More Focus on Organ, Please
My belated thanks [for the article that included] specific music for the organ by Jan Overduin in RW 15. Contributions for organ are a good idea, given the fact that 90 percent of the musical activity in our services involves congregational singing with an organ as the main instrument.
Given the importance of the role that the organ still plays, RW has [generally included] very little information about this instrument, its place in worship, its players and the attitude they should display, its construction, etc.
I think RW should write about churches who acquire new and significant organs as a way of renewing a healthy interest in this king of the instruments. The organ has been around for a while and will continue to be despite the present "trend" in musical appreciation within the Christian (evangelical) community.
Special arrangements, like that by Overduin, are also important. What RW should have in mind, in my opinion, is the church musician who has to work week after week with limited resources. Any organ arrangement that can be used in worship services would be beneficial, provided it can be "mastered" in a relatively short period of time.
Henry Hageman
New Westminster, B.C.
Likes RW on Disk
As a pastor I am grateful for RW and the way in which it jump-starts the creative process. I find that preaching series are especially helpful, since (for me, anyway) picking random texts is quite painstaking, especially from week to week. And although not every tip or strategy is used in our congregation, we have benefitted from many of the ideas found in your magazine.
I also want to commend you on your choice to offer the magazine's liturgies on computer disk. It's a convenience and a time-saver to those who like to just "plug it in." As a Macintosh user, I was a bit disappointed that they weren't available in my format.
Keep up the good work. I look forward to each issue.
Rick Vanderwal
McBain, Michigan
Ed. Note: From now on, RW resources will be available in Macintosh format as well as IBM-compatible. The contents page will tell you which resources from each issue are available on disk. To order, use the form on the inside front cover.
Appreciated the Funeral Issue
Just found an opportunity to scan the latest issue of RW (24), and when I came to the article entitled "Service of Prayer: Into God's Loving Arms," I knew I had to write. You see, one of my ongoing concerns has been what do we do for those who have lost children through miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death. All too often the response has been "Nothing." The church sits around while others take up the task of helping the healing process. So I want to say thanks for this valuable resource, and I commend you for your work on this funeral issue.
I also want to say thanks for your journal. I believe I have every issue ever printed, and I find myself referring to them often when planning special services or looking for new themes for seasonal preaching.
Rod Veldhuizen
Canton, South Dakota