From the choir loft, hymns about Christ's resurrection filled the room as the first of two Easter Sunday services at Wood Dale's Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church got under way.

But the church wasn't just celebrating one resurrection.

Thanks to a 17-year-old high school junior, the church's choir was in full voice to rejoice the day.

Sean Newman took the reins of the choir directing and organ duties after the church's longtime music director left just after Christmas. Some of the choir left with her.

Faced with the possibility that the organ and choir would be silenced until they found a replacement, church leaders approached the Fenton High School junior to fill in.

"We really were left with no one," Newman said. "They asked if I'd be the organist and I didn't have a problem doing it."

He had studied both vocally and on the organ under the prior choir leader and picked up where she left off, adding his own style for teaching.

As Easter services steadily approached, it became apparent a replacement wasn't going to be found in time, so Newman took on the responsibility of putting together the songs for the services, rehearsing the choir and learning the music for the organ.

"It's not Easter without the choir, so I took over because I enjoy teaching music," he said. "I've grown a lot from this, but I've also learned how hard it is to direct and play at the same time."

Church officials are ecstatic about the young musician's leadership.

"The choir has been a very significant part of our service," said Richard Heller, the church's pastor.

"People enjoy the music and the people in the choir enjoy singing, so it would have been a shame if we didn't have that."

Heller has been advertising the opening, but neither he nor Newman are too anxious to find a replacement, because everyone seems happy.

"I'm going to tell you what I told your mother," choir member Sandy Antonucci told Newman before Sunday's first service. "I have really enjoyed being in the choir ... because it's so relaxed. It's been more fun."

Besides his church work, Newman has a busy extra-curricular schedule.

He's a member of many of the school's music groups and works as a volunteer with children who suffer from Tourette's syndrome.

"I wasn't worried about taking on something else, but my parents were when I started." he said. "But not anymore."

Heller believes a little divine intervention played a part in everything working out so well.