Music Notes from Denise, July 11, 2025

This Sunday we will read in Psalm 25:1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you. We will be reminded of the Great Commandment with Jesus’ words of wisdom from Luke 10: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Our music will reflect our love of God and our love for our neighbors, whoever they may be.

Our Processional Hymn will be the awesome hymn, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty. The last psalm in the Bible, Psalm 150, ends with this invitation: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.” German composer Joachim Neander gave us words to do just that when he wrote his most well-known hymn. Hymnologist John Julian declares this to be “a magnificent hymn of praise to God, perhaps the finest production of its author, and of the first rank in its class” (Dictionary of Hymnology). And indeed, this is a hymn that has stood the test of time (over 300 years) to remain one of the most beloved praise hymns in the Church. As we sing these words, we join with the voices, in many languages, of millions who have gone before us, and those across the globe, to sing these great words of thanksgiving and honor to the God who created us, protects us, and befriends us. (Hymnary.org)

Our Sequence hymn will be the gospel hymn, Come, we that love the Lord with the refrain the familiar We’re marching to Zion. The text was written by the famous British hymnwriter, Isaac Watts in 1707 and the jubilant tune came much later in 1867 by the Baptist minister Robert Lowry. Dr. Lowry once stated, “I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative, receptive congregation than write a hymn," yet in spite of his preferences, his hymns have gone on and on, translated into many languages, preaching and comforting thousands upon thousands of souls, furnishing them expression for their deepest feelings of praise and gratitude to God. (Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers, hymnary.org)

This Sunday, the congregation will become the CHOIR when you sing a song that the children’s Chapel Choir already knows, Love the Lord your God. It was written to help to remember the Great Commandment. “Jean and Jim Strathdee have a special gift for encouraging folks to sing with them. Much of the music they write and perform is designed for congregational singing. Their music spans a diversity of sound and style and includes use of guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, African drums and Native American flute. They see their music as an agent of personal and social transformation and are involved with fund- and consciousness-raising events where ecumenical and inter-faith communities come together to make a stand for positive change. Jim and Jean have served on the staff of United Methodist churches in southern and northern California and Hawaii and are currently co-directors of music at Rancho Cordova UMC near Sacramento. They have written hundreds of hymns, songs and anthems and recorded nearly 20 albums.” (strathdeemusic.com) I will teach you the simple lyrics as printed in the bulletin, and some basic hand signs that illustrate the words, and you will become the CHOIR!

Our final hymn has new words, Who is the neighbor, written to the familiar tune, Finlandia, that we sang last Sunday. The hymn was written by Delores Dufner, OSG and it comes from our Gospel story in Luke about the good Samaritan. Dufner is a member of St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She has written many liturgical, scripturally based hymn and song texts which have a broad ecumenical appeal. Delores was a school music teacher, private piano and organ instructor, and parish organist/choir director for twelve years. She served as liturgy coordinator for her religious community of 775 members for six years and as Director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota for fifteen years. She subsequently worked as a liturgical music consultant for the Diocese of Ballarat, Victoria in southeast Australia. She is also assisting with liturgy planning and music leadership at her monastery. (Hymnary.org).

Episcopal Relief & Development is Responding to Deadly Texas Hill Country Flooding

Episcopal Relief & Development is helping local diocesan partners in Texas provide support to those impacted by the catastrophic July 4-5 Texas Hill Country flooding, which killed over 80 people, with many more still missing.

During the weekend flash flooding event, between 5 and 13 inches of rain fell rapidly on central Texas, impacting multiple counties including Kerr, Kendall, Gillespie, Comal, Hays, Travis, Williamson and Tom Green. The full extent of the damage is still unfolding, however, hundreds of homes, mobile parks, RVs, roads and parks have been impacted so far. Thousands of people have lost power and many have been evacuated. 

“This disaster is still unfolding. We will learn much more in the days and weeks ahead,” said the Very Rev. David Read, Bishop of West Texas and the Very Rev. Angela Cortiñas, Bishop Suffragan of West Texas, in a joint statement released on July 5. “The recovery of the Hunt, Ingram, Comfort and Kerrville communities will not happen overnight. It will take time to catalog the loss of homes, businesses, livelihoods, and lives, and the best ways we can tangibly be part of healing, hope and recovery.” 

Episcopal Relief & Development is working with longstanding local partners in the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas to help people most in need. Working through trusted relationships, Episcopal Relief & Development is helping partners to offer their financial resources, physical property and spiritual support in places where it is most useful after a disaster of this scale.

“Texans have experienced devastating disasters in the past decade, like the 2021 winter storm and Hurricane Harvey, and our heart goes out to them as they face tragedy once again,” said Race Hodges, Program Officer, Episcopal Relief & Development. “We worked with our local partners through each of these major events to provide comfort and safety to many people. And we will continue to do so.” 

Please pray for the communities affected by the Texas flash flooding. Donations will help our local partners respond to the emerging needs caused by this disaster.

https://www.episcopalrelief.org/

Abide In Love: Community Group Forms To Support ICE Detainees in Phelps County

“What? Here? This can't be right.”

That was the reaction of many people in Rolla and St. James when we learned that the Phelps County Jail is one of three Missouri facilities being used to house men and women detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months, part of a nationwide effort underway by the Trump administration. Numbers are hard to track, but public records indicate that at least 140 ICE detainees have been housed at the Phelps County Jail since March.

One such case ended in tragedy when Brayan Garzon-Rayo, a 27-year-old man who was born in Colombia, was found unresponsive in his cell in the Phelps County Jail on April 7, after an attempted suicide. He was treated at Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla and transferred to a St. Louis hospital, where he died the following day. In an article published by St. Louis Public Radio, Brayan's mother, Lucy, said she had never even heard of Phelps County until her son was jailed there. Her last contact with her son was in a routine phone call, about 5 days before his death.

When ICE officials and county officials released reports following Garzon-Rayo's tragic death, a news item appeared in the local newspaper, Phelps County Focus.  This was when many Rolla and St. James residents realized that ICE detainees were being incarcerated locally. (“Colombian national’s death in county jail was by suicide” by Andrew Sheeley, Phelps County Focus, April 24, 2025)

Out of care and concern for the detainees—many of whom have had difficulty contacting their families to let them know where they are being held—a diverse group of volunteers in Phelps County has formed an outreach organization called Abide in Love. Abide in Love was founded on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s philosophy of nonviolence with a mission to support immigrants in our community. The current efforts focus on supporting the ICE detainees held at the Phelps County Jail. The first efforts will include gifts of care packages, postcards, and monetary funds for detainees.    

The group is led by community organizer Amy Beechner-McCarthy and Lucy Behrendt, a member of Trinity, St. James, along with a collaborative group of over 40 citizens. The Rev. Kevin McGrane, priest-in-charge of Trinity, St. James, the Rev. Shug Goodlow, priest-in-charge at Christ Church, Rolla, the Rev. Lindy Hardwick, retired priest in Rolla, plus Mary Kaye Kramme, Chris Sowers, and other local Episcopalians are involved in the effort.   Amy and Lucy have met with Michael Kirn, Phelps County Sheriff, and they report that he is supportive of the efforts of the Abide in Love group.

Through her involvement with Abide in Love, Lucy has become close to Carol Mayorga of Kennett, MO, one of the detainees who spent time at the Phelps County Jail before being transferred to the jail in Springfield, MO (Greene County).  Lucy describes Carol as someone who is demonstrating grace under pressure.

I reached out to Carol to see how I could help her, and in every interaction we've had since, her goal has been to help someone else,” Lucy said, adding,  “Carol and most of her cell mates do not have a shared language, but they pray together, sing songs together, and she uses her commissary funds to help them buy snacks and call their loved ones. In the darkest of circumstances, she has not forgotten our shared humanity.

Carol's story has gone viral through coverage by NPR and the New York Times. (“A Missouri Town Was Solidly Behind Trump. Then Carol Was Detained” by Jack Healy, The New York Times, May 28, 2025) 

Kevin said he became active with Abide in Love simply because Jesus taught his followers to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. “Jesus encouraged us to visit those in prison. He didn’t make any judgments about why they were in prison; Jesus just said ‘visit those in prison’, which is what we are doing,” he explained.

To learn more or for information about how to organize in your community, contact: info@abideinlove.org or P.O. Box 1909, Rolla, MO 65401.   

If you wish to donate to Abide in Love, the group’s fundraising link is below.