Northern Province Celebrates 550th Anniversary with A Prairie Home Companion Event
March 1, 2007 marked the 550th anniversary of the founding of the Unitas Fratrum, which is known as the worldwide Moravian Church, the oldest Protestant denomination. In honor of the 550th milestone, the Moravian Church Northern Province, which has churches in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario and Alberta Canada, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, sponsored the A Prairie Home Companion radio show the weekend of December 21 & 22, 2007. The event was held for a capacity crowd both nights at the Zoellner Arts Center on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Garrison Keillor, leader of A Prairie Home Companion and well-known storyteller, with his intriguing tales from Lake Wobegon, came to Bethlehem in the Fall of 2006 and decided then that the Christmas City was the perfect place to bring the Christmas broadcast of his popular public radio show. Quickly selling out the show that would be aired live across the nation on December 22, 2007, Zoellner and Keillor added a preview show on December 21, 2007. That show sold out immediately as well, showing the great appeal this show has beyond where it originated.
The Northern Province of the Moravian Church added to the event with an after event reception of Moravian sugar cake, well known among Moravians as a traditional treat, to be shared with all attendees of event (many of whom were non-Moravians). The Central Moravian Choir, led by Rebecca Kleintop Owens, not only sang during both shows but was an integral part of many of the skits providing background vocals and noises that added to the live broadcast for those listening to the radio show on Saturday night. Moravian touches were throughout the evening from the 54-inch Moravian Star hanging brightly lit at center stage to Evan Pretti of Central Moravian Church singing the traditional Christmas hymn “Morning Star, O Cheering Sight.” (In the preview show he held a beeswax candle trimmed in traditional red paper frills.) Keillor carefully wove Bethlehem, the Christmas city, Moravians in general, Martin guitars from Nazareth, and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, into the two-hour show. The evening ended appropriately for the season with the performers and audience singing “Silent Night” in alternating English and German.
Keillor has been the host of A Prairie Home Companion (APHC) for more than three decades. In addition to APHC, he is the author of many books as well as a writer of poetry and is featured daily on a literary radio series, The Writer’s Almanac. He has a weekly op-ed column which appears in newspapers coast to coast.
The Rev. David L. Wickmann, President of the Moravian Church Northern Province, said, “it was an honor for the Moravian Church to be such a large part of the A Prairie Home Companion show held in Bethlehem. Our strength as a denomination comes from our relationships with one another as a community of faith and it was a joy to share that with the rest of the nation through singing and stories on Keillor’s radio show. We look forward as a denomination to greater understanding of who we are in the faith landscape of the United States and Canada and continued growth as we carry on our ministry to and with others.”
Missed the show? Visit the A Prairie Home Companion website http:// prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2007/12/22/ to hear the show or see pictures from their visit to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
