Peace Together Newsletter (Winter 2010)

Vol 1, Issue 1 (Download/view PDF)

Peace Together Newsletter Table of Contents (TOC): 
Peace Together; Now and Then,  New Website, Meet Director John Buckenberger, Spread the Hope: A message to our donors, Angel Kay Waters, Upcoming Events,

Hospice workers, friends, and local musicians came together in 2000 to make plans for a collection of comforting music for hospice patients and their families, and Peace Together Choir was born. The choir has spent the
last 10 years recording our inspiring music, performing at hospice memorials, churches and nursing homes. To date, over $18,000 has been donated from profits from sales of our CD’s to local hospice and other charities. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, Peace Together would like to thank everyone who has supported us through the years, and share some exciting news!

The choir is in the final stages of producing our fourth album of inspirational music. This collection will include many of the meaningful songs presented at our concerts and memorial services, along with some surprises we hope you will enjoy as much as we do! This collection has been masterfully recorded with loving care by our members, enhanced with wonderful solo and instrumental efforts. Our anticipated kickoff is in Winter 2011.

Meanwhile, Peace Together is planning to launch an effort to expand the influence of our music across the country. We have founded our own record label, “Peace Together Productions” (check out our new logo!) and have established a relationship with Anchor Distributors, the largest national distributor of Christian music. This partnership has begun with the re-release of our most recent CD, “Trust in the Lord,” as well as our Christmas “Gift of Hope.” Both are available through Christian retail locations nationwide and beyond. Our first CD, “Hope in the Night” will be re-released in 2011.

We have also redesigned our website, www.hopefulmusic.com. As the new site develops, we plan to offer music, video, inspiration, and devotionals to our visitors. The site will also offer options for purchasing CDs, donating to Peace Together’s mission, and learning more about the choir and upcoming concerts and memorial services. We will encourage our supporters to stop by the site often, since more visits will enhance our visibility on the Web and will help direct new visitors to the site and our mission.
Spread the hope with Peace Together in 2011! (T.O.C.)

Directing the Peace Together Choir has expanded John Buckenberger’s already broad musical horizons.
Born and raised in Dearborn, Mich., John attended Wayne State University, where he majored in music theory and composition. He has been the choir director at Holy Spirit Catholic Church for the last 30 years. John’s musical compositions include a Magnificat, a Mass of Dedication, settings of 50 Psalms, the St. John Resurrection Gospel, and the St. Luke’s Nativity Gospel. Peace Together invited John to audition to be its director, an opportunity that he found intriguing. “What would the talent level be? What kind of people would they be? What about key factors such as caring, commitment, spirituality, work ethic, a sense of humor?” he wondered.

“Happily, I found the choir to be a very talented and gifted group of people who shared my beliefs, concerns and commitment,” he said.

John has felt the impact Peace Together Choir has had on hospice patients and their families. He recalls one night, when Peace Together Choir gave a small Christmas concert at a local hospice center. After the concert, a nurse directed the choir to the room of a dying patient, per the family’s request. The choir gathered in the patient’s room and sang an a cappella version of “Silent Night.” “As we sang, family members were quietly singing and weeping. That was the most inspirational musical moment I have ever encountered. I know the Holy Spirit is with us; guiding, encouraging, and cheering us on in our mission to minister to those in need through our music,” John recalled. “Even though we as musicians love what we do, we sometimes do not realize how deeply our music impacts those who are facing a severe crisis in their lives,” he added. John and his wife, Patty, live in Lake Township, Ohio. They have two grown sons, Stephan and Christopher.

T.O.C.

  Many contributions from non-choir members have enhanced the ability of Peace Together to reach out to those in need. We are grateful for all donations, including help with CD sales, deaf interpreting, concert planning, and special discounts for professional services.

We would like to extend special thanks for the very generous financial contributions of the R.C. Musson and Katharine M. Musson Charitable Foundation, which has funded a large portion of our CD production cost over the last several years. We thank our friends in hope, Eileen Burg, Bob Brodbeck, and Barbara Lopane, for their heartfelt memorial gifts.

Others who have made generous gifts include Jennifer Gorman through MBNA, Ralph Bernard, John Haymond, and Melanie Messmore and the First Congregational Church of Akron. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to seek God’s path for us, We never could have done this without YOU

T.O.C.

Our Tennessee Angel

Peace Together Choir appreciates all of our loyal listeners and wants to send a special note to our dear Tennessee angel, Kay Waters. "I found you when looking for a CD with "Here I am Lord" on it, so I could learn the tune and the words. Immediately, up came Peace Together Choir and the fact that in a few days your new CD was being released.

"After receiving your CD with 'my hymn' on it, I was quite interested in the background of your organization and loved the music. Having personally experienced the support and care of Hospice to my husband and to other dear friends and family, I was immediately interested...I have osteoarthritis and am not able to do a lot of things through my church and other groups that I used to. I decided this was a way for me to continue being 'active.' It has been a wonderful find for me, and I am being led to different ways to use your production.", she wrote. Kay purchased one CD, then four more for friends and family. Before long, she ordered over 600 for local hospices, church visitations and a dialysis center!

Special Thanks Kay Waters!

T.O.C.

T.O.C.