ED
Emily Deschaine
  • Class of 2018
  • Frankenmuth, Mich.

Emily Sievert performs in Christmas at Concordia concerts

2015 Dec 8

Christmas at Concordia weekend Dec. 4-6, 2015, included three events as part of Concordia University, Nebraska's annual Christmas celebration: Christmas at Concordia concerts, a community open house and the Scholarship Parade of Homes. Video highlights of some of the weekend's events and other Concordia community Christmas traditions can be seen at cune.edu/deckthehalls.

Four Christmas at Concordia concerts brought more than 3,000 Concordia students, faculty and staff, alumni and community members to St. John Lutheran Church near campus. The concerts featured the University A Cappella Choir, Male Chorus, Women's Chorale, University Symphonic Band, Concordia Handbell Choir and University Brass Ensemble.

Students who participated in the concerts include:

Emily Sievert, a sophomore from Frankenmuth, Mich., University A Cappella Choir, Soprano I

Scripture readings, original music from Concordia faculty and traditional hymns that invited congregation participation were part of the celebration. Songs included "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Angels We Have Heard on High," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and "A Stable Lamp is Lighted," among others.

Concordia hosted the second annual community Christmas open house, made possible through the generous support of Jones National Bank & Trust Co., on Dec. 6 in the Cattle Conference Room of the Janzow Campus Center. The reception included blue and silver holiday decorations, holiday-inspired refreshments and Christmas music. Concordia President Brian Friedrich and Jones National Bank & Trust Co. President Max Wake recognized the hard work of all who helped to organize the weekend's events and acknowledged that events like those that happen during Christmas at Concordia weekend help to create meaningful experiences for the Seward community.

The open house also included the traditional Christmas tree lighting near the university's Holthus Family Plaza just north of the Janzow Campus Center. The lighting of the tree was sponsored by the Seward associates of Thrivent Financial. Community members are invited to visit the Christmas tree and plaza at any time.

The other event of the weekend included the 21st annual Scholarship Parade of Homes, raising scholarship dollars for high school seniors in Seward County who will attend Concordia University, Nebraska in Seward or Southeast Community College in Milford. The featured homes were those owned by Kurth and Jessica Brashear, Roger and Carrie Fitzke, Kyle and Allison Garrett Johnson, Mark and Ingrid Minchow and Steve and Jenny Pinkall. All homes have unique structural and design elements and are decorated in celebration of Christmas. The Scholarship Parade of Homes has raised more than $65,000 in cumulative scholarship funds since it began in 1995.

All events support Concordia's mission of equipping men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world.