Friday, May 26, 2023 Newsletter
SUNDAY WORSHIP – NEW TIME!
10:00 a.m.
Summer Worship in the Sanctuary
(in person and livestreamed on Facebook and our website)
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AN ACTIVE FAITH
David Macbeth, Director of Music Ministries will be completing the AGO Associate Level Certification Exam on June 1-2 in Washington, D.C.
“I’m sorry sir, your test results were positive... you’re a... nerd.” Not that a test was needed to hand me such a prognosis!
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Many in the congregation are aware of my affiliation with the American Guild of Organists. The organization has roots dating to the 1890’s, and seeks to preserve and advance the art of organ and choral music.
The AGO does not fall into the category of a union, rather it is truly a guild: a collection of like-minded individuals who seek to better the craft through mutual support, education, collaboration, and promotion.
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One of the AGO’s earliest actions was the implementation of a certification system for those who wish to publicly confirm their performance and knowledge-based skills. This is quite beneficial for individuals already working in the profession and unable to pause their careers for additional university training. The guild offers four levels of organ performance and knowledge certification, and one specifically for choral conducting.
The four organ performance levels roughly follow the standard university degrees (associate, bachelors, masters, doctorate) with the titles of Service Playing, Colleague, Associate, and Fellow. The Choir Master certification stands alone at a masters degree level of difficulty.
Back in 2015 I decided to give the Choir Master exam a try, and successfully passed. Considering how specialized the knowledge base is, it didn’t surprise me to find out only 15 of us took the choral exam that year across the country (and only three of us passed!). In an average year the organ certifications are slightly more popular with approximately 20-30 individuals testing for each level nationwide.
So it is basically an organ and church music nerd test… and I’m trying my hand at the masters level organ performance exam (Associate of the AGO) next week!
Without getting too deep into the weeds, the exam at the associate level seeks to challenge the performer’s knowledge and manipulation of the instrument, historic performance practices across a wide range of repertoire, ability to musically lead in a congregational setting, and demonstrate a deep knowledge of the mechanics of music.
Written exam elements on composition, counterpoint, music history, organ history and construction are then contrasted with juried performance of repertoire, hymn playing, improvisation, transposition, sight-reading, and more. And don’t worry, the test is only two days long!
I’ll be heading to a church in the Washington, D.C. area for the exam on June 1 and 2, with the location being hidden from me until the testing week. Advance practice time on location is strictly limited, along with only minimal knowledge being shared regarding the organ I’ll be testing on. Who knew the deep pipe organ community was so “cloak and dagger”?
Why go through all this? Well, ‘why not’ is as good of an answer as any. Within the professional church music community the AGO certification levels do indeed hold as much weight as additional degrees. The AGO and other denominational music associations then use this information to provide guidelines for employees and congregations when negotiating annual contracts.
But for me that’s not really the point. All of my degree work has been in the area of choral music education, not organ performance. My skills and knowledge of organ playing have come from 20+ years of church music experience and personal study. Adding this credential to my resume has encouraged me to “up my game”, pushing me to add new skills and repertoire I would have not otherwise had a reason to pursue.
This coming Sunday, May 28, I’ll offer an extended postlude to the 10 a.m. service as a dress rehearsal of the most significant pieces required for the repertoire performance portion of the exam. I’ll perform a few works by Bach, Howells, Dacquin, and Kerr, and ask everyone to join in an example of a big congregational hymn. All are welcome!
When will I know if I passed? The phone call will come sometime in June, and hopefully I’ll need a new picture frame for the piece of paper by September!
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This week’s sermon: Be the Church by the Rev. Suzanne Trump
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We post the video of each week’s services and sermon text on our website: fpc-bethlehem.org
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper for Sunday
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FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:
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NEW TIME! Child care will be available from 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. this Sunday morning; please ask an usher for directions.
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Your children are a joy in our worship services, and should the need arise, “kid bags” are available for their use. They are in the Narthex and in the blanket-sitting area (to the left of the communion table in Fellowship Hall).
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We offer nametags for folks to wear – these are for everyone! You can pick up as you enter the worship space; please clearly PRINT your first name.
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This Sunday is Pentecost
Wear red if you’re so inclined!
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LEMONADE ON THE LAWN SOCIAL TIME! |
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It’s back: our popular post-service social time, Lemonade on the Lawn. For five years we have been gathering on the front lawn after our summer services to enjoy a cool beverage, light refreshments, and good connection!
This Sunday our hosts will be the Hospitality Team.
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For future weeks we are looking for other groups or families to take on the hosting duties. (If you’d like, you can connect with the Hospitality Team this Sunday to see where supplies are in the kitchen.) Basically, you will need to provide a few treats to eat and to get the beverages, cups and napkins, ice, and coolers out of the church kitchen. Clean-up is as simple as returning those items to the kitchen.
It doesn’t have to be a “formal” group, like a K group or the choir – it can be a family or group of friends. It’s easy to sign up on this online form or call the church office at 610-867-5865. We’ll also have a paper sign-up form at each event.
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SUPPORT OUR YOUTH THROUGH PENTECOST OFFERING
Collection ends Sunday
Each year on Pentecost Sunday (this Sunday, May 28), we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the church. Each year, this celebration is marked by receiving the Pentecost Offering which nurtures the faith of those who are the church to come.
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A gift to the Pentecost Offering helps the church encourage, develop, and support its young people, and to address the needs of at-risk children. Forty percent of the Pentecost offering is retained by individual congregations wanting to make an impact in the lives of young people within their own community. |
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The remaining 60% is used to support children-at-risk, youth, and young adults through ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Please consider a gift to First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem; in the memo: Pentecost Offering. You can also visit fpc-bethlehem.org/give (again, note Pentecost Offering in the 'NOTES" box). |
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‘BREAD FOR THE WORLD’ OFFERING OF LETTERS
Hunger in America isn’t front page news these days, but for many of our fellow citizens food scarcity is a lingering, and worsening, threat. With the end of the emergency SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) in effect during the COVID emergency, the average client has seen his or her benefit drop by $90 per month, aggravating what for many had already been a situation of food insecurity. But we have an opportunity to help.
Every five years, the US Congress reauthorizes an omnibus Farm Bill, determining policy and funding levels for agriculture, food assistance programs, natural resources, and other aspects of food and agriculture under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Bill is up for renewal this Fall (it expires on September 30), and Bread for the World, the Christian advocacy organization, is asking churches around the country to write letters in support of provisions in the bill that will help to increase food availability and security for our most vulnerable citizens, including:
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- NUTRITION: increasing access to healthy food in the U.S., as well as enhancing global maternal and child nutrition.
- EQUITY: expanding access to SNAP among marginalized populations, and supporting self-governance and food sovereignty for Tribal Nations.
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- SUSTAINABILITY: keeping food out of landfills by increasing support for post-harvest food recovery efforts, and tackling the threat to food security posed by extreme weather.
We’re asking members and friends of FPCB to participate in this year’s BFW Offering of Letters, which will focus on the Farm Bill, by writing letters to our Senators and Congressional Representatives.
If you’d like to simply write letters after worship on Sunday mornings, or drop them off, a table will be set up for that purpose this Sunday, May 28, and next (June 4) and we’ll make sure that they are sent to the appropriate offices. (A sample letter suitable for “tailoring” will be available.) You can also put your letter in an individual envelope and mail it yourself, or drop off at our table so we can mail it.
If you would prefer to send letters electronically (or are looking for some guidance on what to write), you may do so by clicking on this link and following the instructions (be sure to indicate that you are writing as part of the Offering of Letters).
For general information on Bread’s initiative on the Farm Bill, and on its work in general, please visit bread.org. Together we can make a difference!
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CARE CONCERNS AND HOSPITAL VISITS
If you are hospitalized, please tell the hospital our church code is 724. Also, please call the church office at 610-867-5865 to let us know as the hospitals do not always collect this information. After hours, leave a message or call our answering service at 610-778-7003.
PRAYER REQUESTS...
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Send us your news and photos to share:
**Deadline for the next week's newsletter:
WEDNESDAY at noon**
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Your likes / comments / shares help us spread the word about First Pres!
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TO JOIN OUR LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICE
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Visit our Facebook page and look for the post with our live feed
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If you don’t have a Facebook account, go to our website to view the service - click on the "Watch the Service" button
- Please check in with a comment so we know you’ve joined us!
- Captions will now be available on our livestream, for those who would like to use that feature
To watch a video – available after the services have aired: Visit our website archives
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THIS SUNDAY
- 9:45-11:15 a.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
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10:00 a.m.: Summer Worship, in-person in the Sanctuary and livestream on Facebook Live and our website; followed by Lemonade on the Lawn, on the front lawn
WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom (Meeting # 380 435 9056 / Password: overcomer)
CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO:
The building and Preschool will be closed on Monday, May 29 for the Memorial Day holiday.
Regular office hours are Monday - Thursday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Many of the office staff are working remotely for some of the time, so please make an appointment if you need to see someone specific. The answering service (610-778-7003) can take your urgent pastoral concerns, 24 hours a day.
IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER: Look for updates on our website (fpc-bethlehem.org), Facebook page, and WFMZ (channel 69 and wfmz.com). We will also put the info on our church phone message, 610-867-5865.
CARE CONCERNS AND HOSPITAL VISITS: If members of the FPCB congregation are hospitalized and would welcome pastoral and hospital ministrant visitors and/or prayers, please contact: Phil Fair, Prayer Ministrant (prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org).
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM |
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-867-5865 | info@fpc-bethlehem.org
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