Working Together

On November 27, the first Sunday in Advent, the Stadem clan led a Compline Advent service at St. John Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, where Mom & Dad Stadem have been members since Dad's last full-time call was there. He's served many congregations as interim pastor since his retirement, but Mom has continued her involvement at St. John and now Dad is the interim associate pastor there. When they first approached all of us with the idea of helping with this service, we were enthused and available - Pete and our family, two of his brothers and their families, and his sister and her family. One brother, who lives in Colorado, wasn't able to make it. When Dad mailed out the bulletin from last year's service, however, I wondered - "Seriously? You want the Stadem clan to do a meditative, contemplative service?" I dropped a couple of suggestions I had in mind for possible songs. Everyone had some contributions to offer - flute, liturgical dance, organ, piano, singing - and the order of service was delivered to the secretary about ten days before the service.

When we arrived in Sioux Falls on Saturday at about 2:30pm, to practice before our Thanksgiving feast, the cousins went wild, as usual. There was whooping and hollering and playing with wheelchairs and disappearing every time they were needed to rehearse. Sixteen of the eighteen grandchildren were present, plus a couple of friends, and every one of them thrilled to the presence of all the rest! All are musical, however, so they picked up the choir pieces, including solo parts, easily. Grandpa Stadem was quite concerned that they would be wild on Sunday, or at least make noise and whisper and disrupt the mood of the congregation. He gave a short speech to that effect, and later confessed to Pete that he had to surrender it to the Lord. "I've done all I can do." I wasn't worried because I have led the Sunday School Christmas program for the last ten years or so, and Saturday morning is always a disaster with no discipline whatsoever, and then the kids look like perfect little angels on Sunday during the program. I figured Stadem grandchildren wouldn't be any different - and in fact, half the kids there have been in my SS Christmas programs!

Everything went smoothly and quietly on Sunday. Some of the highlights were David singing "What Child is This" while Mary danced and Sarah and Rahila played the flute; teenagers singing "Pat-a-Pan" from Sounds Like Love, and the whole group singing "Creature Praise" with the youngest six grandchildren doing solo lines. We were blessed to see Cousin Janelle Swenson who came from Fergus Falls to see and hear us. Many people gave positive comments to us and to the parents in the ensuing days. And Liz, a high school senior this year, said, "It was a lot of fun to work together and not just play. We should do this again!"