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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
December 1, 2025 e-newsletter
| | Greeting from ALCM Board Member Matthew Frable | | |
Welcome to Advent...
This time of year, as church musicians, many of us frequently have words like these coming out of our mouths…
“Advent is a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation for Christ’s coming.”
BUT….. The words bouncing around in our heads tend to be quite different:
- How many extra services and rehearsals do I have in the next few weeks?
- How much extra music do I have to plan, practice and prepare?
- What singers and instrumentalists will I have for each service?
- Why is my strongest singer going on vacation, again?
- Why does my bass bell ringer always go out of town on Christmas Eve?
- And on and on and on and on…
During the next few weeks—one of the busiest times of the year for church musicians—on the inside we will be running around in circles as we encourage others to be calm and take time for reflection.
I encourage you (here I go – preaching to the “choir”) to take a few minutes for yourself. There are many wonderful Advent hymns (great texts as well as great tunes). Find one of those Advent hymns that you may not be very familiar with. Focus on the lyrics and play/sing it just for yourself. Not as planning for a service, not as preparation for a rehearsal. Just as a reflection for yourself. It is ok to indulge yourself for a few moments, so that you are better prepared for everything else you need to accomplish.
May you have a blessed Advent and Christmas season.
Matthew Frable
ALCM Board Member
Editor's note: Matthew prepared this e-newsletter greeting prior to his wife Betty's death on November 22nd. Please keep Matthew and all those who loved Betty in your prayers.
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End of Year Gifts to ALCM
Thanks to all who have already given gifts to ALCM in 2025! Your generosity helps ALCM live into its mission to nurture and equip musicians to serve and lead the church's song. If you still plan to make a donation and want to have it counted as a 2025 gift, please note the following deadlines:
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Online donations must be completed by 11:00 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, December 31.
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If you are planning to send a check, it must be received in the ALCM office no later than Saturday, January 3. Postmarking by Monday, December 29 should ensure that we receive it by January 3. Remember to use ALCM's new mailing address: ALCM, Helge Center, 1700 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383.
Donations received after those deadlines will be considered 2026 gifts. As of November 26th, 368 members and friends have made 2025 contributions. As part of ALCM's 40th anniversary celebration, we are hoping to increase the number of donors to 440 this year. If you have any questions about what you have already given in 2025, feel free to contact us at office@alcm.org.
| Registration is open for the 2026 ALCM Conference to be held at St. Olaf College from July 13-16, 2026. In 1986, forty years ago, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians held its constituting convention at St. Olaf College, setting out to become a professional organization that would lift up the role of church music and equip leaders to lead the church’s song. In the midst of our 40 year celebration, ALCM finds itself back on the St. Olaf campus to recommit to the calling of Lutheran Church music, to celebrate the last forty years, and to dream together about the next 40. Workshops, discussions, worship, and hands-on learning opportunities will focus on strengthening leaders' gifts and developing new skills in topics such as worship leadership, technology, composition, enriching assembly song and more. Confirmed workshop leaders include Anton Armstrong, Mari Espeland, Wayne Wold, Rebekah Schulz, Bill Mathis, Karoline Lewis, Larry Christensen (ALCM's founding president), and more. In addition, we will experience J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion offered by the Bach Collegium Valparaiso; Christopher M. Cock, Artistic Director. Updated presenter and workshop information has been added on the website. To learn more and to register, go to www.alcm.org/2026-st-olaf. | | |
New! Psalm Resources
A new member benefit is being developed and you are invited to take a sneak peak. As part of a larger project to develop psalm resources, a page for psalm refrains has been created. Refrains are listed by psalm and verse and contain an accompaniment, a graphic for insertion in a service folder, suggested psalm tone(s), and other supporting materials (instrumental parts, descants, etc.). Although there are only a handfull of refrains right now, this page will continue to grow as more refrains are submitted. For this week only, the page is available in the free portion of the website. Beginning next Monday, December 8, the page will be moved to the members area of the website and you will need to log in to view it.
A few things to note:
- The psalm tone suggestions are just that--suggestions. Feel free to use other tones in your congregation's repertoire. If you use a tone that works particularly well, let us know and we'll add it to the list of suggestions.
- If you are using the LSB 3-year lectionary, refrains for the remaining three Sundays in Advent are posted on the refrain page.
- If you regularly (or occasionally) write your own psalm refrains and/or tones, we would love to have you share them with other members. When the psalm refrain page moves to the members area, additional psalmody materials will be posted as well, including a guide for submissions.
As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Email us at office@alcm.org.
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The Christmas Gift That Keeps on Giving
Looking for a gift for a fellow church musician or pastor? Consider the gift of membership in ALCM. If your gift recipient is already a member of ALCM, their membership will be extended by one year. If it is a new member, they will receive a new member packet filled with a wonderful assortment of materials to introduce them to ALCM. Because members receive publications and other benefits throughout the year, this is a gift that truly keeps on giving! To give a gift membership, complete the online gift form or print and mail the form with your check.
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40th Anniversary Hymn Commission:
"O God, You Saw My Early Being"
In celebration of ALCM’s 40th anniversary in 2026, the ALCM board of directors commissioned Rev. Stephen Starke (text) and Robert Hobby (tune) to write a new hymn. “O God, You Saw My Early Being” is the result of that collaboration.
ALCM members are invited to use the hymn and setting in worship through December 31, 2025 without additional copyright permission. Beginning in 2026, the hymn will still be posted on the ALCM website, but text permission will be required from Concordia Publishing House and the music permission will be necessary through MorningStar Music. Ultimately, the hymn and setting will be available for purchase through MorningStar Music.
| | In November 2020 over a thousand singers and instrumentalists participated in the creation of a virtual hymn setting of "Angels We Have Heard on High" in a new arrangement by Anne Krentz Organ. You are invited once again to include this virtual hymn recording in your Christmas celebrations. | | We had some really wonderful Hearts • Hands • Voices events in 2025, and we're beginning to plan for 2026. If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your area, please contact Adam Hughes at education@alcm.org. | | Events are published both in the website calendar and in the monthly e-newsletter. Adding your local event to the calendar is easy. Members can simply log in to the members area of the ALCM website and select "Add an event to the calendar" under "What would you like to do?" Click on the "Post Your Event" button and complete the form. Non-members should send event details to office@alcm.org. | | |
NOTE: There will not be a December Happy Hour.
November 30 - First day of Advent, LSM's Music Advent Calendar begins
December 13 - 6:30 pm Eastern - The Messiah - 75th Annual Christmas Concert, St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, Frankenmuth, MI
December 13 - 1:30 pm Central - National Lutheran Choir concert, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis (in person & live-streamed)
December 14 - 9:30 am Eastern - Advent Lessons & Carols, St. John Episcopal Church, Carlisle, PA
December 31 - Last day to use ALCM's 40th anniversary hymn "O God, You Saw My Early Being" without further copyright permission
December 31 - 11:00 pm Eastern - Last day/time to make a 2025 online donation to ALCM
January 3 - Last day to receive 2025 donations by check. Send to ALCM, Helge Center, 1700 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383
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Your event will appear on the main event calendar, on the main page of the website, and in the e-newsletter for the month in which the event will take place. Good advertising - and it's free to ALCM members!
View the full ALCM calendar.
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Hymn Resources
This month's newsletter features two Christmas tunes: GREENSLEEVES and SUSSEX CAROL. Both tunes include a B-flat trumpet part written by Jean Boehler as well as soloed-out organ settings by Paul Otte.
GREENSLEEVES – Boehler
GREENSLEEVES – Otte harmonization
SUSSEX CAROL – Boehler
SUSSEX CAROL – Otte harmonization
As part of your regular worship planning, be sure to check your hymn selections against the list of Hymn Settings in the members area of the ALCM website. (See the link under the "Quick Links" heading.) There are hundreds of hymn settings to support congregational singing as well as many free downloadable resources in the members area. If you haven't looked for a while, log in and do some exploring!
Having difficulty logging in to the members area? First check to be sure that you are using the email address that we have on file (the address at which you receive the e-newsletter). Click on the "Forgot your password?" link in the login box and follow the instructions to reset your password. If you still have difficulty logging in, or if you are logged in and cannot access the members area page, send an email to office@alcm.org
and we'll be happy to help.
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Are you getting the most out of your ALCM membership?
Did you know that new member benefits are being added all the time to the members area of the ALCM website? You will want to log in whenever you visit the site to be sure that you have access to everything available to members. Can't remember your login information? In almost every case, your username is your email address. You can change or reset your password by following the "Forgot your password?" link in the login box.
Items in the members area are available for unlimited use as long as your membership remains active. Here are a few items for members only:
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All issues of CrossAccent (from the very beginning) and In Tempo are available for viewing. Paper and downloadable versions of CrossAccent are also available in the Marketplace;
- Advertise your local events on ALCM's calendar;
- Listen to all ALCM CD recordings for free;
- Hymns, accompaniments, descants, concertatos, and hymn stanza alternations for choir;
- Other free downloadable seasonal and non-seasonal resources;
- Discounted registration fee for ALCM-sponsored webinars and conferences;
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Past issues of ALCM's original practical resource, Grace Notes, from 1997-2011;
- Discounts on purchases of CDs and other items in the Marketplace; and
- A host of other resources free for viewing and downloading.
If you have any difficulty logging in or if you have questions or comments about the website or your membership, please feel free to contact us by email at office@alcm.org.
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Are you a congregation looking for a musician?
A musician looking for a position?
ALCM can help!
Employment resources have been developed to assist congregations in the process of searching for and hiring a musician. Presented in a step-by-step format, these resources will guide you through the entire employment process.
The ALCM job listing service connects those looking for positions in the field of church music with congregations and other institutions that have openings. By completing an online job posting form, congregations can post their positions on the ALCM website where those looking for employment may view them.
Musicians searching for a job may view posted job openings on the ALCM website, where those looking for positions can view them. Both full-time and part-time positions are listed, and new positions are added as received.
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The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
nurtures and equips musicians
to serve and lead the church's song.
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