Join us on March 21 at 2:00pm for a wonderful March Movie Matinee!
We will be showing
Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Classic Family Musical
“Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
This movie showing is free and open to the public.
Popcorn and water will be provided.
The 2015 Lenten Noontime Concert Series of Two Rivers United Methodist Church, Rock Island will begin its 24th season on Wednesday, February 25, at 12:15 p.m. in the church Sanctuary.
The series will begin with an appearance by The RiverBend Bronze Handbell Ensemble. This group is directed by Larry Peterson of Augustana College and is a community-based ensemble that has presented several concerts in the area.
Michael Wahlman, Cello and Robert Elfline, Piano will be playing for us on March 4.
The Rock Island High School Chamber Singers will return to the series on March 11. They are directed by Scott Voight and accompanied by Cheryl Bolt.
Gregory Etzel, Baritone will sing on March 18. Gregory, a native of Moline and former member of Two Rivers Church, is the Director of Music at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria, and also is a member of the River Valley Brass Quintet and the Peoria Municipal Band.
Edgar Crockett, Trumpet, and David Holcomb, Piano will present the program on March 25. Edgar holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Iowa and is currently a professor of music at Black Hawk College, Moline. Dave is a well-known pianist, having performed at many venues in the Quad City Area.
On April 1, our last concert of the season, Stephen Steely, Organ will perform for us. Stephen is the Director of Music at First Lutheran Church, Moline and Temple Emmanuel, Davenport, and also plays for several Sunday Masses at St. Plus Church in Rock Island.
The Lenten Noontime Concert Series is presented by the church for the enjoyment of its members, those who work in the downtown Rock Island area, for the retired, and for all those who love great music. The concerts begin at 12:15 P.M. and last approximately one/half hour and will take place in the church Sanctuary. The concerts are free of charge, but freewill donations will be gladly accepted.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time when everyone has the opportunity to reflect, repent, and encourage renewal in their spiritual lives.
Everyone is invited to begin their Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday worship at 6:30p.m. on February 18 at Two Rivers. Everyone will have the opportunity to take the sign of the cross in ashes as a representation of repentance and a commitment in allowing God’s work of renewal in their lives.
Two Rivers United Methodist Church and the Center For Living Arts are teaming up for a special 4:00 p.m. Palm Sunday presentation of Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell. The musical, directed by and starring Dino Hayz as Jesus, sets the gospels of Matthew and Luke to music, skits, and heartwarming fun.
The cast of 32 is made up of longtime members of Two Rivers, some new to the Two Rivers family, and veterans of The Center for Living Arts. Tom Vaccaro, a well-known face in the Quad Cities theater community, is a leading player in the show. Pastor Robb McCoy, choir director Mark Swessinger, and children’s choir director Tammy Baugh are all a part of the cast as well.
“You might see another show with more talent. You probably will see another show that is more polished,” said McCoy. “You will not see a show where the cast is having more fun.”
Godspell is not a narrative in the classic sense, and cannot really be described as a passion play. It is an event. It is the coming together of a community of people, right out of the congregation of those gathered. As the community comes together, they plea for salvation with “God Save the People.” They long to see Jesus more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly in “Day by Day.” There is bitter sadness as Jesus’ most devoted follower slowly turns on him as he sings “On the Willows.” Finally, in the rocking, driving climax of the story, Jesus is crucified. After his death, silence falls over the sanctuary until it is finally broken by the lone voice proclaiming, “Love Live God.”.
The performance has an added significance because it will be on Palm Sunday. Serving as a great way to start the holiest week of the Christian year, the performance of Godspell will end with an invitation to experience the rest of Two Rivers Church’s Holy Week services, including a service on Thursday at 6:30, a chance for self-guided reflection on Friday from 3-6 p.m., an Easter sunrise service at 6:30, and the full Easter worship service at 9:30 a.m. on April 5.
The Center for Living Arts (centerforlivingarts.org) is located at 2008 4th Avenue in Rock Island. Just a few blocks from Two Rivers, Dino and Tina Hayz produce several children and youth musicals a year. This spring they are currently working on a youth production of West Side Story and a children’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. West Side Story will show at The Center in April. Joseph will show on May 1-2 at The Center, and will be at Two Rivers on May 8-9. More is coming about this growing relationship between Two Rivers United Methodist Church and The Center for Living Arts.
Two Rivers Hockey Night
Join Two Rivers on Friday , February 6 at the I-Wireless Center in Moline for an exciting night of hockey. Our Quad Cities Mallards will be taking on the Wichita Thunder. Sign up on Sunday in the west entrance or call the church office to get our $10/person group rate. We will meet in the west entrance of the church at 6:15pm to go over to the I-Wireless Center as a group.
As part of a regional tour, the 32-member Simpson College Chamber Singers from Indianola, Iowa, will present a concert of sacred and secular choral literature at 7:30 PM, on Friday, February 20, at Two Rivers United Methodist Church, Rock Island. The concert is free and open to the public. Under the direction of Dr. Timothy A. McMillin, the Chamber Singers will perform a wide variety of choral pieces, including compositions by Palestrina, Bach, Duruflé, Thompson, Gibbs, Childs, Gjeilo, Walker, and others.
Located in Indianola, Iowa, Simpson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts institution of roughly 1,500 full-time, residential students affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college is recognized nationally for the excellence of its music program. The Chamber Singers is the College’s newest choral ensemble and performs regularly both on and off campus. Upcoming engagements include a performance with the Des Moines Symphony in May 2015.
This concert occurs as part of a 5-day winter tour through the communities in Eastern Iowa and Illinois.
