“Prayer of the children”

Performed on June 5, 2022 by the First Community Church Choirs & Orchestra, Columbus, OH

Conducted by Dr. C. Andrew Blosser, Director of Music, leading the combined choirs of two campuses

This performance followed the recent tragic events at Buffalo and Uvalde – while the war goes on in Ukraine – and the world is at a critical turning point.

A hauntingly beautiful piece, this number was composed by Kurt Bestor during the war in the former country of Yugoslavia. More recently, this message was added to his website: Originally, the song was written with the lyrics “Crying Jesus…” The songwriter now recommends substituting the words “Crying softly…” enabling people to substitute “Jesus, Allah, Yahweh, etc.” to convey a universal message of love.

The recording was brought to my attention by my brother-in-law, Randall Rocke, who performs with the choir in this moving tribute. For those who remember Randy from his early years in Central Illinois, he is the first person in the top-right of the feature image (mustache/glasses). He is married to my sister Bets who continues to perform on a part-time basis as a church organist in the Columbus area.

Credits:

C. Andrew Blosser, Director of Music at First Community Church; Assistant Professor of Practice, Voice at The Ohio State University

Randall Rocke, Oratorio Soloist; Multimedia Producer, and Former Director of TV Broadcast Ministries of First Community Church

See Kurtbestor.com – to learn more about the song and the composer.

 

Posted by:

Susan Troyer