Learning More About GOD Through Scripture and Christian Hymns

Roger's most pressing reason to be a church musician is to provide opportunities for people to experience vibrant spiritual and musical growth through their personal God-given gift of music. The men, women, youth and children who have been members of his choirs and instrumental groups understand that their music-making is for the purpose of bringing the highest honor to God. The members of his adult choirs especially, know that their membership in the choir is more than a matter of being a "volunteer" but one of a "calling" to serve and honor God. Countless lives have been changed for good as a result of God-honoring music ministry throughout his sixty-plus years of music ministry. The singers and instrumentalists with whom Roger has worked have been members of Baptist, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Lutheran, Methodist, Nazarene, and Presbyterian churches in the USA and Canada. He jokingly calls himself a "Lubapmethoterian". He also is delighted to have served on the music faculty of Toccoa Falls College and Toronto Bible College. Roger believes in an eclectic approach to church music. Based on his personal life experience and the biblical directive to "sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16) he is convinced that God is most greatly honored, and that people gain a more complete understanding of God and the Christian life when a variety of music expressions are the church's standard. To have less, in Roger's view, is to do a dis-service to its members. Encouraging, inspiring and motivating church leaders and typical Christians has been Roger's motivation for writing numerous articles that have been published in such magazines as Alliance Life, Christianity Today, Creator, Grace and Truth Magazine, Journal of Church Music, Mature Years, Net-Results, Reformed Worship, The Clergy Journal, The Hymn, and The Upper Room. Roger is also the author of four published books: ADVENTURE IN MUSIC MINISTRY (Pleasant Word, 2009); LEARNING MORE ABOUT GOD THROUGH SCRIPTURE AND CHRISTIAN HYMNS (Reliant Press, 2020); MAKING GOD'S PRAISE GLORIOUS! (WestBow Press (a division of Thomas Nelson/Zondervan, 2021); and SPIRITUAL SURPRISES! (Self-published, 2022). PLEASE NOTE: Adventure in Music Ministry is now out of print. Roger has only a few personal copies which he is willing to make available by contacting him at [email protected]. His blog LETTERS TO FELLOW CHURCH CHOIR DIRECTORS can be found at www.choirletters.org. For those interested in such trivia - Roger's formal music education was started by his mother when he told her that he (age 5) would like to learn to play the piano. She untied her apron, took him by the hand, and led him to the piano. Following high school during which he studied piano, trumpet and voice and sang in the choir, he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Music degree from Nyack College (Nyack, NY); and a Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree from Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ) with additional study at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Music (Louisville, KY). Roger is happy to be the husband of his high school sweetheart, Jean; the father of sons Howard and Greg; the father-in-law of Connie; grandfather of Kelseylyn, Michael and Rolando; the grandfather-in-law of Andrew and Sierra; and the great grandfather of Emma, Olivia, and Ember. Roger and his wife, Jean, along with their golden fur child Spirit, reside in Green Valley, Arizona. O YES - Roger collects old things called hymnbooks (mostly the ones from pre-20th century) - is in love with Golden Retrievers.