The Trinity Lutheran Church is holding a special service on Sunday, September 18, called “Celebrate George!” as a part of their theme “Creating Space for Worship” to celebrate and thank their organist and pianist George French for forty years of service to the church.
To celebrate French’s dedication and contributions to the church, Trinity Lutheran Pastor Greg Isaacson and a few church members came together to come up with an idea to celebrate and thank French for everything he’s done during their 9:00 a.m. worship service. “We’re going to do a regular worship service, and then in the middle of it, we’re going to have a“Celebrate George!” segment where we’ll have some remarks by people in the community who have worked with George,” Trinity Lutheran Church Pastor Greg Isaacson explained. “One of the things our Worship and Music Team did was commission a composer to write a piece of music based on one of George’s favorite hymns. One of those hymns was “Thy Strong Word,” and Mark Sedio, who is the Cantor at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, composed a piece called “Fantasy on the Tune “Ebenezer.” French will then get to perform the piece in the service, and then the church will give a short presentation about his many years of service to the church before resuming the service. The service is open to everyone, even if they aren’t members, to come and be a part of the celebration. After the service, the church will have a reception in George’s honor in the church’s fellowship hall, where people can express their thanks to George for his music, leadership, friendship, and faith in the church. “We’re going to have a reception following the worship in our fellowship hall,” Pastor Isaacson explained. “There will be a box there so people can bring cards to thank George for his many years and also to celebrate many more years with George because he’s a fantastic musician, community person, and someone we all dearly love. So, come! Be a part of it, and you’re invited to be a part of Trinity Lutheran this coming Sunday.”
George French originally grew up in St. Paul, where he graduated with a degree in Music from Augsburg University, before coming to Crookston, where he met and married his wife, Rae French, and had two children. Along with being the organist for the church, French has shared his talents in many ways across the community. “George not only has been an enthusiastic arts supporter, but he has also been kind of the mainstay,” said Isaacson. “He’s accompanied choirs and soloists through the years. He serves in capacities across the community. In fact, he can tell you more about a grant he’s working with in terms of helping to encourage more organists in our rural areas of northwest Minnesota. He’s a very active person and sees a lot of things that need to be taken care of, and George has always been one to fill in when we need him. So, again, thank you, George!”
Trinity Lutheran Church’s “Celebrate George!” service will be this Sunday, beginning at 9:00 a.m., with a reception in the church’s fellowship hall after the service. The service is open to everyone to come, and thank George for all the time and contributions he’s given to the church and community over 40 years.
