I can’t keep this quiet any longer: I found a unicorn. I have kept quiet about it for more than a year, but it’s time to expose this story to the world.
On Christmas I of 2023, my wife and I decided to check out the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, Iowa. Many of our neighbors go there, and thousands of others do, too. We had heard so much about the traditional service that we just decided to give it a go. Of course, we had heard a lot about the more ‘usual’ services there, too, and no, thank you. The Lutheran Church of Hope is a mega church that happens to be Lutheran. Or it’s a Lutheran church that happens to be mega. To the Reader who has trouble using ‘traditional’ and ‘mega’ in the same sentence, you’re in good company. But hear me out:
So we walked in without having done any research beforehand. Let’s just go see. Imagine my pleasant surprise to find the chapel bright, airy, modern, quite Lutheran chapel-ly looking, well-enough removed from the arena next door for the swarming masses, and not a stitch of carpet anywhere. And imagine my even more pleasant surprise to see a three-manual Allen in there. All good signs.
The organ was being played on by a fellow who was vested and improvising his way through Christmas carols for a prelude. I thought snarkily, “Yeah, this must be the fellow they pay $25 a week to play this one service, and then he goes to his ‘real’ church job. Let’s just see how this goes.” Then I listened more closely and discovered that this fellow knows what he’s doing, and he’s worth far more than $25.
This was shaping up to be Traditional enough. But the screens, like your sins or the long arm of the law, will always find you out. No hymnal, no bulletin, and no music on the screen. Hymn texts only. Can’t escape it. We endured a non-traditional and very loud greeting on the screens from a couple staff members, on a video that was to be played at all services that weekend. But then back to our traditional service. This fellow launched into the opening hymn, and I sat straight up – oh, this guy is no joke! Thrilling introduction, hymn in same tempo, lots of colorful harmonies. And all improvised. Okay, man, who ARE you? Where did they find you? And how have I not known about you around here? I MUST find you at your ‘real’ church job and listen to more.
The first part of the service went quite traditionally, with the hymn playing continuing in its commanding and supportive way. Then when it was time for the sermon, this guy slid off the bench and approached the center and began to preach. Okay, dude, who ARE you??! This fine organist is also the preacher?? Well, let’s hear what he has to say.
A lot, apparently. He began to explain the scriptures like no one I had ever heard before. I learned the finest points of scriptural linguistics I had ever heard from anyone before or since. Dude, I ask you again, who ARE you?
The offertory was a sparkling improvisation at the piano this time, to illustrate the idea of ‘light’ from the lectionary for the day. And the rest of the service continued in a similar high quality. Someone else celebrated.
Well, this guy wasn’t done. For the postlude, he improvised a freaking fugue on the final hymn. I was completely undone. Finest service playing I had heard in years. My wife encouraged me to go introduce myself. I said, “No! I’m too ashamed!” But yes, I did go introduce myself and ask for some time over coffee sometime to learn more about him. Coolest unicorn I ever encountered.
The Rev. Dr. Richard Webb is listed as Professor and Lead Pastor for the Chapel at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, Iowa. He studied organ and choral conducting at Kansas and then went to seminary. He was an organist seeking to be a pastor. Now he is a pastor who also happens to be an organist. He was hired at Hope to be a pastor first, and the rest just sort of came along and he was able to handle it. Although his talents as an organist are formidable, he has neither the time nor the inclination to be an organist except for Hope’s purposes. [Oh, so THAT's why I hadn't heard of him!] He resurrected the Holtkamp at the former University/First Christian Church in Des Moines, which is now the Hope-Elim campus. He plays that organ regularly for organized hymn-sings with the Hope family. And of course, he plays from memory and improvises interludes, preludes, and postludes in his usual flowing and masterful way.
Hiding his talents under a bushel? Not in the least. He is a pastor, and he serves his congregation. He does it with the Bible first and the organ second. Because he can.
My wife and I couldn’t wait to attend the Chapel service again the following Sunday, expecting to enjoy this some more. That time, he was playing but wasn’t preaching. As it turns out, he plays that service every week but preaches for it only about once per month. So on our second round there, we endured a different Hope pastor’s preaching, complete with a sports video. I’ll stop there.
I never thought I’d be attending Bible study again. But I even Zoom into Pr. Richard’s weekly men’s Bible study whenever I can. He is a fount of knowledge, and I don’t mind gushing about it here. If I have piqued your interest, you now know where to find a unicorn.