A teenage cellist, a mother-daughter vocal duet, the story of Jacob’s Ladder, and ballads about Jacob will animate the 10:30 a.m. worship service this Sunday, July 20, 2008 in Tyrone Presbyterian Church.
Bellwood sophomore Zachary Estright, the son of Karl and Deborah Huff Estright, will present a cello solo as this mid-summer Presbyterian worship service unfolds. Tyrone Presbyterians rejoice about a solo on the cello – a string instrument rarely heard in Tyrone Presbyterian worship. A student of Altoona string specialist Amy Perchey, cellist Estright participates in the Bellwood school choir, and also on the Bellwood cross-country and track teams.
Following the scripture lessons about Jacob by Presbyterian preaching pastor Mark Liller, Deborah Huff Estright and her eleven-year-old daughter Emily will present a vocal duet entitled “So Deep Combined With Jesus Loves Me,” arranged by Gary Rhodes. This autumn, Mrs. Estright will begin her fourth season as conductor of Tyrone’s Allegheny Chorale. A 1983 Tyrone honors graduate and a 1987 music graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Estright serves as Director of Elementary Choral Music for the Williamsburg Area School District. She is married to Altoona special education teacher Karl Estright. The couple resides in Tipton and have three children – speech team champion Tyler, cellist Zachary, and soprano Emily.
Emily Estright will begin sixth grade this autumn at Bellwood’s middle school, where she participates in the school choir, and eventually hopes to serve as bell percussionist with the middle school band. Emily has studied dance since her earliest years, and also plays the piano. Emily’s aunt, Susan Huff Daly, will serve as piano accompanist for this mother-daughter vocal duet. An accomplished pianist, Mrs. Daly graduated from Jersey Shore High School and later from Lycoming College with a degree in mathematics. The mother of two school age children, Mrs. Daly works at Retirement Solutions in Greenwood. All of the musical contributors at Presbyterian worship on Sunday, July 20 are children or grandchildren of Reverend Norman and Anna Mae Huff, interim pastor at Lower Spruce Creek Presbyterian Church and residents of Epworth Manor Apartments.
Epworth manor chaplain and Presbyterian preaching pastor Mark Liller will deliver a mid-summer message entitled, “It’s Revaluation Time.” For his mid-summer homily, Pastor Liller will focus on the story of Jacob, which appears in Genesis 28: 1 to 22. In that lectionary scripture lesson, the Genesis writer recounted the story of Jacob, who lay down to sleep at sunset on a pillow of stone, dreamed of a stairway or ladder leading to heaven, and eventually christened the land on which he slept, “Bethel” – home of God.
Pastor Liller will remind the audience that God promised to give Jacob and his descendants the land on which he had slept. In turn, Jacob pledged his allegiance to the Lord, as well as his tithe of one tenth of his weekly earnings. Reverend Liller, an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, will use his message to caution the people in the pew that often in summer, folks can become oblivious to nearly everything in their lives – especially that God is with them in all the days and places of their lives.
Hearing this Old Testament story of Jacob’s sleep, his dream, his ladder, and his new commitment to serve the Lord, Tyrone Presbyterians will respond by singing three congregational ballads about Jacob. They will open with British actor and poet Sarah Flower Adam’s 1840 hymn entitled “Nearer, My God, To You.” Sarah’s pastor, Reverend William Fox, invited her to compose a hymn that could serve as a fitting close to his sermon on Jacob. She responded with “Nearer, My God, To You.” Of course, a service centered on Jacob would be incomplete without the beloved vacation bible school spiritual entitled “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, Pilgrims Of The Cross,” which Presbyterians will sing at the close of worship.
As this season of mid-summer 2008 unfolds, and Tyrone folks head out to the ballgame, or the beach, or camp, or the park, or the races, the members of Tyrone Presbyterian Church urge citizens not to become oblivious to their spiritual lives. Why not join Tyrone Presbyterians along with the Estright Family musicians at 10:30 a.m. this Sunday, July 20, 2008 to hear the beloved story of Jacob. Attending this mid-summer service, why not re-commit yourself to the Christian faith, as you sing this popular ballad of Jacob: “As Jacob With Travel Was Weary One Day/At Night On A Stone For A Pillow He Lay/He Saw In A Vision, A Ladder So High/ That Its Foot Was On Earth, And Its Top In The Sky/Alleluia To Jesus, Who Died On The Tree/And Has Raised Up A Ladder Of Mercy For Me!”
