Groome Church donates to Fourth Street Preserve campaign
Groome Church in Lewes hosted the Choralis Chamber Choir Ēchos ensemble Dec. 14, performing songs of the season under the direction of Gretchen Kuhrmann.
Their repertoire, presented almost entirely a capella, opened with a traditional English carol, “Once in Royal David’s City.” Audience favorites included a soaring, pristine rendition of “Carol of the Bells,” along with “The Holly and the Ivy,” and “The Little Road to Bethlehem,” as well as lesser-known selections such as “Huron Carol,” “Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree” and “O Nata Lux.”
Proceeds of Groome’s final benefit event of the season will help support the Fourth Street Preserve campaign organized by the Open Space Alliance under the auspices of the Greater Lewes Foundation.
The Rev. Richard E. Evans Jr., associate pastor, welcomed attendees and dedicated the concert in memory of Ted Becker, former Lewes mayor, for his efforts to save the Fourth Street Forest.
Groome choir member and church trustee Retta Rose Frampton shared a message from the Rev. Dr. S. Willard Crossan III, senior pastor, who is recovering from surgery. He said, in part, “Every time I pass this wonderfully treed tract of land, and think about and see some the critters and birds that make those 30 acres their home, I am moved by and appreciate what a glorious gift of nature, really of life, God has given our town. Surely it falls to all us to be good stewards of this land, this habitat!”
After the concert, Evans presented a check for $5,000 to Campaign Chair Jim Ford and Campaign Manager Pam Costanzi, and told the gathering Groome will make an additional contribution before the campaign ends in September 2025.
The evening ended with the audience joining in a rousing chorus of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” prompting Frampton to add, “Hopefully it will be for all of us, and for the animals in the Fourth Street Forest as well!”
For details about the preservation campaign, go to osalewes.org.
