical is less than a week away. (First United Church in Silver Creek, NY on Sunday 12/10, and Sheridan United Methodist Church on Sunday 12/17.) Both dress rehearsals are on Sunday 12/3...we need everyone! The choir will rehearse on Tuesday 12/5 and Tuesday 12/12! Please make every effort to attend all rehearsals and concerts! We need everyone!

Don't forget that we are "Christmas Caroling" on Tuesday, 12/19. If you are singing inside St. Columban's On The Lake, please report to St. Columban's at 6:15 PM. If you are going out to sing to the "shut-ins," please report to Sheridan United Methodist Church at 6:00 PM. We will have music books. We are inviting everyone to sing with us! Not talent necessary. Just a willingness to bless others during this wonderful time of the year.

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History of Christmas Toys

Crayola Crayons

In the early 1900s, Binney & Smith, a chemical company, began to produce slate pencils and a type of dustless chalk. Company executives, and cousins, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith realized that a new wax crayon they had developed to mark crates and boxes in their factory would provide a neater and more affordable alternative to costly imported crayons for American schools. Edwin Binney’s wife, Alice, picked Crayola as the brand name. In 1903, an assortment of affordable, multi-colored crayons was offered to the American public for the first time. The first Crayola crayons came in a box of eight and retailed for a nickel. The eight original colors were black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, violet, and yellow. In the company's 102-year history, over one hundred billion Crayola crayons have been produced. Binney & Smith produce nearly three billion crayons each year—that's about seven million every day. That much paraffin wax and colored pigment is enough to make a crayon thirty-seven feet wide and four hundred and twenty feet long, higher than the Statue of Liberty! Crayola crayons are sold in more than eighty countries and packaged in twelve languages. The average American child uses 730 crayons by his/her tenth birthday. Children ages two through eight spend an average of twenty-eight minutes a day coloring. That equals

6.3 billion hours spent coloring annually! The scent of Crayola crayons is among the twenty most recognizable scents to American adults.

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Today in history

(December 3)

1979 – The last Pacer automobile was manufactured

1950 – Paul Harvey began his national radio broadcast career

1947 – "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway

1931 – Alka Seltzer was sold for the first time

Church office: (716) 672-2048, Bud: (716) 934-7734, email:

tubamanbud@yahoo.com

Visit "Bud's Blog" at www.frombudsworld.blogspot.com

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From Bud’s

History of the Carols

December 3, 2006

"Angels We Have Heard on High"

(1937) pg. 238

Words: Traditional French Carol (1862)

Music: Arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes (1881 - 1958)

According to the story of the first Christmas, it was the shepherds tending their flocks near Bethlehem to whom the angels first gave the news of the baby Jesus’ birth. And so, in medieval times shepherds who found themselves minding their little herds in the wintry mountains of southern France on Christmas Eve remembered the story of that first birth and the angels who sang of it.

They called one to the other, each from his own peak, singing the good news as the angels had sung so long ago, until finally the mountaintops themselves rang with a glorious patchwork of echoing voices.

In this favorite carol, the music probably comes from a 17^th or 18^th century French carol, as does the text. But the back-and-forth "Gloria" refrain is probably based on a much older phrase of music, perhaps a bit of plainsong chant from the Church’s earlier days. The back and forth "gloria’s" in the chorus mimic the echo sound of the shepherds’ voices as they sang from the mountaintops. The combination of tune and text was not published, so far as we know, until it appeared in a carol collection in 1855.

Meanwhile…1937…69 years ago…in the United States…

U. S. President: Franklin D. Roosevelt…Vice-President: John Garner

Average prices

: Bread: 9 cents/loaf, Milk: 12 cents/qt.,

Car: $675, Gas: 20 cents/gal., Stamp: 3 cents

Best Actor

: Spencer Tracy…Favorite songs: ‘The Dipsy Doodle’ by Tommy Dorsey’… ‘The Moon Got in my Eyes’ by Bing Crosby…’Boo Hoo’ by Guy Lombardo

The Hindenburg burst into flames while landing in Lakehurst, NJ

Walt Disney’s ‘Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs’ movie was released

Amelia Earhart disappeared on her ‘around the world’ flight attempt

Rev. James W. Reis was pastor of Sheridan Methodist Church

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From the Choir Loft

How can you tell when your lead singer is at the door?
He can't find the key and doesn't know when to come in!

We've only got a short time left before our Christmas concerts (9 days until we sing in Silver Creek, NY and 16 days left until our Sheridan, NY performance!) Make sure you have your choir books "marked," your concert "attire" ready, and your favorite dark sunglasses ready to go for the remaining rehearsals and concerts.

Remaining Schedule:

Sunday, December 3

2:00 - Dress Rehearsal at Sheridan United Methodist

4:00 - Dress Rehearsal at First United Church

Tuesday (12/5) 7:00 PM rehearsal @ Sheridan United Methodist

Sunday (12/10) Concert @ 1st United Church

(6:00 report/7:00 start)

Tuesday (12/12) 7:00 PM rehearsal @ Sheridan United Methodist

Sunday (12/17) Concert @ Sheridan United Methodist

(6:00 report/7:00 start)

Please remember there will be a reception for all following each concert!

EVERYONE IS INVITED!

(Even for choir members who make mistakes...

well, less than 3!!!!!!)

November 26, 2006

Holy Humor...

What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
Ruthless.
What do they call pastors in Germany?
German Shepherds.
Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

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From the Choir Loft

Thanksgiving is now over. When I was growing up, my mother always said I couldn’t play the Christmas "records" (remember those?) until Thanksgiving Day. The reason for that rule was she caught me playing "Joy To The World" in August. That means I can now perform Christmas music with a clear conscience. Beginning next week, I will be including the history of some of the "best"



Christmas Tunes (I decide which ones are "best!"). I will also include the history of some of the old Christmas Toys. If you have a favorite Christmas Carol or favorite Christmas toy, let me know and I will do some research on its background.

The Community Chorus has two dress rehearsals on Sunday, December 3, 2006:

2:00 PM @ Sheridan United Methodist Church (Sheridan, NY)

4:00 PM @ First United Church (Silver Creek, NY)

For many reasons, we need you to make both dress rehearsals.

The two performances of the Christmas cantata are:

Sunday, December 10, 2006 at First United Church in Silver Creek (7:00 start/6:00 report)

Sunday, December 17, 2006 at Sheridan United Methodist Church (7:00 start/6:00 report)

Also, Tuesday, December 19th, we will be Christmas Caroling @ St. Columban's and to the many "shut-ins" in our area. Please meet @ *St. Columban's (Route 5 in Silver Creek, NY) @ 6:15 PM, or meet at the church @ 6:00 PM if you are traveling to the shut-ins. We want a big group, including the kids! "Come one...come all!"

[If you know of anyone who would appreciate being visited by Christmas Carolers, please contact me or the church office for a visit from some of the very best Christmas Carolers in Chautauqua County!]

*Because of bridge construction, you must enter St. Columban's on Route 5 from the west side (from the Dunkirk side) of the facility! I know this from personal experience!

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You might be a United Methodist if...

... you know that a circuit rider is not an electrical device

... you've ever owned a pair of 'cross and flame' boxer shorts

... your church is named for a geographical location rather than for a saint

... at least one person in every church meeting says, "But we've never done it that way before!"

... the only church camp song you know by heart is "Kum ba yah"

... you realize that the ‘Book of Discipline’ is not a guide to getting your child to behave

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Today in history

(November 26)

1978 – 10 died in a fire inside a Holiday Inn in Rochester, NY

1968 – The 34^th Heisman Trophy was awarded to the USC running back O.J. Simpson

1962 – The 1^st recording session under the name ‘Beatles’

1956 – ‘The Price is Right’ debuted on NBC-TV

1940 – The Nazis forced 500,000 Jews in Warsaw, Poland to live in a "walled ghetto"

1865 – ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll was 1^st published

1861 – The state of West Virginia split from Virginia over the issue of slavery

1832 – The 1^st streetcar in America began operating in NYC with a fare of 12 cents

1789 – The 1^st ‘National Thanksgiving’ was celebrated in America

1716 – The 1^st lion ever exhibited in America in the Boston Zoo

Church office: (716) 672-2048, Bud: (716) 934-7734, email:

tubamanbud@yahoo.com

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From Bud’s

History of the Hymns

November 26, 2006

"Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me"

(1776) pg. 361

Words

by Augustus M. Toplady (1740 - 1778) Music by Thomas Hastings (1784 - 1872)

Many years after ‘Rock of Ages’ was written, one of the "Jubilee Singers" of Fisk University was on board a ship that caught on fire. He had the presence of mind to place life preservers on himself and his wife. But in the agony of despair, when all on board were trying to save themselves, someone took from his wife her life preserver, so that she found herself helpless in the water. But she clung to her husband, placing her hands firmly on his shoulders as he swam on. After a little while her strength was exhausted and trying to keep his wife’s spirits up, he pleaded with her to sing ‘Rock of Ages.’ Immediately they both began to faintly sing; and their strains fell upon the ears of many in the water around them. One after another, other swimmers joined in. Strength seemed to come to each of the singers; and they were able to hold out a little longer, still faintly singing. A boat was seen approaching, and they did get strength enough to keep themselves afloat until the crew lifted them on board. And thus Toplady’s hymn helped to save more than one from death by the sea, as it has often helped save souls from sin.

Meanwhile…1776…230 years ago…

What happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence?

Five of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were captured by the British and brutally tortured as traitors. Nine fought in the War for Independence and died from wounds or from hardships they suffered. Two lost their sons in the Continental Army, another two had sons captured and at least a dozen of the fifty-six had their homes pillaged and burned. What kind of men were they? Twenty-five were lawyers or jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers or large plantation owners. One was a teacher, one a musician, and one a printer. These were men of means and education, yet they signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well that the penalty could be death if they were captured. In the face of the advancing British Army, the Continental Congress fled from Philadelphia to Baltimore on December 12, 1776. It was an especially anxious time for John Hancock, the President of the Congress, as his wife had just given birth to a baby girl. Due to the complications stemming from the trip to Baltimore, the child lived only a few months.

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11/20/06

"Bump in the night"

A man is walking home alone late one foggy night... when behind him he hears:
BUMP... BUMP... BUMP...
Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him. Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him.
FASTER... FASTER... BUMP... BUMP... BUMP...
He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in,

slams and locks the door behind him.
However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping
clappity-BUMP... clappity-BUMP... clappity-BUMP... on his heels, the terrified man runs.
Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, the man locks himself in. His heart is pounding;

his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.
With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door. Bumping and clapping toward him.
The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!
Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket... and,
(...hope you're ready for this!!!)
The coffin stops!

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From the Choir Loft

Choir rehearsals for the upcoming Christmas musical are in full swing and we’re still looking for more participants!

If you can help by singing with us, or by videotaping the performance, or by greeting or ushering during the cantata, or by acting in the drama portion of the cantata, or by finding us some theater spotlights, or by helping build a few sets, or by providing a few set decorations, or by dancing during the "big band" music…we need you! Why not call Bud or call the church office to offer some help?

Christmas caroling will be Tuesday, December 19 at 6:00 PM. Everyone is invited! Especially kids!

Do you know anyone who would appreciate Christmas Carolers singing outside their door? Call me and we will sing for them. Do you have any Christmas Caroling books we could borrow?

Yes folks...there is a BLOG from Bud. We'll be including the Bud's World and History of the Hymns articles plus choir announcements and information. The Blog address is:

http://frombudsworld.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Wit or Wisdom?

"To me, old age is fifteen years older than I am."

- Bernard M. Baruch

"Millions of people long for immortality who do not know what to do

with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon."

- Susan Ertz

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Today in history

(November 19)

1965 – Kellogg’s introduced America to the "Pop Tart"

1959 – The Ford Motor Co. discontinued the unpopular "Edsel"

1928 – The 1^st issue of Time Magazine was published (Japanese Emperor Hirohito on cover)

1895 – The pencil was patented as "The Paper Pencil"

1863 – President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous "Gettysburg Address"

1644 – The 1^st Protestant Ministry Society was formed in New England

Church office: 672-2048, Bud: 934-7734, email:

tubamanbud@yahoo.com

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From Bud ’s

History of the Hymns

November 19, 2006

"Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow"

(1978) pg. 95

Words

by Thomas Ken (1637 - 1711) Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958)

Nearly every English-speaking Protestant congregation unites at least once each Sunday in this noble overture of praise. These lyrics, sung as the "Doxology" in many churches, are actually the last verse of a longer hymn, "Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun." It has been said that the "Doxology" has done more to teach the doctrine of the Trinity than all the theology books ever written.

The author of this text was a bold, outspoken 17^th century Anglican bishop named Thomas Ken. Ken’s illustrious career in the ministry was stormy and colorful. He served for a time as the English chaplain at the royal court in The Hague, Holland. He was so outspoken; however, in denouncing the corrupt lives of those in authority at the Dutch capital that he was compelled to leave after a short stay. Upon his return to England, he was appointed by King Charles II to be one of his chaplains. Ken continued to reveal the same spirit of boldness in rebuking the moral sins of his dissolute English monarch. Despite this, King Charles always admired his courageous chaplain, calling him "the good little man."

History & Traditions of Thanksgiving…

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States commemorating the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony in 1621, after a winter of great starvation and hardship. In that year Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving, and all the colonists and the neighboring Native Americans shared the feast. Although similar observances were held locally, they were sporadic and had no set date. After the American Revolution the first national Thanksgiving Day, proclaimed by George Washington, was Nov. 26, 1789. Abraham Lincoln revived the custom in 1863, appointing as the date the last Thursday of November. In 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving to be the third Thursday in November. When a conflict arose between President Roosevelt’s proclamation and some state governors, Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941 decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November. The day is observed by church services and family reunions. The customary turkey dinner is a reminder of the four wild turkeys served at the Pilgrims’ first thanksgiving feast.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2001-05 Columbia University Press

November 12, 2006

SIGNS YOU HAVE GROWN UP (ctd.)

1. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's leftovers.

2. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.

3. You take naps.

4. Dinner and a movie is the whole evening instead of the beginning of one.

5. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.

6. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.

7. "I just can't drink the way I used to" replaces "I'm never going to drink that much again."

8. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.

9. You eat and drink at home to save money before going out for the evening.

10. You read this entire list looking desperately for one that doesn't apply to you
and can't find one.

From the Choir Loft

Often, when I invite people to join our choir, many will respond by saying: "I just don’t have the time!"

Since we recently turned our clocks back, and have gained an "extra hour"…why not dedicate that extra hour back to the Lord? We can use your voice in our church choir. It only takes about an hour each week. We Need you!

Community Chorus rehearsals:

Tuesdays @ Sheridan United Methodist 7:00 - 8:30 PM (with the exception of Tuesday (11/21/06).

Sundays @ First United (Silver Creek) 6:00 - 7:00 PM (with the exception of 11/26/06).

PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO MAKE EVERY REHEARSAL!

PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR PracticeTrax EVERY DAY!

The "half-wit"

A man owned a small auto repair business in Upstate New York. The Wage and Hour Department of New York claimed he was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent to interview him. "I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the agent.

"Well, there's my mechanic who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $600 a week."

"The mechanic's helper has been here for 18 months, and I pay him $500 a month."

"That's the guy I want to talk to; the half-wit," says the agent.

The owner says, "That would be me."

Today in history

(November 12)

2004 – Scott Peterson was convicted in the murder of his wife (Laci) and their unborn son

1998 – Mercedes Benz completed its merger with the Chrysler Corporation

1946 – The 1st drive-up banking facility opened in Chicago

1940 – Walt Disney released "Fantasia"

1933 – The 1st Sunday football game was played in Philadelphia

1927 – 1st underwater tunnel (The Holland Tunnel) opened connecting New York & New Jersey

1923 – In Germany, Adolf Hitler was arrested for attempting to seize power

1864 – The destruction of Atlanta, Ga. began by Gen. William Sherman during the Civil War

From Bud’s
History of the Hymns
November 12, 2006

"Blest Be the Tie That Binds"

(1845) pg. 557

Words by John Fawcett (1740 - 1817) Music by Johann G. Nageli (1773 - 1836)

John Fawcett was one of many fine British hymn writers who helped make the eighteenth century the "Golden Age of English Hymnody." A Baptist minister, Fawcett served as pastor at Wainsgate in Yorkshire, England from 1765 – 1772, when he felt called to a prestigious pulpit in London. Fawcett accepted the call, preached his farewell sermon at the Wainsgate church and packed his belongings.

As he and his wife prepared to leave, the Wainsgate congregation gathered around them for a very tearful farewell. At the last moment, however, the Fawcetts decided they could not leave their congregation, and he remained as pastor in Yorkshire.

This may not have been the occasion for the writing of "Blest Be the Tie that Binds," which was not published until ten years after this event, but the hymn certainly expresses the kind of love Fawcett and his Wainsgate church felt for one another.

This hymn reminds us that Christian love is not only a matter of emotional ties ("our hearts"), but also a "fellowship of kindred minds," a fellowship that chooses intentionally to love one another. Sometimes overlooking disagreements or faults in other believers.

Meanwhile…1845…161 years ago…in the United States…

U. S. President: James K. Polk…Vice-President: George M. Dallas

The 1st American Opera: "Leonora" was written by William Fry

Half the population of New York City was foreign-born

The population of Buffalo was 29,773

There was one saloon for every 60 residents in the city of Buffalo

There were over 500 taverns and gaming houses in the city of Buffalo

There were 2,243 arrests for the year (most for "drunkenness" and disorderly conduct)

Steamships carried 93,000 passengers to/from Buffalo (mainly to/from Detroit)

As many as seven taverns were in operation in Sheridan, New York

Ref. The Sheridan Settler Cyberhymnal BuffaloHistory TanBible DmarieCapsule