John A. Dalles
Encyclopedia
John A. Dalles is a clergyman and hymnwriter who was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. A graduate of Penn State, Lancaster Theological Seminary
(Master of Divinity) and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
(Doctor of Ministry), he is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
. Having served the First Presbyterian Church of South Bend, Indiana
and the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church (in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
), since 1997 he has served as Senior Pastor of Wekiva Presbyterian Church
in Longwood, Florida
(a suburb of Orlando
).
As a part of his ministry there, Wekiva Presbyterian Church was the first church in the United States
to offer live webcasts of its worship services, an ongoing ministry inaugurated on Sunday, January 2, 2005.
Dalles is known as a prolific writer of texts for hymns. His hymns have been published in hymnbooks used by denominations in the United States, Canada and Australia. He has published three collections of hymns, COME, O SPIRIT (Educational Ministries, Inc.), SWIFT CURRENTS AND STILL WATERS (GIA Publications, 2000) and WE TURN TO GOD (Wayne Leupold Editions, 2010). His hymn texts have also been set as choral anthems by sacred composers John Ferguson (organist)
, Glenn Rudolph, John S. Dixon, Dorothy Frisch, and others, published by Oxford University Press
, MorningStar, Hinshaw, GIA Publications, Selah and Wayne Leupold Editions.
Among his commissioned hymns are those for Presbyterian Heritage Sunday (Praise God for Days Long Past), Augsburg College
, Goshen College
, Maryville College
, Tusculum College
, Wilson College
and Knox College, University of Toronto
, American University
, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
, Lancaster Theological Seminary
, the 250th anniversary of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
, Peachtree Presbyterian Church
and the Lutheran World Federation
.
His best known hymns are: Come, O Spirit, God Bless Your Church with Strength, Bless the Ones who Nurture Children, O God, Behold Your Family Here, and Make Music for Your Lord to Hear. He has been honored as the winner of a number of hymn searches and contests. His 1985 hymn O God of Love Grant Us Your Peace was a co-winner, along with a hymn by Timothy Dudley-Smith
in The Hymn Society's search for new hymns on world peace. His hymns were selected in searches for the 30th anniversary of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians
(Celebrate the Gift of Music), as well as for the Self-Development of People (Celebrate Hope).
His 2009 hymn, God Bless the Work Your People Do was chosen as the winning hymn in the 14th annual, highly-regarded Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest
.
He is a Life Member of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada
.
He is married to the former Judith Taylor; they have a son, John Taylor Dalles and a daughter, Anne Elizabeth Dalles.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. A graduate of Penn State, Lancaster Theological Seminary
Lancaster Theological Seminary
Lancaster Theological Seminary, a seminary of the United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1825 by members of the German Reformed Church in the United States to provide theological education for prospective clergy and other church leaders...
(Master of Divinity) and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, founded in 1794, is a graduate theological institution associated with the Presbyterian Church USA. It is located in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and houses one of the largest theological libraries in the nation...
(Doctor of Ministry), he is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
. Having served the First Presbyterian Church of South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
and the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church (in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
), since 1997 he has served as Senior Pastor of Wekiva Presbyterian Church
Wekiva Presbyterian church
Wekiva Presbyterian Church is a large congregation of the Presbyterian Church founded in May 1977.The church is located at 211 Wekiva Springs Lane, near the intersection of State Road 434 and Wekiva Springs Road in Longwood, Florida, a suburb of Orlando.Services are provided every Sunday morning...
in Longwood, Florida
Longwood, Florida
Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 13,745 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,491. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area....
(a suburb of Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
).
As a part of his ministry there, Wekiva Presbyterian Church was the first church in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to offer live webcasts of its worship services, an ongoing ministry inaugurated on Sunday, January 2, 2005.
Dalles is known as a prolific writer of texts for hymns. His hymns have been published in hymnbooks used by denominations in the United States, Canada and Australia. He has published three collections of hymns, COME, O SPIRIT (Educational Ministries, Inc.), SWIFT CURRENTS AND STILL WATERS (GIA Publications, 2000) and WE TURN TO GOD (Wayne Leupold Editions, 2010). His hymn texts have also been set as choral anthems by sacred composers John Ferguson (organist)
John Ferguson (organist)
John Allen Ferguson is an American organist, teacher, and composer.Ferguson is probably best known for his choral compositions. He has also published alternate accompaniments and festival arrangements for organ, brass, and percussion of hymns and Lutheran liturgy, and has appeared on several...
, Glenn Rudolph, John S. Dixon, Dorothy Frisch, and others, published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, MorningStar, Hinshaw, GIA Publications, Selah and Wayne Leupold Editions.
Among his commissioned hymns are those for Presbyterian Heritage Sunday (Praise God for Days Long Past), Augsburg College
Augsburg College
Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
, Goshen College
Goshen College
Goshen College, is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
, Maryville College
Maryville College
Maryville College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee, near Knoxville. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The College is one of the fifty oldest colleges in the...
, Tusculum College
Tusculum College
Tusculum College is a coeducational private college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee, United States, a suburb of Greeneville...
, Wilson College
Wilson College
Wilson College can refer to:* Wilson College , Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA* Warren Wilson College, Asheville, North Carolina, USA* Lindsey Wilson College, Kentucky, USA* Wilson College, Princeton University, New Jersey, USA...
and Knox College, University of Toronto
Knox College, University of Toronto
Knox College is a postgraduate theological college of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1844 as part of a schism movement in the Church of Scotland following the Disruption...
, American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, founded in 1794, is a graduate theological institution associated with the Presbyterian Church USA. It is located in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and houses one of the largest theological libraries in the nation...
, Lancaster Theological Seminary
Lancaster Theological Seminary
Lancaster Theological Seminary, a seminary of the United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1825 by members of the German Reformed Church in the United States to provide theological education for prospective clergy and other church leaders...
, the 250th anniversary of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, Peachtree Presbyterian Church
Peachtree Presbyterian Church
Peachtree Presbyterian Church is a megachurch in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The largest congregation of the Presbyterian Church , its membership in 2010 was approximately 9,000.Peachtree began as a Sunday school for children in Atlanta founded in 1910...
and the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
.
His best known hymns are: Come, O Spirit, God Bless Your Church with Strength, Bless the Ones who Nurture Children, O God, Behold Your Family Here, and Make Music for Your Lord to Hear. He has been honored as the winner of a number of hymn searches and contests. His 1985 hymn O God of Love Grant Us Your Peace was a co-winner, along with a hymn by Timothy Dudley-Smith
Timothy Dudley-Smith
Timothy Dudley-Smith OBE is an English hymnwriter and a retired bishop of the Church of England.Born in Manchester, England, he was educated at Tonbridge School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was ordained deacon in 1950 and priest in 1951. He served as Archdeacon of Norwich 1973-81 and ...
in The Hymn Society's search for new hymns on world peace. His hymns were selected in searches for the 30th anniversary of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians
Presbyterian Association of Musicians
Presbyterian Association of Musicians is a national organization of the Presbyterian Church for people who are involved in the areas of Reformed Christian worship, Church music, and liturgical arts. The national offices for this 1,600 member organization are located in Louisville at the National...
(Celebrate the Gift of Music), as well as for the Self-Development of People (Celebrate Hope).
His 2009 hymn, God Bless the Work Your People Do was chosen as the winning hymn in the 14th annual, highly-regarded Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest
Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest
The Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest is a highly-regarded annual search for new hymns instituted by a leading Minnesota congregation which is a union of the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church .-History:...
.
He is a Life Member of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada
Hymn Society in the United States and Canada
The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, founded in 1922 as The Hymn Society of America and renamed in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization for those people who:* believe that congregational song is an integral component of worship...
.
He is married to the former Judith Taylor; they have a son, John Taylor Dalles and a daughter, Anne Elizabeth Dalles.
External links
- Wekiva Presbyterian ChurchWekiva Presbyterian churchWekiva Presbyterian Church is a large congregation of the Presbyterian Church founded in May 1977.The church is located at 211 Wekiva Springs Lane, near the intersection of State Road 434 and Wekiva Springs Road in Longwood, Florida, a suburb of Orlando.Services are provided every Sunday morning...
: http://wekivapresbyterian.org/ - New Hymn Texts of John A. Dalles : http://newhymntexts.blogspot.com/
- The Cyber Hymnal page for John A. Dalles : http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/d/a/l/dalles_ja.htm