This Sunday, Williams Memorial United Methodist Church welcomes the Texarkana Winds for a morning of worship unlike any other. The community band will provide all the music for the 10:30 AM service, then return at 2:00 PM for a full concert in the sanctuary. Church member and band director Dick Eckstein sat down with us to share what to expect.
A Service Built Around Music
“We have a lot of special arrangements planned,” Eckstein said, “and we’re really looking forward to performing for the church and worshiping in the service.”
One piece in particular stands out. Eckstein described a work called On an American Spiritual, composed by David Holsinger, himself a music minister.
“It’s kind of a programmatic work based on a lament of the tune ‘Were You There,'” Eckstein said. “You can depict the crucifixion and the resurrection, so it’s really exciting. The band’s playing it really well, and I’m excited to be doing that this Sunday.”
The Afternoon Concert
The 2:00 PM concert will feature much of the same music from the morning service, along with at least one addition: Chant and Jubilo, composed by Arkansas native Francis McBeth. Eckstein noted that McBeth was once appointed by the state of Arkansas as its music laureate, and that Chant and Jubilo carries local significance.
“It was actually written for the Four States Honor Band at the Four States Bandmasters Convention in Texarkana many years ago,” he said. “Terrific piece.”
Who Are the Texarkana Winds?
The Texarkana Winds are a community band with roots in a simple idea: give musicians a place to play. Eckstein credits Sharon Bozeman with getting the organization off the ground.
“She moved into Texarkana and was really the impetus for getting this started,” he said. “She started asking questions and putting out feelers on the local public radio station.”
Eckstein said he heard one of those announcements and got involved, and the rest followed.
The band is made up of volunteers from across the community.
“There are professional musicians in there that are volunteering their time. A lot of the musicians are band directors,” Eckstein said, adding that the group also includes people who simply picked their instruments back up, as well as a few high school students.
For Eckstein, that mix is the point.
“It’s a great chance for all the people in the band and myself to be expressive in their lives and have an outlet for that,” he said. “I think that’s what the band does for us, as well as for the community.”
Come and Worship With Us
Worship begins at 10:30 AM, and the concert follows at 2:00 PM in the sanctuary. Bring a friend. Bring five.
