January 21, 2007

Bride and Groom

During a wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the minister with an unusual offer: "Look, I’ll give you $100 if you’ll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I’m supposed to promise to love, honor, obey and be faithful to her forever, I'd appreciate it if you’d just leave that part out."

He passed the minister a $100 bill and walked away satisfied. On the day of the wedding, when it came time for the groom’s vows, the pastor looked the young man in the eye and said: "Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every wish and command, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life, and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will never even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?"

The groom gulped, looked around, and said in a tiny voice, "Yes," then leaned toward the pastor and hissed: "I thought we had a deal."

The pastor put a $100 bill into the groom’s hand and whispered: "She made me a better offer."

From the Choir Loft

Our shopping list…

More Choir members, vocal & instrumental soloists, vocal & instrumental ensemble singers/players, Handchime players, sound system help, helpers with lighting, helpers with set-up and tear down for each musical, helpers with promotion, librarian, attendance taker, etc.

Very soon, I'm hoping to begin work on a new Easter musical. I hope you're planning to join us. I can only say this might be one of the most exciting musicals we've done! Mark Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 7:00 PM on your calendars. Invite your friends to join us in the choir.

WE NEED YOU!

The Preacher’s Wife…

Gladys was the preacher's wife and accompanied her husband to church each Sunday. One particular Sunday when the sermon seemed to go on forever, many in the congregation fell asleep.

After the service, in order to be sociable, the Preacher’s wife walked up to a very sleepy looking gentleman. In an attempt to revive him from his stupor, she extended her hand in greeting, and said, "Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn."

To which the gentleman replied, "You're not the only one!"

History of the Hymns

January 21, 2007

‘O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing’

(1839) page 57

Words by: Charles Wesley (1707- 1788) Music by: Carl G. Glaser (1784- 1829)

While students at Oxford University, John and Charles Wesley formed a religious‘Holy Club’ because of their dissatisfaction with the spiritual lethargy at the school. As a result of their methodical habits of living and studying, their fellow students jokingly called them "Methodists."

Following a short and unsuccessful ministry in America, the disillusioned Wesleys returned to England. In May, 1738, both brothers had a spiritual heart-warming experience, realizing that though they had been zealous in the Church’s ministry, neither had ever personally accepted Christ as Savior nor had known the joy of their religious faith. From that time on, the Wesleys’ ministry took on a new dimension and power.

Both John and Charles had boundless energy, usually working fifteen to eighteen hours each day. It is estimated that they traveled a quarter of a million miles throughout Great Britain, mostly on horseback, while conducting more than 40,000 public services.

Charles alone wrote no less than 6,500 hymn texts, with hardly a day or an experience passing without its crystallization into verse. Currently there are 64 hymns and poems in our United Methodist Hymnal written by the Wesley brothers.

‘O For a Thousand Tongues’ is thought to have been inspired by a chance remark by Peter Bohler, an influential religious leader, who exclaimed: "Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ Jesus with all of them." The hymn originally had nineteen stanzas and when published was entitled, ‘For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion.’

Meanwhile…1839…168 years ago…in the United States…

President: Martin Van Buren…V.P.: Richard M. Johnson

Congress banned dueling in the District of Columbia

1^st baseball game was played in America by Abner Doubleday

Charles Goodyear created the vulcanized rubber process for tire production

Mississippi became the 1^st state in the U.S. to grant property rights to women

The 1^st public school in New York State was opened in Buffalo on Church Street

The 1^st public library in Silver Creek, New York was opened

Oliver Lee established the Bank of Silver Creek

Ref. TheSheridanSettler Cyberhymnal BuffaloHistory TanBible DmarieCapsule ColonialHall

Today in history

(January 21)

1977

– President Jimmy Carter granted blanket pardons to ~ 100,000 Vietnam draft dodgers

1976– The 1^st "Concorde" supersonic commercial air flight took place

1944– A total of 447 German bombers attacked London, England

1942– A Bronx judge ruled all public pin ball machines were illegal

1927

– 1^st national opera broadcast in U.S. (‘Faust’) from Chicago

1903

– The ‘Wizard of Oz’ premiered in New York City

1799

– Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccination was introduced

1789

– The 1^st American novel was published: ‘Power of Sympathy’ by W.H. Brown