Woodburn United Methodist Church will be presenting the Christmas Cantata, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” on Sunday, December 3 at 9:00 a.m.. The cantata was created by Russell Mauldin and Sue C. Smith and arranged by Russell Mauldin. The Cantata is under the direction of Dawn Patterson. This Cantata, as stated in the narration, follows Mary and Joseph on a “journey that began with surprise, danger and uncertainty. It took them from the town of Nazareth to Bethlehem, to the darkness of a stable and the wonder of a miraculous birth.”
The cantata begins with the beautiful “Bethlehem Overture with O Come, All Ye Faithful.” This then segues into “O Little Town (The Glory of Christmas)” by Matt Redman.
Our journey continues as we follow Mary and Joseph with the “Journey Medley with Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/We Three Kings.”
Next, the audience will go to the little village that was the end of the journey this night for Mary and Joseph with the haunting “How Far (Part 1) by Matt Redman.
Many times we think of Mary and the Christ Child, but how often do we think of Joseph. This next song, “Strange Way to Save the World, gives us Joseph’s point of view of the extraordinary events. This song contains a solo by Dick Hall and a duet with Dick Hall and Dennis Jackson.
We next follow the arrival of the shepherds with the traditional English melody, “What Child Is This?
We pull the entire story together with the Gaither song, “It’s Still the Greatest Story Ever Told. This song contains a solo by Lisa Dial.
As the narration states, “the greatest miracle of all is how far He would go to redeem us.” This is embodied in the moving, “How Far (Part 2).
The cantata then concludes with the joyous “Come to Bethlehem Finale, which includes “It’s Still the Greatest Story Ever Told”, “Angels We Have Heard on High”, and “Joy to the World!”
The members of the choir include the following:
Soprano – Cheryl Coleman, Lisa Dial, Joyce Drayer
Alto – Ruth Corn, Diane Hall, Dawn James, Dawn Patterson, LaVon Womack
Baritone – Dick Hall
Bass – Dennis Jackson
Narrators – Dick Hall and Dawn Patterson
Sound Tech – Sean Patterson
Pastor Terry McDonald and the members of the Woodburn United Methodist Church would like to invite the public to join us in our celebration of the birth of our Savior by attending our worship in music. This Cantata will be a part of the worship service on Dec. 3 at 9:00 AM in the Sanctuary. There will be refreshments to follow the service in the Fellowship Hall, provided by the ladies of the church. Woodburn United Methodist is located at Highway 101 and Becker Road (4300 Becker Rd.) behind the Woodburn Express Gas Station in the middle of Woodburn.
