"I think he's realizing there's more than one way to spread the gospel."

On April 22 I had the pleasure of joining some friends to attend a concert downtown at the Downing Gross Cultural Arts center. Samara Joy, a two-time grammy award winning jazz singer, was the headlining artist for the Ella Fitzgerald Festival taking place that weekend. Samara has mind-blowing talent and skill, especially for someone who is only 24 years old. Her performance was compared to Ella herself, quite high praise!

The whole evening took on even greater importance for me a few days later when I heard Terry Gross’s interview with Samara Joy on NPR’s Fresh Air. Samara grew up in the church. That is where she learned to love music and where her church family encouraged her and her tremendous gifts. Of course, as someone who works in church music, I was eating this story up!
 
Samara’s parents and grandparents are gifted musicians as well. For her family, music is church, and church is music. In fact, especially for her grandparents, music only belonged in the church.
 
“I remember a story of my grandfather, who is 92,” Samara told Terry Gross. “I just talked to him the other day. He actually got… a recording contract to sing opera. And [my grandmother] threw it in the garbage because at that time it was church or nothing - sacred, no secular.”
 
Terry Gross (and I!) were both fascinated by this story. “Did that carry over to you,” Gross asked, “that they didn't want you to sing secular music?”
 
“Yeah, my grandfather was definitely hesitant about it at first. Even with me going to school, it's like, music doesn't belong in school. It belongs in the church,” Samara said. But, “I think now it's safe to say he's come around…. I think he's realizing there's more than one way to spread the gospel.”
 
I was cooking dinner as I listened to this interview, and I set down my spatula so I could “Amen!” that last quote. More than one way to spread the Gospel! I hope that is as encouraging for you to hear as it is for me. As you head out the doors from church each Sunday morning, I hope you are filled with all the love and encouragement you need for you to spread God’s love in everything you do, whether explicitly or implicitly. Let the church say Amen!
 
-Ginny Chilton

Serve in the Spirit's power

We have come through all the whirlwind of Holy Week, with Maundy Thursday’s foot washing, Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist, and stripping of the altar; the agony of Good Friday’s cross, and now finding ourselves in the throes of what is called the Great Fifty Days: the fifty days of the season of Easter, between Easter Sunday and the Day of Pentecost (meaning “fiftieth day”), which is on May 28^th this year.  You may recall that, based on the story from the Book of Acts that we hear that day (when “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability”), some of our scripture is read in different languages.

The Holy Spirit is probably the least understood aspect of our Trinitarian understanding of the nature of God and, depending on your background, often either something to be feared or something that is a travesty that we do not embrace more fully.  To over-simplify it, the Holy Spirit is simply God’s continuing presence among us that makes us who we are as people of faith and empowers the faith community to serve in God’s name.

Wouldn’t it be great during this time of increasing division in our communities if, serving in the Holy Spirit’s power, we lived more deeply into our Baptismal Covenant promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons or, as we hear in Revelation (7:9), to serve those “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” who were counted as worthy to stand before God’s throne?  In these remaining Great Fifty Days, as we anticipate the day (and season) of Pentecost’s Holy Spirit, pray to embrace more fully God’s active presence among us as we seek to serve all people in the Spirit’s power.

-Marc

Bill Wilds preparing to retire... but not leave (phew!)

Dear friends,

After much thought and prayer, Bill Wilds has decided to retire from his paid position at St. Andrew’s on December 31 of this year—after 23 years and 3½ months on staff!  (But who’s counting?!  😊) The good news for us is that Bill is not leaving St. Andrew’s; he is simply stepping out of the role of parish employee while continuing on as an active and beloved parishioner.  I am so grateful for his long and faithful ministry as a staff member here—and particularly for his gift of foresight, which helps us move smoothly from one church season to the next.
 
We will honor Bill with a festive retirement celebration on December 17 after the 10:30 service.  Rachel Roby is the point person for that event, and she will let us know how we can help.  This fall we will collect a purse for Bill, along with personal notes of appreciation.  (Stay tuned for more information about the festivities and gifts.
 
Meanwhile, much is going on behind the scenes as we prepare for this big change in our staffing.  Technically, Bill’s position is “Liturgical Assistant,” but as you have undoubtedly observed, he is involved in many, many other ministries here.  Bill produced for me a two-page single-spaced list(!!) of duties he carries out that were not on his original job description.  He and I have been meeting for several months to discern how best to ensure that crucial ministries are carried forward
 
We will not be hiring a new staff member.  Now that Cary Kelly is serving as our Parish Business Manager, she has been able to remove from Ann Turner’s plate some finance and insurance duties that Ann graciously took on when our finance administrator retired last summer.  Upon Bill’s retirement, Ann will take on Bill’s paperwork duties (preparation of bulletins, newsletters, mailings, etc).
 
Since many of the tasks Bill is laying down are ministries that are more typically carried out by parishioners volunteering their time and talent, we are seeking such volunteers.  (Read more in the following article.)  Bill himself plans to transition to serving as our volunteer sacristan at the 10:30 service, helping to coordinate the flow of service.  
 
I am so grateful to Bill for his labors of love in this place, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside him in the months to come.  Please join me in holding Bill in your prayers as he prepares for retirement. 
 
Blessings.  -Anne

Big shoes (Bill’s) to fill:  How you can help…
As Bill and I continue to meet and talk about which ministries need volunteer leadership, I will pass along that information.  Here is one important ministry in need of leadership:
 
Acolytes:  Crucifers, torchbearers, gospel-bearers—the ministry of youth and adult acolytes is a special part of our liturgical tradition, adding reverence and beauty to our worship.  We are looking for someone to take on the leadership of this ministry, which includes recruiting, training, and scheduling acolytes; and preparing for the annual acolyte recognition.  Bill Wilds is standing by to help train the new leader.  (You??)  Please contact Bill if you can help.

A Psalm for the Appreciation for Music

         Thank you for music Lord:

               Handel’s Messiah:

                       He shall feed his flock like a shepherd

                       shall gather the lambs in his arm

                              and carry them in his bosom.

               Students singing:

                       Who is on the Lord’s side

                              who will serve the King?

               Mother holding little boy:

                       rocking,

                              humming

                                      All through the night

                                             my Savior will be watching

                                      and Like a river glorious

                                             is God’s perfect peace.

               Little group of people:

                       before an open grave singing:

                              Jesus I love thee

                              and up from the grave he arose.

                                                            Joseph Bayly

For years, music has been an important part of not only the ministry of St. Andrew’s, but all of the Hilton churches.  Organs were installed, Ministers of Music hired, choirs formed – and music filled the air.  What a glorious Easter celebration we had with organ, flutes, trumpet, handbells, and voices.

Lent was a time for reflection and Easter was a time for celebration.  With the recent passing of my friend Paul Keller (who occasionally sang with our choir on Christmas Eve and subbed for Brad), I have been thinking about other fine musicians we have lost: Don Golden (Trinity Lutheran), John Garrett (First Methodist), Bill Tew (St. Paul’s), and Michael Cooley (St. Andrew’s).  May we remember them as we continue to celebrate with music that is vital to our spiritual lives.

Bill Wilds

Faith is also not the absence of action

The day after the March 27th mass shooting at Covenant Presbyterian School in Nashville I received an early morning text message from one of my close mom friends. She was stuck in a cycle of despair, for the children and teachers lost in Nashville, but also for her own daughters, as she attempted to put on a happy face, helping her girls pack their bags and escorting them to the bus stop. If God is good, how could such a tragedy happen? How do we retrieve our joy and hope when we’re constantly bracing ourselves for the next crisis, and for the possibility that our own loved ones could be the next victims?

I admit I’m still stuck in a similar loop of despair, so my main response to my friend was “you are not alone,” which is probably the most important thing a grieving person needs to hear anyways. But later, as I was driving and continuing to think about my friend, I tried again to see our despair through the lens of faith. I admit I tried this after the Richneck shooting on January 6th and never heard God’s voice, despite, what is it now, 12 weeks? of praying and asking God for answers. But as I type this in the midst of Holy Week I’m reminded of the despair of Jesus, his family and his friends, when he was tortured and killed. How they thought God had abandoned them as well but, at Easter, love had the last word. Faith, hope, love, and joy are not the absence of evil and ugliness, just the assurance that God’s goodness will always win out in the end.
 
Faith is also not the absence of action, and you’re darn skippy that my friend and I will pick each other up and continue contacting our representatives, donating money, and getting involved locally. I added on to my text message to my friend later: what is true joy: an absence of sadness, or happiness that manifests itself despite our ups and downs? What is more beautiful, a perfect Marie-Kondo-tidied home, or a flower popping up in the cracks of the asphalt of an abandoned strip mall? I love me some Marie Kondo but the image of the flower asserting itself in an empty parking lot does a lot more to shore up my hope. On Easter, Jesus burst forth from the empty tomb, not without his scars, but with the physical assurance that God is greater than any of it (even if you don’t hear God’s voice for twelve weeks…or twelve years…). I hope your Easter celebration was full of hope and joy, and your coming days and weeks are full of little resurrections.
 
Ginny Chilton
Minister of Music