As the country prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, Christ Lutheran Church in Elizabethtown will host a concert highlighting American music.

"Songs of Faith & Freedom" will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, at the church, 125 E. High St. The concert will feature African American spirituals, well-known hymns sung in churches for generations and lively choral pieces by American composers.

"It's going to be a celebration of what makes the sound of America," said Kevin Gane, Christ Lutheran music director, who is organizing the event. "We're going to feature our pipe organ, some communal singing, some smaller ensembles. Our handbell choir is also going to perform, which is something you don't hear that often. And then we're going to have a few solo singers as well."

A highlight of the concert will be a Festival Choir, featuring singers from the congregation and the community. People are invited to join the choir by contacting Gane at music@christlutheran-etown.com.

Each year, Gane organizes a series of concerts called Music on High, inviting people to come to the church to enjoy a variety of performances. This concert will be the first Music on High event happening at the church since the building underwent extensive renovations to the sanctuary and nave in 2025.

"We wanted to do one big event to welcome people back into the space," Gane said. "This concert is an opportunity to feature our choral ensembles here at Christ Lutheran but also a celebration of the history of music in America."

Following the concert, everyone is invited to enjoy an ice cream social on the lawn.

The idea for the event came from Gane's experience in his home church in Media.

"In the congregation I grew up in, we did a concert like this," he recalled, describing the event that featured a concert and an opportunity to socialize at an ice cream social. "I just remember it being one of the highlights of our musical year there, and I thought, 'Why not try and do the same thing here?' The response has been very positive."

When putting together the lineup for the concert, Gane focused on the history of America and its musical traditions.

"This country was founded on a lot of ideals, one of them being the exploration of faith," he said. "Along with that comes different musical traditions, so you're going to hear things from traditional Shaker hymns to American spirituals to some classic patriotic tunes. ... Sacred music and hymns will be an important part of the program, reminding us how closely faith and music have been connected in our nation's history."

Gane noted that he's in the early planning stages of this year's Music on High series.

"We usually run our season from September through May, but because of the renovation, we kind of truncated this past season," he said. "A full season announcement for this coming year will be coming out very soon."

Gane hopes people will attend "Songs of Faith & Freedom" to join in the community festival choir and to enjoy fellowship with friends at the ice cream social.

He noted that the concert provides more than just an opportunity to hear the wide variety of music that has shaped our nation.

"We really designed concerts like this to share our space with people who may not necessarily get into a church and are just curious about what the building looks like inside," he said. "But the concert is also an opportunity to then share the gifts of music and community."

There is no charge to attend the concert or ice cream social, and no reservations are required.