Harmonious voices lifted in song, the golden tones of the two bell choirs\u2014even the cacophony of hammers and saws as Bethel Lutheran, Rochester, Minn., constructs its new 1000-seat sanctuary\u2014all of it is music to Jon Strommen Campbell\u2019s ears, and his have been professionally trained. His opportunity at Bethel came after he earned his master of sacred music degree at Luther Seminary. \u201cThe M.S.M. program really gave me a sense of vocation,\u201d he says. \u201cI grow as a person of faith as I do what I love.\u201d Now Jon\u2019s ears are helping him consult with the builders and engineers who will make sure that Bethel\u2019s new acoustics sound like heaven.Jon came to seminary well prepared, having spent his youth active in choral music. There are few sacred music programs available in the U.S., and Luther Seminary shone like a beacon. \u201cJust to have the audition was a thrill to me,\u201d Jon says. \u201cI was passionately excited afterward.\u201dA lot of what Jon took away with him from Luther is an awareness of new connections\u2014a personal network that allows him access to industry experts and consultants, but also a sense of being a connector for others. \u201cBeing pastoral and musical, I understand the pastor\u2019s language and the concerns of theology,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I also understand the concerns of other groups\u2014the artists and lay members. Because of the MSM program, it\u2019s easier for me to be a bridge between the two.\u201dDoing what he loves has brought Jon much joy. One of the delightful surprises has been working with kids. \u201cAlthough not my specialty in training, the enthusiasm of the young people has been more than I expected,\u201d he says. \u201cAdults tend to be a little set in their ways, but kids don\u2019t have any prejudices. They don\u2019t know something\u2019s hard, they just do it.\u201d Jon makes daily use of the philosophy he learned at seminary: \u201cGive them something to grow into instead of grow out of. Give them the best.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jon Strommen Campbell, Master of Sacred Music, 2002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6007","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"issue-fourth-quarter-2003","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n