Lutheran congregations around the world are commemorating that 500th anniversary, and in Charlottesville the marquis event is a concert featuring texts and tunes written by Luther and an original composition and organ selections by Staunton, Va., musicians Florence Jowers and Rev. Dr. Paul D. Weber. The choirs of the four Charlottesville-area Lutheran churches—Grace and Glory, Palmyra; and Immanuel, Peace and St. Mark, Charlottesville—will join in the musical celebration.
The concert will take place at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 100 Alderman Road, on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, at 4 p.m. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall. Jowers and Weber, both professors emeritus of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, have led this hymn festival in a variety of cities from Indiana to Florida. Jowers currently serves as music director and organist at Christ Lutheran Church, Staunton. Weber, an ordained Lutheran pastor, conducted the
A Cappella and Chapel choirs at Lenoir-Rhyne and, along with Jowers, his wife, founded the sacred music program there to train church musicians and pastors in the practice and craft of sacred music. He is currently serving as an interim pastor at Muhlenberg Lutheran Church in Harrisonburg, Va.
Weber has composed the piece “For I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel,” based on Romans 1:16-17, in honor of the 500th anniversary. “The middle part of the piece,” he said, “is a setting of Luther’s hymn and our theme for the program, ‘Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice!’ The second choir selection, ‘Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord,’ is Felix Mendelssohn’s setting of Martin Luther’s prayer for peace. It is an emotive, lush anthem that calls for peace in our time and conveys our complete dependence on God. Grace and Glory’s choir is led by Julie Dwyer; Immanuel’s choir director is Eric Franzen; Katrina Sutton leads Peace’s choir, and St. Mark’s choir is directed by Kristi Van Doorn.