Program helps Stars and Stripes come to life

Submitted by Doug Ball

Severns Valley Baptist Church will present a Singing Flag during the July 4th weekend.

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By BECCA OWSLEY bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com ELIZABETHTOWN — On the Fourth of July, Severns Valley Baptist Church will unveil the Singing Flag as a part of its annual Celebrate Freedom activities. After the retirement of the Living Christmas Tree, Music Minister Allen Case discovered a new community program for the church’s music ministry. “I looked for a ministry program that was not being used within a four- or five-state region of our church,” Case said. “There are many churches that are emphasizing Christmas and Easter but very few are zeroing in on the patriotic theme of our country, especially during this time of our history.” Case believes this is the first Singing Flag in Kentucky. The Flag stands 23 feet tall, extends to 30 feet in length and houses 53 singers and a 12-member children’s choir. “After doing research I came up with the proposal to the church that we begin a ministry that emphasizes God and country,” Case said. “Because of our history with the Living Christmas Tree and the results for many years that it brought, (church leaders) were willing to venture out and go in this direction through the performing arts and the music ministry of the church.” The flag frame was built by Unik Riser, a company in Austin, Texas, that constructs professional Living Christmas Trees, Singing Flags and Singing Crosses. The church has been in contact with the company as the flag was being built during the past several months, to identify how many people were going to be in it, how it would function and what size it needed to be. The flag was delivered in May. The title of the program is “Our Flag Was Still There.” It will incorporate DVD presentations, singing, children’s performances and narration. During the program, performers will pay special tribute to those who have lost family members in wars and to those who are presently serving to preserve the freedom to have programs like this one in churches across America, Case said. “From the first words scrawled by Francis Scott Key in the dim post-battle of 1814 to the struggle of six Marines to plant the colors at Iwo Jima to the empowering sight of New York firefighters raising the stars and stripes against the desolation of Sept. 11, the American flag has come to symbolize the faith of the American people,” Case said. The flag will be performed four times during the holiday weekend, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Friday and at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. church services Sunday. Fireworks will follow the 8:30 p.m. performance Friday to cap the day’s activities. Tickets will not be required for the performances.        

IF YOU GO Severns Valley Baptist Church’s Celebrate Freedom will begin at 6 p.m. July 4 and end at dark after a fireworks finale. Events will take place on the church’s campus at 1100 Ring Road, Elizabethtown. For more information, contact the church at (270) 765-7822.   OTHER EVENTS Additional Independence Day celebrations include a picnic at the American Legion Post 113 from noon to 4 p.m.; a day of activities at Fort Knox beginning at 11:30 a.m. featuring a “Salute to the Nation” ceremony, concert and fireworks; and a Freedom Day Festival hosted by Gloryland Harvest Church in Radcliff beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Look for a full roundup of Fourth of July festivities in Thursday’s edition of The News-Enterprise.

Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741.