Northwestern students to lead worship service in honor of Veterans Day

Northwestern College students will lead an evening worship service in honor of Veterans Day at First Reformed Church, located at 420 Central Ave. NW in Orange City, at 5:30 on Sunday, Nov. 8. The public is invited to attend.

The students, enrolled in an interdisciplinary honors course on “The Great War and Music,” will use hymns written by World War I clergymen and poets to pray for peace and for those who have served in the armed forces. “These students understand the historical and theological implications of music from the Word War I era,” says Dr. Heather Josselyn-Cranson, associate professor of music at Northwestern and instructor of the course. “So I wanted to find a way for them to create a program with participatory music.”  After searching for venues, Josselyn-Cranson settled on First Reformed, whose leaders invited the students to create the evening service’s worship program.

“The service will not only be focused on World War 1,” says Josselyn-Cranson. “The students will present Scriptures about justice and freedom; pray for those serving their country; and praise God, whose peace we seek.”