At 10:30 a.m. Worship this Sunday, June 3, the 79 Members Of Tyrone Presbyterian Church will celebrate Trinity Sunday and congratulate Tyrone’s 138 High School Graduates in both Music and Message. Especially, Presbyterians want to commend Honors Graduate Tyler Conrad, youngest son of Presbyterian Elder Elaine Boal Conrad and her husband John Conrad.
On this Trinity Sunday, occurring exactly seven days after Pentecost, 2007, Tyrone Graduate and Vocalist Joshua Shaffer will lead The Audience in a Rock Rendition of Reginald Heber’s 1827 Trinity Sunday Hymn entitled, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty / God In Three Persons Blessed Trinity.” As Presbyterians sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” in this their 150th Anniversary Year, their minds will travel back to those long ago days when each Sabbath their Westminster Choir marched up the aisle in Black Robes to reach The Choir Loft located in those days under The Front Stained Glass Window, paneled with wood, and elevated above The Pulpit and The Communion Table. Oftentimes, The Choir Sopranos would conclude “Holy, Holy, Holy” singing a powerful and inspiring descant.
In addition to leading this Trinity Sunday Hymn to help listeners understand how God The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit contribute to Human Salvation, Mr. Shaffer will offer his own Special Baritone Vocal Solo. The Eldest Son of Lynn and Shelby Shaffer of Tyrone’s Community Worship Center along Bald Eagle Avenue, Soloist Shaffer has earned prominent Vocal Parts at District, Regional, and State Choir Festivals, while attending Tyrone Area High School. Many times, he has served as Guest Soloist with The Tyrone High School Choirs. After working as A Music Intern for Salt And Light Ministries during The Summer Of 2007, Joshua will begin studies in Church Music, Music Education, and Music Technology at Valley Forge Christian College, located 28 Miles Northwest Of Philadelphia. For many years, Valley Forge Christian College has maintained a close association with The Assembly Of God Denomination.
Presbyterian Pulpit Supply Minister Mark Liller will deliver The Morning Message on Trinity Sunday asking the question, What Do You Know? The Pastor Of Altoona’s 28th Street Church Of The Brethren from 1999 to 2004 and The Present Chaplain at Tyrone’s Epworth Manor, Pastor Liller will discuss how Knowledge of this Three Person God can transform Human Lives.
Besides reflecting on A God In Three Persons, Local Presbyterians will pay tribute to Tyrone’s 138 Seniors with The Organ Offertory and with The Closing Hymn. At The Offertory, Church Organist Richard Merryman will perform Sir Edward Elgar’s famous 1901 Pomp And Circumstance March. Originally composed by Elgar for England’s King Edward VII, Elgar confided to his friends that he had created a march that would knock over His Listeners.
On October 22, 1901 , when The Pomp And Circumstance March debuted in London, listeners applauded so vigorously that The Conductor had The Orchestra play it three times until the audience sat down and calmed down. On June 28, 1905, Edward Elgar brought his March from England to Yale University’s Graduation, where it first became A Commencement March in America. From that day forward, many American Colleges and High Schools have featured Elgar’s Pomp And Circumstance March at Graduations.
Finally, Local Presbyterians will pay tribute to Tyrone Graduates when they close worship with a comforting 1985 Hymn by John Ylvisaker entitled, “I Was There To Hear Your Borning Cry / I’ll Be There When You Grow Old.” Presbyterians hope that this Contemporary Chorus will remind Graduating Seniors, their Loved Ones, and Their Friends that God promises to remain with us at our Birth, at Baptism, in Childhood, in Bible Study, at Marriage, in Middle Age, in Old Age, and at Our Passing into Eternal Life.
As The Days Of Spring 2007 lengthen into Summer across Central Pennsylvania, why not join The 79 Members Of Tyrone Presbyterian Church as they celebrate Trinity Sunday and Tyrone’s 2007 Graduation in both Music And Message? Why not attend Presbyterian Worship on June 3 and let the lyrics of this Graduation Hymn surround you with comfort: “I was there to hear your Borning Cry, I’ll be there when you grow old / I rejoiced The Day you were baptized, to see Your Life unfold / In The Middle Ages of Your Life, not too old, and not too young / I’ll be there to guide You through The Night, complete what I’ve begun / When The Evening gently closes in, and you shut your weary eyes / I’ll be there as I have always been, with just one more surprise / I was there to hear your Borning Cry, I’ll be there when you grow old / I rejoiced The Day you were baptized, to see Your Life unfold.”
