Our 2025 Amazing Grace Brass project began with a rehearsal weekend in early February at a retreat center in Schwäbisch Gmünd. During this weekend, we didn’t just rehearse; we also spent some time talking about our goals as an ensemble. We wanted to think together about what God might ask of us as an ensemble and how he might use us. Of course we want to play beautifully – but more importantly, we want to communicate the joy and hope that we find in Jesus. The concert weekend that followed gave us the opportunity to pursue both of these goals.
We had already played in Rötenberg once before, and we really enjoyed the chance to connect once again with the church’s brass choir and the local community. The audience was full of both familiar faces and others who had driven from other towns in the area to hear the concert. We gladly took advantage of the opportunity to share and celebrate our faith in word and music. We also had the opportunity to join forces with the brass choir for the Sunday morning worship service. We really enjoyed collaborating with them, as well as getting to know them a little better.
After enjoying lunch with the brass players in Rötenberg, we drove to Bösingen, where we were playing for the first time. We were impressed by the number of people who came to the concert and by the enthusiastic response of the audience. At one point in the program we invited the audience to sing with us, and they surprised and moved us with the powerful, joyful sound of their singing. In speaking with concertgoers afterward, we could see how the program had encouraged them—and their excitement in turn encouraged us.
In both concerts we committed ourselves to playing as well as we could and to speaking openly and honestly about our faith in Jesus. In both concerts we experienced once again how God uses music to reach people’s hearts. We believe he also used us to share the good news of who Jesus is. We hope and pray that this good news remains with those who heard it, long after the last notes of our music have faded.
If you’d like to experience a little of the music for yourself, there are a few clips available on YouTube:
Fröhlich wollen wir Hallelujah singen (Joyful We Begin Alleluia to Sing)
Herr, ich komme zu dir (Lord, I Come to You)
Mutig komm ich vor den Thron (Boldly I Approach)