Coming this spring from MOS:

Registration for The Ninth Annual Michael O’Neal Summer Singers has begun!
Visit www.mosingers.com/concerts/summer-singers-2013 to read about the program and enroll. This year’s program is entitled How Can I Keep From Singing? Songs from the Heart. Folk songs, folk hymns, and spirituals are often personal statements of love, longing, joy, and sadness – in other words, many of the things that make us human. The Summer Singers will explore all these emotions in Aaron Copland’s Old American Songs, the celebrated folk hymn arrangements of Robert Shaw and Alice Parker, and the extraordinary arrangements of spirituals by Moses Hogan.
 

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A BEATLES TRIBUTE with The Return tribute band
Friday night, May 17, 8:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Tickets $15 and $20 in advance; $17 and $22 at the door.
$50 Artist Circle tickets are also available in advance.

The Beatles were formed in Liverpool, England in 1960, and became the premier pop ensemble of that decade. The music of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was rooted in 1950s rock and roll, but utilized many genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock. Such songs as I Want to Hold Your Hand, A Hard Day’s Night, and Yesterday bring back memories for many of us who lived through those turbulent 60s. For all of us, however, young and old alike, the music of the Beatles represents an era of song that is universally enjoyed. The Michael O’Neal Singers will be joined in this concert by the most respected Beatles Tribute band in the business. The Return has been called by Pete Beaudrault, President/CEO of Hard Rock Café, as “absolutely the next best thing to the originals!” The Return has performed all over the world, including the Cavern in Liverpool, Abbey Road Studios in London, and in Japan as headliners at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Beatles visit to Tokyo.

For more about The Return, visit www.thereturnonline.com.

It is the merry month of May, the celebration of Mothers and Pentecost. Pentecost celebrates the birthday of the church, while Mother’s Day celebrates those who nurture all living things. This year Mother’s Day is May12th, and Pentecost is the following week May 19th.

Most religions place a strong emphasis on mothers, as they pass on the cultural and traditional aspects of the community’s beliefs. In 17th century England, Mother’s Day was the fourth Sunday in Lent, and the strict rules about fasting were put aside for the day. In the United Sates, the first official Mother’s Day celebration was held at Andrews Methodist Church on May10, 1908. So, the Methodists have a long tradition of honoring mothers.

Pentecost is a prominent festival in the ancient Israeli calendar, celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai. In the Christian calendar, it falls 50 days after Easter, and celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. In the first celebration, God has shared his Word with the children of Israel. In the second, God has fulfilled Jesus’ promise, made 10 days earlier upon his ascension, to fill his followers with the Holy Spirit. Both of these are a gift beyond price.

We will experience the joy in worship on both of these Sundays; to celebrate human life through motherhood and eternal life through the divine. Many will visit with, and honor, their mothers in a direct and personal way. For those whose mothers are celebrating the holiday in heaven, we will say a prayer for them and look for them during the spiritual experience of Pentecost.

Yours In Christ,
Sarah