Dear Friends:

Welcome to my website! I hope you will find it a blessing as you read my story and keep up with how God continues to bless me with exciting opportunities. I never would have dreamed all these things could have happened just a few short years ago.

As many of you know, within a week of my accident, a site was set up on CaringBridge allowing everyone from all over the world to keep up with my progress. A year after my accident, on August 3, 2004, that site was removed. We had nearly 50,000 hits! Thanks to all of you who made financial contributions to CaringBridge. What a meaningful and important ministry that was to all of us.

This site contains the history of the CaringBridge site. You can read the daily entries to the journal, you can read the guestbook entries, and you can read all the wonderful writings of my dear friend, Gary DeVaul. You can see pictures from the Choral Benefit Concert at Lake Avenue Church and the Keyboard Benefit Concert at The Crystal Cathedral. You can make entries to the new guestbook and you can keep track of all my activities by visiting the calendar page. The Mark Thallander Foundation website contains all the information about the Foundation and our current projects!

There have been quite a variety of wonderful events to date! The first was a grand and glorious gala occasion with a choir of over 800 voices, a brass ensemble and 127-rank pipe organ on Sunday evening, March 21, 2004. There was a keyboard celebration at The Crystal Cathedral on Friday, September 10, 2004 that was truly spectacular! A second gala choral event was held at Lake Avenue Church on Sunday evening, February 27, 2005! The 2006 gala was held Sunday evening, February 26 at the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels with a combined adult and children's choir of over 1,000 voices. We completed our third annual Southern California Festival, held Sunday evening, February 18, 2007, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Additionally, we had two New England Festivals of Thanksgiving on October 28, 2007 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, and on November 4, 2007 at the Cathedral Church of Saint Luke in Portland, Maine. Our fourth annual Southern California Festival with guest conductor John Rutter from England was held on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Please plan to join us in Los Angeles for our fifth annual Festival on Sunday, February 15, 2009! God has truly blessed us!

Special appreciation to Pastor Judith Hanlon, the board and congregation of the historic Hadwen Park Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Worcester, Masschusetts, for underwriting the cost of this website as part of their annual mission budget.

As for me personally, it continues to be challenging to adjust to a totally different way of accomplishing the seemingly simplest of tasks. However, I keep learning to be extremely patient - giving myself the extra time and energy it takes. I thank God - and you - for the many provisions that have been provided through your faithful prayers and financial support. With God all things are possible!

I look forward to reading your messages to me on the guestbook.

Sincerely in Christ's service,

Mark Thallander