Polka Praise!

Merle Schwartz and Norm Siess

Polka music in a church service in a Lutheran church?  Yes, it is true and on three weekends in January, February and March those in attendance at Mountain View Lutheran Church will have the opportunity to sing worship songs accompanied by accordion and drum to a polka beat.  The story behind this focuses on Norm Siess, an 83-year old musician from Michigan who began coming to Arizona from his home in Michigan to help Germans celebrate Oktoberfest.

Norm came from a musical family in Alpena, Michigan.  Everyone played some kind of instrument and his grandpa wanted him to play the piano.  He tried it, but since they kept the piano in a back room, it was often too cold to go back there and play.  So at the age of 8, he took up the accordion and by the time he was 13, he was playing at house parties, birthday celebrations and family gatherings.  He had no musical training and even today plays by ear.  He hears a song and puts ito to music.

In 1982 he and his wife began wintering in Arizona and at one time there were as many as four German celebrations going on each winter in Tucson at different clubs.  Over the years that number dropped to just one and Norm and Linda decided to move to Phoenix.  They landed at Golden Vistas Retirement Community just down the road from Mountain View Lutheran Church, where they became members.

Pastor Friedrich asked Norm about the possibility of incorporating polka-style songs in a worship service.  "In a Lutheran church?" Norm inquired?  He had seen it in polka masses in Catholic churches, but not in any other church setting.

"Well, I'm from Wisconsin," Pastor Mark responded, "and we do some different things there, so let's give it a try."  They started in the Youth Center in 2007, but soon found that location was too small, so they moved to the main sanctuary.  Over the years, the service has grown from 400 to over 1400 in two services on 3 weekends in January, February and March.  They started with 10 songs and now have a collection of some 38 songs.

Norm is accompanied on drum by Merle Schwartiz, also a Lutheran, who winters in Arizona from his home in Wisconsin.  He is the third drummer Norm has used over the years.

To view the January 27 Polka Praise worship service at MVLC, click here.