The St. Paul's Epistle
June 16, 2007
Contents
Musical Moments
Welcome New Members!
The Spirit of Pentecost
Church School News
Memorial Scholarship Awards
Outreach Ministries
The Bible & The World Lecture
St. Paul's Spring Concert
Thank You to Our Lectors
Become a Stephen Minister
Please Call
Guest Preacher
Vestry Highlights
Update from Pass Christian, Mississippi
SPY Corner
Musical Moments
As I prepare to step down as Director of the Senior Choir at the end of June, I would like to share with St. Paul's family some of my musical moments. My first experience as conductor was at the age of six when my family asked me to stand on a chair and conduct the Family Band at my father's church in Riga, Latvia, in front of a congregation of 2,000 parishioners. Within a few years our Family Choir and Band would give numerous concerts, mostly in churches, in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, and then for five years in the United States. Singing and playing an instrument has always been a part of our family life. After serving in the U.S. Army, my musical moments continued at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, N.J., and at the Juilliard School of Music, in New York City. At Westminster, it was a joy to conduct Stravinsky's "Mass", and later Benjamin Britten's "St. Nicholas" with the Westminister Symphonic Choir which annually performs with the New York Philharmonic.
At Juilliard, my teacher Fritz Mahler, recommended me to the French conductor Pierre Monteux with whom I studied for three summers. I could hardly believe it: here was Monteux, who had conducted the world premiere of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" in Paris with the Diaghilev Ballet, sitting four feet in front of me in the orchestra watching my every move as I was conducting. Then, for the concert, he asked me to conduct Bethoven's "Eroica" Symphony! During my time at Juilliard, I also sang in the Choir of St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City.
At the Eastman School of Music I received the D.M.A. degree and directed the Eastman Singers in Rochester, on tour, and at the American Music Festival concerts in Kilbourn Hall and Eastman Theatre. In addition, I commuted to New York City for some orchestral sessions with Leopold Stokowski at Carnegie Hall.
All along I have always conducted church choirs since the age of 18. Prior to coming to St. Paul's, I was Choirmaster at Concordia Lutheran Church which later became Incarnate Word Lutheran Church on East Avenue. Conducting the Faure and Mozart "Requiems," as well as Haydn's "Creation" and Mendelssohn's oratorio "St. Paul" at St. Paul's, with David Craighead at the organ, is something I will never forget. Presenting my "Meditation on Psalm 23 for Cello and Choir" at the 9/11 Memorial Service was very meaningful to me, as well as my annual Pentecost anthem with trumpet, and my recent Easter Anthem.
My musical moments will continue with the Festival Singers in the annual "Messiah" at the Hochstein Music School, concerts with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, the Greece Symphony, as well as the new Camerata Vocal and Instrumental Ensemble. For all of this I am grateful.
Painting of photo of me conducting at age 6. Lower right: My father's church, the Baptist Temple, and the city of Riga, Latvia. Center: New York City skyline and the Polish boat that brought us over. Left: St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Top left: Balloon with Rochester Chamber Orchestra Logo in the middle.
~ David Fetler
Welcome New Members!
Please welcome the following into the St. Paul's community:
Baptism:
Colin James Connery, Calvin Dennis Kuba
& Matthew Dominic Mandrycky
Confirmation:
Seyefe Gabriel Brouk, Emily Lynne Doyle,
Robert Morse Hayden, James MacKenzie Hiltunen,
Wendy Elizabeth Manly, Caroline Wilson Marini,
Sabrina Marie Morrow, Corrine McQuaid O'Neil,
& Christopher Allen Swanson
Reception:
Rita I. Lancy
Reaffirmation:
Jacqueline Koons Barnes & Gary A. Scott
The Spirit of Pentecost
On Sunday, May 27, the congregation celebrated with Bishop Jack McKelvey the gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift that nourishes us today and has strengthened the Church for two thousand years. The Bishop, here on his official annual visit, baptized three infants and confirmed, received or reaffirmed 12 young people and adults.
~ Barbara Warner
Church School News
Beginning Sunday, June 17, families worship together. Babies, toddlers, and young children are welcome in the day care center rooms during the 10 a.m. service. Welcome news is that over the summer, the roof of the education wing is to be raised; the building structure, repaired; and the church school, renewed! There will be updates as the work gets underway and an Open House when the project is complete.
Memorial Scholarship Awards
The Scholarship Committee has awarded the following $1,000 Memorial Scholarships:
Isabel Bevier, Eleanor Dow, Heather Manly, Septimus Scott & Jolene Suchy-Dicey
Outreach Ministries
St. Paul's Outreach Ministries
There are many ways for St. Paul's parishioners to assist in smaller ways for outreach ministry. Several groups collect easily obtainable items to further their work.
Hillside Children's Center Campus School collects labels from Campbell's, Swanson, Prego, V-8, Marie's Salad Dressing products, as well as UPC codes from Swanson frozen foods and all Pepperidge Farm products. Containers are located in Wainwright Hall and in the Sunday Office. ECW bundles and transports the labels to the school. They are used to purchase all kinds of educational and sports equipment, depending upon the needs of the school. Margie Kaiser is the contact person.
Church World Service health kits are assembled by ECW and are used world-wide through existing organizations in the neediest countries. Each kit contains a new hand towel, a washcloth, a bath-size bar of soap, toothbrush, toothpaste (4 oz or larger), comb, Band-Aids, and a metal nail file. Baskets for donations are found in the church Narthex, and in Wainwright Hall. Carol Miller is the contact person.
Southeast Ecumenical Ministry (SEM) provides food, paper and personal hygiene products to people in need who live in this quadrant of the City. They are always in need of non-perishable canned and boxed food, paper towels, bathroom tissue, laundry and dish soap, diapers, tooth paste and brushes, and hand soap, to name a few. Large baskets are found in the Narthex for weekly collection. In addition, a fall ingathering is held each year.
A Meal & More is a program housed in Christ Episcopal Church, which provides meals (and more) to the homeless several times each week. People from several churches donate chocolate-frosted brownies and cakes once a month for these meals. In the fall, ECW also collects cocoa mix and lip balms (or whatever they ask for in a given year) which are used in Christmas gift packages for the clients. June Hasty is the contact person for both of these efforts. Also in the fall, St. Paul's parishioners are invited to donate money to provide turkeys and beef roasts for the holiday meals at A Meal & More. Gail Pearson is the contact person for this ministry.
School #9 collects "Box Tops for Education" and is also in great need of children's clothing, sizes 4-8. In particular, they are looking for white shirts and navy blue slacks or skirts to encourage a uniformity of the childrens' clothing. Contact Liz Cook for more information.
The Bible & The World Lecture
St. Paul's and the Diocese of Rochester are excited that Dr. Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus of Columbia Theological Seminary, will be this year's lecturer on Sunday, November 4. The afternoon at St. Paul's, Rochester, begins with Evensong at 4 p.m., followed by the lecture at 5 p.m. The title of the lecture is "Journey to the Common Good: The Summons beyond Red and Blue." Dr. Brueggemann writes, "There is among us now a great impetus to withdraw from the common good into party, sect, and ideology that may keep us safe. But the primal story of the Bible is the story of the journey from such fearful safety to risky engagement for the common good." You may wish to add to your summer reading list, Brueggemann's latest book, "Mandate to Difference: An Invitation to the Contemporary Church."
~ Tom McCart
St. Paul's Spring Concert
David Fetler conducted his final concert as Senior Choir Director at the St. Paul's Spring Concert on May 6. David directed the choir in Vaughan Williams' "Five Mystical Songs" and other selections, some of which were his compositions.
Singers - previous choir members and friends of David, some of whom sang with him years ago and some of whom continue to sing with him at various concerts - joined voices as Laura Dunbar conducted and Adam Peithmann accompanied them in "Gloria in excelsis" from Vivaldi's Gloria and Lutkin's "The Lord Bless You and Keep You." These special pieces expressed joy and blessings to David to celebrate his work.
~ Erin Glanton
Thank You to Our Lectors
As the coordinator for lectors at 10 a.m. and at special services, I want to say thank you to all who have served as lectors at St. Paul's throughout this past year. In particular, I want to thank the many who read during the Advent and Christmas seasons; the dozens who read during Holy Week; and our wonderful Pentecost foreign-language readers, Jody Manly (French), Abe Brouk (Amharic), and Edward Medina-Torres (Spanish).
If you or someone you know is interested in reading in a language other than English at a future Pentecost, let me know! Also, if you are interested in joining the 10 a.m. lector team, feel free to contact me at 218-4236 or nancyecurtis@yahoo.com.
Thanks again to all the lectors for your contributions to our worship at St. Paul's.
~ Nancy Curtis
In 2003 St. Paul's made a decision to enhance its pastoral ministry by becoming part of a national program called Stephen Ministry. Since that time 13 members of our congregation have been trained in the Stephen Ministry methods of providing one to one Christian Care.
Each of our Stephen Ministers has given of themselves to one or more members of our parish who is experiencing a challenge in their life. At the same time they have gained much in their own Spiritual development. Stephen Ministers have experienced the joy and satisfaction of participating in meaningful ministry. They have shared friendship and support through the Christian community they develop during the training and supervision portions of the program. The larger Stephen Ministry community has provided opportunities to reach beyond St. Paul's and participate with other Christian churches in the Rochester area in this common ministry. The Stephen Series training has helped each Stephen Minister develop interpersonal skills that have enhanced relationships with their own family, friends, co-workers and others. And they have increased their faith in God, dedication to Jesus, and enjoyment of their religious life.
The Stephen Leader Team wants this ministry to continue to grow and thrive so we ask each of you to prayerfully consider if Stephen Ministry may be the right place to use your Spiritual gifts. Feel free to speak to one of the Stephen Leaders or join the Stephen Leader Team on Sunday, June 24 at 11:30am for an informational meeting.
Faithfully,
~ Judy Carpenter, Sally McGucken, Anne Refermat &
Tom McCart
Please Call
Please call the Parish Office if you, or someone you know, are admitted to the hospital. The new federal privacy laws forbid hospitals from releasing patient information. Unless you or a family member or friend, inform the clergy of your being admitted, there is no way to find out, so please give us a call.
~ Tom McCart
Guest Preacher
Dr. Georgianna Sibley Rodiger of Pasadena, California, will grace us with her preaching Sunday, July 8.
Vestry Highlights
At the May 15, 2007 meeting, the Vestry approved the following:
- Approved: The recommendation to spend up to $35,000 from Vestry Designated Funds to recondition the windows on the second floor church school wing and the third floor apartment.
- Approved: The purchase of 450 copies of the hymnal supplement Wonder, Love and Praise, and that $6,000 be allocated from the Memorial Funds.
- Approved: Acceptance of the 2006 Audit as presented by Mario Urso of Bonadio and Co.
- As previously stated in the June 7 letter to all parishioners, the Vestry approved the Building Maintenance Project at a special Vestry Meeting held May 31. The project will begin the latter part of June.
~ Charlotte Kimbely-Haag, Clerk to the Vestry
Update from Pass Christian, Mississippi
Mike Smith, the Senior Warden of Trinity Church in Pass Christian, tells Ayanna Hofmann that Trinity's congregation is worshipping at the Methodist Church so that renovation work can begin at Trinity. Mike asks us to keep them in our prayers.
Our parishioner Joe Willard is building a credence table for the new church. This table, placed near the wall at the Epistle side, holds cruets and other utensils required for the celebration of the Eucharist. Joe says the table should be completed this fall.
~ Barbara Warner
SPY Corner
Year End Picnic and Pool Party!!!
Join us at the Moore's (60 Valewood Run, off Baird Road) on Sunday, June 24 at 1:00 p.m. as SPY celebrates the end of another wonderful year together. Bring your bathing suits and a towels and your appetites. SPY parents and siblings are welcome to join us. Pick up time is at 3:00 p.m. Please RSVP to Mrs. Hayden by Friday, June 22nd (383-8808 or lhayden@rochester.rr.com).