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On September 15, 2009 I was ordained by Bishop Sandy Greene to the transitional diaconate of the Anglican Mission in the Americas, under the authority of the Anglican Church in Rwanda and Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini. Thanks so much to all who were able to make the trek to a beautiful evening service in a century old chapel on the shore of Lake Michigan. Prior to ordination to the priesthood, I will serve as deacon to Light of Christ Anglican Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, under the direction of Father Eirik Olsen.



The Bird & Baby Theater presented an outdoor production of G.K. Chesterton's play, The Surprise, this summer. I had the priviledge of playing the part of the Friar. Here are a couple of  photos from the play, directed by Dan Roche.




Photos from Easter Vigil 2009 - Church of the Resurrection

This was my 19th year of playing for this particular Vigil. My, how the church has grown!








Here is a review of Rockwood from Ken Scott's book,  Archivist (Vintage Vinyl Jesus Music, 1965-1980):


Thursday, January 25, 2007 - Nelson and York - Rockwood (1974) Randy Matthews produced this duo’s custom project featuring Randy York on lead vocals and acoustic guitar and Brad Nelson on electric, bottleneck, and acoustic guitars. Add some additional folks on piano, bass, drums and the end result is good unrefined acoustic/electric rural rock with a slight Southern bent. Here’s an odd one: a honky-tonk rocker called ‘Wallace’ recounting the George Wallace assassination attempt. A twinge of Allman Brothers Southern rock in ‘Taste And See’. Other titles include ‘This World Has Got To Change’, ‘Tabitha’, ‘Stop Him!?’ and ‘They That Wait Upon The Lord’. Some parts remind me of Ron Moore, others of Dave Mattson’s Lead Me Home. York also has a couple fine solo lps. (Ken Scott - Archivist)



This was our third year playing the Wheaton and Glen Ellyn parades on Rockin' Roskam's Rolling Stage. Last year was the Blues Brothers, while this year was a Beach Boys motif. Here is a picture of this year's band. We are (L-R): Ian Nevins (sax), Colin York (electric bass), Trevor McMaken (keyboard), Adam Babarik (electric guitar), Steve Roskam (harmonicas), Daniel Knighten (drums), and myself (vocals). Bonnie McMaken (not pictured) also sang vocals.  We had Fun, Fun, Fun playing for some 100,000 people.  Thank you Peter & Elizabeth Roskam for inviting us to do it!



Weed It And Reap will be the name of the new CD. I wrote the title song on July 4 , and will record it in the next week or so. Thanks so much for your patience. I have had many inquiries as to just when this new project will be available, and I am hoping it will be soon. It has, however, grown to a full 10-11 song CD, and is no longer the mini-album it started out to be. But it is still quite simple (no real money in this one, just real songs).

I am presently enrolled in Northern Seminary's Master of Divinity program, with an emphasis in Anglican studies in order to satisfy requirements for an Anglican ordination. I have been at it since Spring 2006 and am at the halfway point. I expect to finish in 2011 or 2012. Many people are partnering with me in this endeavor, through both prayer and donations. Thanks to you all!


Rebecca Manley Pippert is a genuinely inspirational author, a mesmerizing speaker, and a good friend. You can find her at www.saltshaker.org.  Kay and I have known Becky and Dick for many years (and they went to church with us before they moved to Louisville), and their wisdom and friendship have been constant. How can you be Christ's hands and feet to your neighbor (maybe even your next-door neighbor)? Read Becky's books, or better yet, go hear her speak. God will change you, and then change the world through you, one life at a time.



Brad Nelson and Guitar Zone: Brad recently closed Guitar Zone and is once again playing with a band in his parallel universe life! I'll try to get a link to them for you.



Huntley Brown is a musician I have known and admired for a long time. He is one of the finest pianists I have ever heard, and his love for the Lord and heart for ministry are well known. Huntley is exciting and prolific in his recordings and concerts. If you have never heard him, it is an experience you will never forget. For a calendar of scheduled appearances, go to www.huntleybrown.com



James Ward is another friend from the 70's whom I first met and heard when he was a student at Covenant College on Lookout Mountain. I remember well his concerts at Wheaton College. The first time was rather lightly attended because no one knew who he was. The second time he came, Pierce Chapel was packed to the rafters on word of mouth alone. James is still active, and you can visit his website at www.jameswardmusic.com.



Billy Sprague: Kay and I have also gotten to know Billy and Kellie Sprague over the past few years, and we think they are the real deal.  Billy has been around for a long time, and many of you will remember his song Via Dolorosa. You can follow him now at www.missionmusic.org



Many of you are no doubt familiar with Pastoral Care Ministries.  Founded and directed by Leanne Payne, these week-long schools are treasuries of instruction, prayer, worship, healing, and abiding in the Light of Christ.  More information can be obtained at www.leannepayne.org.



Redeemed Lives Ministries, founded and directed by Mario Bergner, is a ministry of pastoral care and discipleship for the cure and maturation of the soul. For more information, go to www.redeemedlives.org.



I highly recommend www.one-way.org for the most complete listing I have yet found of Jesus Music from the 1970's. Here are a couple of reviews from them:

Candle Wax Rockwood 1976
Another backwoods scruffy rocker' guy that successfully avoided the sanitized ccm scene. The denim jacket; the ripped jeans; the long hair; the bizarre humor - it's easy to picture this guy right alongside Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Randy Matthews and all those other out-in-left-field radicals. We'd heard from York previously as half of the duo Rockwood. Brad Nelson (the other half of Rockwood) is part of York's band on Candle Wax, contributing some blistering scratchy lead guitar to tracks like the re-worked 'Wallace'. Most of side one is raw electric stuff while side two explores acoustic rock evoking Ron Moore's early albums. KS


One For The Road Rockwood 1978
One For The Road is a collection of solo performances - a mix of before-an-audience and live-in-studio tracks recorded at various high schools, coffeehouses, studios and living rooms. In addition to great music there's some humorous audience talk about such topics as the song 'Convoy' and Christian disco (aka 'Crisco"). Other oddities include studio chit-chat, 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game' (sung off by one syllable) and the strange heavily-reverbed poetry reading 'The Winter Chill'. Pretty much a classic in my book with the homemade carefree attitude of Norman's Streams Of White Light. Weird cover of can of Wheaten Beer: "a pure brew from God's country". KS


 
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