Stewardship Ministry Team Photo Contest Winner

The winner of the Stewardship Ministry Team Photo Contest is Jean Black from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clinton. Her photo was titled “The Spirit Children.” The winning photo will be framed, matted and displayed at the 2008 Synod Assembly. The winning photographer will also receive a certificate of appreciation and acknowledgment, signed by Bishop Hougen.

Here is the story which accompanied the photo:

The Spirit Children

Our choir director asked me to document our intergenerational musical, The Song of Mark. As the kids filed down the side aisle I noticed the sun streaming through the windows and bounding off the carpet, adding a rosy glow to the whole image. I think the sweet expressions on their faces reflect the purity and beauty of their spirits.

Usually, we do a children’s musical each spring that includes children, teenagers and sometimes adults, but The Song of Mark was much more ambitious. The idea of wearing a costume and singing from the front of the church was foreign to many of us! Not only that, but we needed someone to sew a costume for every single adult…without funds for fabric. Somehow it all happened. None of us realized what a profound effect the experience would have on not just the congregation, but especially the musicians and those directly involved.

The Passion story came alive that day in a way that became real and intensely personal to all of us. As the choirs recessed, we were stunned to see eyes brimming with tears. Instead of the dreaded polite applause, there was an eerie silence of people who really “got it.” Clearly, the Holy Spirit had been working through us.

Jean Black

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Clinton

News & Events