SOLO "Be Thou My Vision"
(setting by Tom Trenney, 2020)
Aaron Bunnell, tenor; Alex Shum, violin; Dale Morehouse, piano
St. John's Methodist - Kansas City, MO
June 23, 2024
Tom Trenney, our neighbor in Lincoln NE, composed this solo and several others after the Covid pandemic arrived in 2020. He explains:
When I came home from choir rehearsal on March 11, 2020, I never could have imagined it would be the last time I’d be making music with our choir for the season. For what had been a great joy - to gather to sing and worship together - had suddenly become a great threat. All our plans for music ministry and worship had been undone. At first, I could not imagine how I could do what I was so sure God had called me to do. I was lost in a deep sea of disappointment, amidst the waves of cancellations, distressed by the suffering that so many were suddenly facing. But, in a moment of grace, God tapped me on the shoulder and encouraged me to stop thinking about all the things I could not do, and, instead, to think about the unique ways I could serve in this particular moment that might especially speak to the heart of those I longed to serve. It became clear to me that, even in the absence of choirs and ensembles, the message of God’s faithful, comforting presence and steadfast, abiding love - particularly in the context of our pandemic challenges - still needed to be sung. This collection of heartsongs came together, week by week, as I wrote these arrangements for our online worship, and I pray that they will bring you and your congregation an extra measure of hope and peace as we all find our way in this new wilderness. May every step ahead be blessed.