Friends of the Creche--Heartland Cradlesong 2007

This morning after church we bought our tickets for the November 9 performance of the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church adult choir premiering Michael Martin's choral and orchestral composition, Scenes from His Nativity, commissioned by the Friends of the Creche, a society dedicated to studying the creche tradition and collecting nativities. Our pastor, Paul Ulring, an expert on hymnody, is the keynote speaker and will discuss sacred Christmas carols used in contemplating the miracle of the Savior's birth. The $20 ticket also covers a Koldtbord, a traditional Norwegian Christmas Eve feast.

Donna selling tickets
The event takes place at The Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Dr., Hilliard, OH 43026, with the Koldtbord beginning at 6:15 p.m. and the concert at 7:30 p.m. Dave and Donna Hahm are the co-chairs for this event and tickets are available both at Mill Run and Lytham Road campuses of UALC. Beat the Christmas rush--invite a friend for a wonderful evening celebrating the diverse American cultures that include German, Norwegian, Irish, African American and Greek Orthodox Christmas traditions.

The main activities of the convention will be at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Dublin, OH and will include

Frs. Nathanael Smyth and Nicholas Hughes, monks from the Monastic Brotherhood of St. Theodore, Galion, Ohio, will present the art and hymnody of the Nativity in the Greek Orthodox tradition. Nannette Maciejunes, Director of the Columbus Museum of Art, will introduce the mid-20th Century African American Columbus barber and wood carver, Elijah Pierce, whose vision of the Incarnation shaped his life-long ministry of “sermons in wood” and made him one of the nation’s outstanding African American folk artists. In addition, the traditions of Norway, Ireland, Germany, and Slovakia will be featured.

An exhibit of nativities from the Marian Library of the University of Dayton will be introduced by Fr. Johann Roten, director of the library and curator of the collec-tion. Program highlights include two Midwestern artists: Jerry Krider of Columbia City, Indiana, and Gary Wilson of Monroe, Michigan. They will talk about the inspiration behind their unique respective expressions of the Nativity in wood and clay. They are among the artists who will be exhibiting in the Manger Mart for the first time. Also planned are programs on the herbal lore associated with the nativity, Advent calendars, building a collection on a budget, and more." From the website schedule