A week in the life of a Lutheran rock & roll musician

Lutheran, The, Aug 2001 by Rundman, Jonathan

Sunday: Bloomington, Minn.: Church youth and family concert

My friends in the group Echelon added drums and electric guitars to my acoustic performance. I started leading special music in church as a youth,so it was exciting to see two high school students open the show.The highlight: a folkversion of the hymn Oh, Love, How Deep with the audience singing along.

Tuesday: Sioux Falls, SA: Coffeeouse; Augustana College gig

The Great Plains Coffee show was informal with a crowd of aging hippies and punk-rock kids. like the freedom of mixing faith-based music with requests for Neil Young and Beatles songs.

Some audience members came after reading the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. "Rundman is an angst-filled, garage-- rock disciple of Martin Luther playing alternative rock that Winona Ryder would swoon over and your preacherwould rock out to behind closed doors."

Wednesday: Grand Forks, N.D.: Noon, evening worship; coffeehouse

A lefse breakfast greeted me at the University of North Dakota Lutheran Campus Ministry Center. Delicious! After providing, music for a campus worship service at noon, I spent the afternoon catching up on e-mail.While playing for a midweek service, I got to sit with seventh-grade confirmands, followed by a coffeehouse show.

Thursday: Fargo, N.D.: Art gallery The Plains Art Gallery sponsored the show. I'm thankful my music is taken seriously by the arts community as well as the church.It's frustrating that Christian musicians, writers and artists are sequestered into a "religious" subculture, so I appreciate opportunities to blur the lines between sacred and secular.

Friday: River falls, Wis.: College gig After crossing the entire state of Minnesota today, gave a concert sponsored by The Student Activities Council at the University of Wisconsin.Today's high-- light was picking up my wife, Dawn, who flew in for the weekend.The worst thing about touring is being away from family.

Saturday: St. Paul, Minn.: Coffeehouse I did laundry and had lunch with Dawn and her brothers.Gingko Coffeehouse hosted a series of singer/songwriters tonight. It's an earthy urban venue. Afterward, Dawn and I hung out at a 24-hour restaurant with friends until 3 a.m.Touring is a lifestyle of late nights.

Sunday: Minneapolis: Postmodern worship The week finished up at Spirit Garage, an ELCA congregation in Minneapolis that pioneers a postmodern approach to congregational life.The bandleader and I played acoustic guitar and Telecaster duets on"I Want Jesus to Walk With Me"(With One Voice),"Come, Let Us Eat" (LBW) and a cover of Tom Petty's" I Won't Back Down."

I love sharing in a variety of community experiences while on tour. treasure my Lutheran community. It guarantees me connections, housing, encouragement and familiarity wherever I go. I'm blessed to see evidence of the larger church community every day.Thanks everyone, and I'll see you on the road ....

Jonathan Rundman