By Calvary United Church

Tour of a Lifetime

Sep 13, 2012 | 11:03 AM

Church Musician Partners with Canadian Foodgrains Bank on “Tour of a Lifetime”

Composer Ron Klusmeier to perform September 30, Calvary United Church at 7:30 PM

Throughout his 41-year career as a church musician and composer, Ron Klusmeier has toured across Canada multiple times, sharing music that inspires and moves people to action.

Now, as he prepares to retire, he will do one final tour—a “Tour of a Lifetime”—on behalf of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of 15 churches and church agencies working together to end global hunger.

“I want my final tour to do something significant for others,” says Klusmeier, who will visit about 200 churches across Canada between August 2012 and June 2013.

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“It’s my hope that it will inspire people to action on behalf of the many people in the world who don’t have enough food to eat.”

Klusmeier will be performing September 30, 7:30 at Prince Albert’s Calvary United Church, 114 25 Street East. Cost is $20 per person, with $5 from each ticket going to Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Prior to the concert, Klusmeier will offer a music workshop from 2 to 4 PM; his wife, Christina Bogucki, will offer a worship technology workshop from 2 to 4 PM at the respective churches. Workshop registration details can be found at http://musiklus.com under Tour of a Lifetime.

During the concerts Klusmeier will share reflections about his recent trip to Ethiopia, where he experienced an authentic and humbling hospitality which was, at times, difficult to accept.

“People who had next to nothing still found ways to share with me,” he says of his June visit to Foodgrains Bank projects in that country. “Those moments are burned into the very core of my being, and will be a touchstone during the tour.”

His goal is to use the tour as a way to “raise money for the Foodgrains Bank, and also raise awareness about the millions who don’t have enough to eat. We want to use music to inspire people to help those who are hungry.”

About Ron Klusmeier:

Ron Klusmeier spent most of his career in the United Church of Canada, including three years as that church’s National Music Ambassador. He has composed over 700 hymns and songs, and his music has been included in hymnbooks of the United, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Methodist and other churches, and his music has been part of every assembly of The World Council of Churches since the Fifth Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya in 1975.

Since 1971, Klusmeier has visited over 2,000 churches across North America, performing, leading workshops and serving as a worship consultant.

About the Tour of a Lifetime:

During the national tour, which starts in August 2012 and continues through to June 2013, Klusmeier will present concerts at approximately 200 churches from B.C. to Newfoundland and Labrador. Volunteer “pickup choirs” will help with the leadership at each venue. Information about how to become a member of the choir-for-a-night can be found at www.musiklus.com.

The same website also has details about two workshops which will be offered in each community: a session on church music led by Klusmeier and another on projection technology led by his life and ministry partner, Christina Bogucki.

About Canadian Foodgrains Bank

Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 churches and church agencies working together to end global hunger. Together with matching support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Foodgrains Bank has provided over one million tonnes of food assistance to people who are hungry since 1983.

To arrange an interview with Klusmeier, call 1.250.954.5204. For more information about the tour, visit http://foodgrainsbank.ca/ron_klusmeier_tour_of_a_lifetime.aspx . For more information about Canadian Foodgrains Bank, call Emily Cain, Communications Coordinator, at 1.800.665.0377.