Evening of gospel music set for May 6

STATE COLLGE — An evening of gospel music featuring choirs from Pine Hall St. Paul’s and Gatesburg Lutheran churches, the Penns Valley Men’s Chorus and the Tuesday Night Bluegrass Jammers will be held beginning Sunday, May 6, at Pine Hall Lutheran Church, 1760 W. College Ave., State College. The performance will include old hymns and favorite sing-alongs. 

A free-willing offering will be benefit Interfaith Human Services, which helps struggling families with a fuel bank, free furniture, money management programs and more.

The family-oriented concert will provide foot-tapping music to enjoy and the opportunity to sing some old favorites. Refreshments afterward will offer concertgoers the chance to mingle with neighbors and friends.

David Strouse is the choir director at Pine Hall Lutheran. He said that the church has been doing this gospel night since 2004. The Bluegrass Jammers used the facility to play together on Tuesday evenings and they decided that it would be a good thing to spread the good times with gospel music, and tie it to helping their neighbors.

“I grew up in this church and there are many who enjoy some old hymns mixed in with more recent worship music,” said Strouse. He said that two members of the church are members of the Penns Valley Men’s Chorus, and that’s how that group became involved.
“The worship and music committees put this together, along with Rev. Susan Williamson,” he said. “It is the altar guild members who get together and do all the baking.”

The Bluegrass Jammers will start to play at 6:30 p.m., and people are welcome to come early and enjoy the entire evening.

“Our goal is to blow the roof off,” Strouse said.

 Editor’s note: Correspondent Connie Cousins is a board member of Interfaith Human Services.