Most Sunday mornings, Ottertail musician Steve Wickmann participates in services at Ottertail United Methodist Church by playing his guitar.
On Easter Sunday, he began sharing his talents with Otter Tail’s sister church, Richville UMC, to add to their virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, Wickmann has gone to both churches to play with the hymns and special music after the sermon or, under normal circumstances, what would be the time of offering. Some weeks he plays the same song for both churches, and other weeks he plays a different piece at each church.
On Sunday, May 17, Wickmann played “Don’t Overlook Salvation” for both churches as special music after the sermon.
Wickmann has been playing Christian guitar music since 1983.
“I started playing with some Christian guys,” Wickmann said. “I started playing with them and that’s how I learned to play a lot of the Christian songs.”
About five years ago Wickmann started playing at Ottertail UMC.
“My wife was going to church there because she was working with the group home,” Wickmann said. “So she was working there and had to take them to church. Then I decided to go to that church with her then, and that’s how it happened.”
Before the pandemic started, Wickmann would play at men’s and women’s services every other month at the Otter Tail County Jail in Fergus Falls.
“I’d be there with a group of people. I’d play the guitar and sang,” Wickmann said. “Then I had a bass player, another guitar player, and I usually had about two girls signing with me. We usually have somebody who preached a message.”