Dear Fellow Hymn Singers,

Why would a small lawn mower manufacturer host a hymn sing? This is a fair question. The answer is simple--a legacy of beautiful, inspiring hymns has been bestowed on our generation, and our company hopes to keep these alive for years to come. I love to tell people that my family has been singing hymns for well over 100 years. My grandparents and my parents carefully passed this tradition to me and my siblings, and we hope Walker Hymn Sings will help pass them on to future generations of our family and other families.

The Vision

So, how was this idea derived? In the Spring of 2004, after a wonderful hymn service one Sunday evening at my church, the Lord laid on my heart a vision of sharing hymns in a greater capacity than just inside the walls of our church. This vision was to expand and share the singing of traditional hymns with other congregations and families around Northern Colorado. I felt as a family company that has been blessed far more than we could have ever asked or thought, we could use the means God had entrusted us with to further this vision. My initial thinking was to rent a local arena, advertise it and see who would come, however, after talking with some of the people in our company, we discovered that the provisions God had given to us on our own property were well-suited for this type of event. With the help of our capable people, the Walker Hymn Sing was born and the vision was alive.

The Event

Words fall short when trying to explain the joy that filled my heart as people started showing up for our first event. Kind faces and open hearts from all age ranges made their way to our open air venue, and I was thrilled to meet many of these kindred souls. Certainly, I must admit the weather was much cooler than we expected when choosing the date three months earlier, however, it was a distinct reminder that the control of such matters is much greater than we know. For the 2004 event, our guests were very hearty in enduring the weather, and I marveled at how our staff sprang into action with an impromptu coffee service to help our guests become a little warmer. The event became even more alive as the music started--the sounds of a congregation well over 600 strong filled the damp, crisp air and brought a certain warmth.

The 2005 gathering was absolutely beautiful. The skies had burst open with rain only 24 hours prior, but it turned out to be a pleasant evening with a stunning Colorado sky on hand. The energy of the people was alive, and the Holy Spirit moved throughout--the comment cards we received afterward were evidence of this.

For 2006, we saw about 850 attendees, and we had a wonderful time of praising the Lord with our voices together. One thing I noticed was how many people came early to eat their picnic dinners with others and enjoy the instrumental music--this was very encouraging to me and our staff.

The Vision Lives On

We continue to be asked when we are planning to have our next hymn sing, and, as the Lord wills, we hope to have it annually. To be sure, the vision is alive, and we are striving to be careful with the vision God has entrusted us with--not for the gain of Walker Manufacturing, but solely for His glory.

As a company, we have learned that the lawn mower manufacturing business can be about iron and the bottom line, or it can be about people and relationships--we have chosen the latter. We are pleased that the vision of hymn singing has brought us to countless new people and relationships from around Northern Colorado.

I look forward to meeting you in June.

Sincerely,

WALKER MANUFACTURING COMPANY

Bob Walker, President