April 2 | 7:00 PM

A Service of Holy Communion

The Smoke Rise Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir is a part of a consortium of churches that have commissioned composer, Kyle Pederson, to compose this expressive work especially for Holy Week.

Still Reaching weaves together scripture, hymns, and original music in a meditation on the final days of Jesus’ life—exploring themes of love, service, grief, betrayal, and the quiet persistence of grace. The title evokes the posture of Jesus throughout Holy Week: reaching to wash feet, to share bread, to forgive, to surrender. Across time and silence, Christ is still reaching—toward us and toward the world God loves.

About the Composer
Kyle Pederson (b. 1971) is a Minneapolis-based composer, lyricist, pianist, and educator. Kyle was awarded the ACDA Genesis Prize in 2020 and the American Prize in Choral Composition in 2019. His work has been commissioned, premiered, and recorded by All State/Honors choirs, and youth, church, college, and professional choirs around the world. Kyle enjoys working at the intersection of the sacred and secular, and his lyrics and music invite the choir and audience to be agents of hope, grace, and compassion in the world. Kyle has an undergraduate degree from Augustana University, a Masters Degree in Education from University of St. Thomas, and an MFA in Music Composition from Vermont College of Fine Art. His work is published by Walton, Santa Barbara, Galaxy, Beckenhorst, Morningstar, Alfred, Hal Leonard, and Carl Fischer music publishers. –

– Danny Vancil, Minister of Music and Worship