THE

MESSENGER

 Westminster Presbyterian Church   Albany, New York              436-8544              Fax 436-8599      March 2001

      On March 25, John Bell, music leader of the Iona Community in Scotland, will be guest preacher at Westminster.

      An ordained minister of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), he joined the Iona Community after five years of working as a youth pastor.  It was there that he cultivated his interest in generating music and texts that were able to express “a new way of speaking about God to the people or about the experiences of the people of God.”

      A gifted poet and composer, he has also done much to bring to the English-speaking church the musical traditions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.  Much of the current interest in world music in the church can be traced directly to John Bell and his work.

      His ecumenical and inclusive approach to music for worship is part of the reason for his success as a church music leader, but he also has remarkable power as a preacher and leader of song.  It has been said that John Bell could cause rocks to sing – he is like a musical John the Baptist, complete with sandals.

      In describing his personal ministry, he says: “I do think it’s helpful to sing

the songs of other cultures.  By singing their songs, we can stand to some extent in deeper intercession with these people.  And through that experience our understanding of mission and evangelism and the kingdom of God and the Trinity is enlarged.”

      Everyone is urged to come and hear him preach the Word at Westminster.

      Later that day, he will lead a workshop at the First Reformed Church in Scotia, sponsored by the Albany Synod of the Reformed Church in America.  The workshop, which starts at 3 p.m., is called “Common Ground, Uncommon Worship.”  There is a $10 registration fee.  If you are interested in attending, please contact Al Fedak by March 15.

Local Arts Grant Will Bring Spiritual Group To Sing in Albany

      At an awards ceremony at the State Capitol on February 7, Westminster Church was presented with a grant from the Community Arts Connection Project of the Albany/Schenectady League of Arts.  The League of Arts administers and distributes funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.

      Westminster’s grant will be used to help bring an outstanding group of musical artists to Albany during the week after Easter: The New England Spiritual Ensemble (NESE).

      This is a small African-American vocal ensemble – the only professional singing group in the world that has dedicated itself solely to the preservation and performance of African-American spirituals.  Their visit to Albany is expected to be one of the high points of the cultural and religious life of this city during 2001.

      Here at Westminster, we are honored and delighted to have played the major role in bringing this to pass.  The Spiritual Ensemble has agreed to sing at our morning worship service on the Sunday after Easter, April 22. 

Then at 3 p.m. that afternoon, the ensemble will perform a concert at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, co-sponsored by the Cathedral’s Music Department and by the Ministry of Music and Arts of Westminster Church.

      Please mark this date, and do not miss this concert!  Those who attend NESE performances come away deeply moved, and are often changed by the experience.  Theirs is powerful music-making of the highest order.

      The NESE concert on April 22 has the potential to build cross-cultural, interracial, and ecumenical bridges in many directions in our community.  Please support this effort by your presence at worship on that date, and by attending the afternoon concert at the Cathedral.

      We need ushers and ticket-takers for the afternoon concert, and you may speak to me if you would like to volunteer.

      If you would like to lend your financial support to this ecumenical event, you may do so by becoming a “Friend of Music” and having your name included in the concert program.  Donations may be made to Westminster at the following levels: benefactor, $100 (includes 4 concert tickets); patron, $50 (includes  2 concert tickets); or friend, $25.

      The ticket prices have not yet been set, but will be about $10 for adults (advance purchase), $12 at the door, and $5 for children.  Advance tickets will be available from both Westminster Church and the Cathedral.

      We hope you will spread the word about this exciting event, and support it in whatever ways you can.

Al Fedak

From the Church Records

Death: 2/16/01 Ethel A. Haberer

New Member: 2/18/01

Karen Durgee

256 State Street #16

Albany, New York 12210

426-8068

Lectionary for Lord's Day

March 2001

 4    1^st Sunday in Lent

    Deut. 26:1-11; Ps. 91:1-2, 9-16

    Rom. 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

 11   2^nd Sunday in Lent

    Gen. 15:1-12, 17-18; Ps. 27

    Phil. 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35

 18   3^rd Sunday in Lent

    Isa. 55:1-9; Ps. 63:1-8

    I Cor. 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

 25   4^th Sunday in Lent

    Josh. 5:9-12; Ps. 32

    2 Cor. 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3,11b-32

Children’s Choir to Sing

      On Saturday, March 24, a Presbytery-wide Children’s Choir will sing at the worship service for the Albany Presbytery’s monthly meeting to be held at Westminster.

      Celebrating the PC(USA)’s “Year of the Child,” about 70 children from 15 of the Presbytery’s 72 churches will gather to sing two anthems for the assembled delegates.  Susan Fedak is conducting the choir and Alfred Fedak is accompanying.  The 10:30 a.m. worship service is open to the public, and everyone is invited.

Christian Ed News...

       Don’t forget John Pelizza’s return visit to Westminster on Saturday, March 3, for a program on “Balancing Work and Life,” beginning at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to bring a dish to a potluck supper to precede the program at 6 p.m. Dr. Pelizza is a popular local speaker on topics related to wellness, change process, stress management, team building, and personal growth.

*****

      We have a bulletin board inside the Chestnut Street entrance that needs care, so are looking for a bulletin board coordinator. We try to follow the church year and changes can be made each month or two.  Resources are available or you can create them yourself. You can do the work yourself or make assignments. If interested, please call Sue Schell at 439-2945.

*****

      A total of $251 was donated by the congregation on “Souper” Bowl Sunday and the money was sent to the Regional Food Bank of New York in Latham.

      The children’s offering for the year 2000 totaled $83.75, of which two-thirds went to the FOCUS food pantry and one-third to Heifer Project International. Their UNICEF collection totaled $46, and the One Great Hour of Sharing amount donated was $17. 

*****

      The CE Committee hasn’t scheduled any second-hour programs during March as our emphasis has been on holding programs at other times. We hope people have enjoyed the evening program opportunities we’ve sponsored recently.

Labyrinth Ready for Lent

      With volunteer help, our labyrinth has been painted and is now available to walk.  A design called Santa Rosa (Saint Rose), the labyrinth will be placed on the floor of the Assembly Room on Sundays at 4 p.m., and at other times to be determined.

      For centuries labyrinths have been used as aids to meditation and prayer.  For those who are unfamiliar with this tradition, guided devotional materials will be available, as well as practical instructions for walking on the labyrinth canvas.

      During the Lenten season, why not try walking the labyrinth and then staying for our Taizé service?  It’s a wonderful way to enrich your spiritual life.          Sue Fedak

Delegates Sought

      The Mission Committee invites persons or families to attend one of two peacemaking conferences scheduled for this summer. Subsidies are available. The theme is “Venturing into Differences: An Intergenerational Journey Across Cultural Division.”

      One will be held in Montreat, NC, from July 4 through 7, and the other in Estes Park, CO, from July 22 through 25. Please call Matt Elbow or Sheila Wrede for more information.

UN Day Set

      The United Nations Association's annual Day at the United Nations will be observed on Saturday, March 24.

      Topics will include World Conference on Racism, UN Peacekeeping Challenges, Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, and HIV/AIDS–International Security Threat.  Please let Sheila Wrede know as soon as possible if you are interested in attending. The registration deadline is March 9.

        The Vision Study Task Force and the Rev. Sandra Hanna have planned the steps to be completed before the Presbytery is asked to provide a facilitator to convene the first meeting of the Pastoral Nominating Committee (PNC).

      The study groups have been asked to submit their recommendations (with the material developed in eight sessions) by March 9 to the Task Force.

      Then that group, chaired by Anne Older, will hold meetings in March and April to analyze the recommendations, develop draft documents for a retreat, and organize a retreat.

      Task Force members, Session members, and Westminster staff will attend the retreat, to be held April 27-

28.  It will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday and conclude by 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.  After the retreat, Task Force members will compile a ReVision Plan that will be mailed to the congregation in early May. 

      Members of the congregation will then have two opportunities to meet with Task Force members and the Session to discuss the ReVision Plan: Sunday, May 20, at 11:30 a.m. (light lunch provided), and Wednesday, May 23, at 7 p.m. (dessert and coffee provided).

      If there is congregational support for Westminster’s ReVision Plan, the Session will be asked to adopt the plan.  As soon as the ReVision Plan is approved, the PNC will meet for the first time with a facilitator from the Presbytery and begin its work to find a new permanent pastor for Westminster.  #

      On Sunday, March 4, at 2 p.m., Carleton Clay and Al Fedak will perform a recital for trumpet and organ in the church sanctuary.

      Carleton Clay is well-known to our congregation.  Since 1968, he has served as Professor of Music at SUNY-Oneonta, and he is co-founder and president of the Catskill Conservatory.  In addition, he has performed widely as a solo artist, a chamber musician, and an orchestral player.

      As a founding member of the Catskill Brass, Mr. Clay has performed many times for Christmas and Easter worship services at Westminster.  He is an accomplished composer as well as a performer, and has served as composer-in-residence at music festivals both here and abroad.

      The recital will include works by Purcell, Bach, Viviani, Copland, Persichetti, and Hovhaness, as well as some new original works.  In recent weeks the pair has performed this program in Schenectady and Cobleskill, where it was extremely well-received.  Further performances are slated for Oneonta and Utica later this spring.

      It is hoped this concert at Westminster will be the first of many presented at our church as both a service and an outreach to the community, under the auspices of our new Ministry of Music and Arts.

      The concert lasts about 75 minutes.  Admission is free, and a freewill offering will be received.    #

       In December, the newly appointed community organizer of ARISE, Andreas Kriefall, visited Westminster and met with several Westminster members and the Rev. Hanna.  In January, ARISE held a Covenanting Convention at which Westminster and the other member groups made a joint pledge to the goal of community renewal.

      On February 3, a local training session was held that some of us attended.  We learned that an important mechanism for working together in the wider community is understanding our own interests and developing relationships within our Westminster community.

      An Issues Conference will be held in May at which all ARISE members will identify their top concerns for outreach.  Such concerns could include housing, hunger, elder care, education, etc.  But first we need to connect ourselves.    Those of us present at the training session made a commitment to bring additional team members to the next local session on relationship building, on March 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Siena College.  The last training was inspiring and several of us have already found it useful in daily relationships.

      ARISE is a faith-based community organization composed of a network of Capital Area congregations and community organizations whose purpose is to increase our regional capacity to respond to community concerns, define solutions, and be a voice in creating positive community change.  Westminster joined the growing list of 31 member churches and organizations last fall.

      If you are interested  in finding out more about ARISE, please call me at 439-1990, or Tom McPheeters at 433-0679, or talk to the Rev. Hanna.   Carolyn Smith

Behind the Scenes...

      When “The Time Machine” comes to local movie theaters, we at Westminster may have a special interest in seeing it. We provided the space for the extras to be outfitted and made up by the  film crew, to prepare them for scenes being shot on nearby Lancaster Street.

      Dreamworks Pictures used the Welles Room and the library on Thursday, Feb. 8, (a very snowy day) from 4 a.m. when Secretary Nancy Sokil let them in, until late that night when the crew packed up and left for Troy. Meals for the extras were provided at the Wilburn Temple.

      All the extras (about 120) in our building that day, plus the truck drivers and security people  hired  by

the company, were local people.  Nancy said many expressed interest in our facility and programs. According to the Rev. Sandy Hanna, who granted permission for the building use for $500, “you never know where contacts like these may lead.”

      It was originally announced that filming would be done on State Street, with the front of Westminster shown, but that plan–along with the date our building would be needed–changed along the way.  The original plan had been for the Assembly Room to be used by the wardrobe people, but they were moved upstairs so they wouldn’t interfere with the breakfast program.

      “It was an exciting day,” Nancy said. “It was like having a dream, and  seeing women coming out of Westminster with their hats and long dresses a hundred years ago.”          AT

Church Web Site Getting a New Look

      Westminster’s web site, is getting better all the time!

      Even if you’re not an experienced surfer of the internet, you’ll find our web site both  informative and easy to use, thanks to web master Peter McKee.  And he’s got many changes and improvements planned: a more attractive format, different color (green), streaming music, and a weekly worship and meditation section.

      There’s also lots of church news.  If  you missed Dr. Susan Smith’s workshop here in early February, you can see photos of the event and a brief article about her presentation. There’s  a photo and article about WOW participants. If you’d like to refresh your memory about the study materials being used in the Mission Study, you can find that there, too. And this newsletter is there, word for word, so you can read about upcoming events at church and not worry if your mail delivery is late for that issue.

      But don’t worry, either, if you don’t have a computer because all the news on the web site is also available in other ways to church members.  (Except for the photo directory–with recent photos of members taken at church or contributed by them.)

      Our web master is looking into the possibility of making a computer available for use in the church library, and has also indicated that he will provide instruction on web site access to anyone interested.

      Web site committee members include Peter Brown, Nancy Burton, Kelly Crisfield, Karen Durgee, Sue Fedak, Leif Hartmark, Peter Leue, Lynne McKee, Allan Tedrow, Ann Treadway, and Lois Wilson.               #

Tickets Going Fast For Trip to Opera In Late April

      Response to last month’s announcement about Westminster’s April 25 charter bus trip to New York City has been overwhelming–more than half the seats are already spoken for.  Westminster members who wish to participate are urged to make their reservations soon.

      The cost is $101 per person (payable by April 1), which includes transportation and Dress Circle tickets for that evening’s performance of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball).

      One correction: The bus is scheduled to leave our parking lot at 10 a.m., not 10:30 a.m.  This is good news, since it gives everyone a little more free time in the city.

Opera Preview Set

      As preparation for the trip, on Sunday, April 1, during the second hour, a 45-minute orientation session will be offered to Westminster members and guests.  It will be led by Mr. Albert Zeppieri, Professor of Humanities (retired) at SUNY-Cobleskill.  He will take us through the story of Verdi’s opera, and identify some of its musical and dramatic high points.

      He will be assisted by soprano Gene Marie Callahan and pianist Al Fedak.  This promises to be an enjoyable and entertaining session for all who attend, even for those who may not be going to the opera.

      Special thanks to Al Zeppieri for making all the trip arrangements and for agreeing to lead this session.

Al Fedak

Session Approves Sign For Front of Church

      The Session has authorized the purchase of a new “Westminster Church” sign, to be placed above the center State Street door.  It will be approximately 10 feet by 2 feet and handcarved, with a dark blue background and gold leaf lettering.  The sign will cost $2,250, financed by the Worship Committee, the Board of Deacons, and the Church Memorial Fund.

      The sign is being made by the Montauk Sign Carving Co. of East Nassau, NY, after members of the Worship Committee spent many months researching sign design options and prices.

      The Evangelism-Communications Committee also plans to maintain updated information in the two enclosed sign cases at the front of the church, and to purchase another one in which to publicize church events on the Chestnut Street side.            

WOW!

      Fourteen Westminster members rolled up their sleeves and cleaned apartments at the initial Westminster Outreach Workers (WOW) event on January 27 at South Mall Towers. A picture of the workers, with their buckets and cleaning supplies, is posted on our web site.  May 5 is the tentative date for WOW to return to South Mall Towers.

      Members of WOW are also volunteering to help members on the Deacons’ callee list, and others who have home cleaning or repair projects that can be done in half a day or less.  You may contact the Church office or Mary Jean Tedrow for more information. 

      The FOCUS Breakfast Program  needs help!

      Some regular volunteers will be heading south during March and April, leaving us shorthanded.  If you are available to help on any of the following dates, from 6:30 to  9:15 a.m.,  please call Deb Jameson at 465-5161: March 13, 15, 20, 27, April 3, 10 and any Thursday.

      During the month of January we served 1,837 meals.

*****

      A total of 225 families received food for 12 meals (4 days) in the month of January from the FOCUS Interfaith Food Pantry.  We are always looking for volunteers to conduct interviews, pack grocery bags and restock, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 to noon.  Give Jim Cameron a call if you are available (465-5161).

*****

      FOCUS is pleased to be a co-sponsor of  Hunger Awareness Day on March 15.  County and state officials have been invited to participate in our feeding programs on that day, to interact with the guests and experience upclose the faces of hunger.  Facts about hunger in New York State, and how we can respond, can be obtained by calling the FOCUS office.

*****

      Who is that in the pulpit?  On Sunday, March 18, FOCUS clergy will be leading worship and preaching “one church to the right” (geographically our churches form a circle).

*****

      An Easter dawn service will be held on Easter, April 15, at 6:30 a.m.

 By Sarah Williams

      The Board of Stewards is reviewing how we as a church community can maximize our welcoming spirit, and expand our reach and connection to church visitors.  We are specifically reviewing the “pew card” method of connecting us to a visitor, or person in need of pastoral care.

      In the beginning phase of this mission, we are gathering information and ideas.  We have started by researching how other churches successfully welcome people into their midst, as well as how they invite and encourage the growth of their ministries and church communities.  We have made a good start, but we are few in number.

      Now we seek to enlist all members as researchers and people with ideas.  If you have a friend or relative who attends another church, could you talk with them and ask them, “How do you reach out to visitors in your church?” and “Do those methods work?”  Any material you could obtain, for example, church bulletins and newsletters, would be very helpful. 

      Also, if you have ever attended another church where you thought to yourself, “Gee, that’s a nice way of greeting people,” or if you have any ideas based upon what you  think may or may not work for us here at Westminster, we would be very interested in hearing from you and talking with you.   Please talk to a Steward, drop one of us a note, or give us a call as soon as possible.  You may also contact me via email at or by phone at 370-0395. 

      We really want to create discussion on these subjects, and hope you will

join us to raise consciousness about how we, separately and together, connect to people in this church.  We invite, encourage, and welcome your participation!

      An ID idea

      The Elders have made a suggestion about how we can encourage friendly interaction here at Westminster.  It makes such obvious sense, the  Stewards are already preparing to put the idea to work.   It involves members of the congregation sporting buttons, or wearing name tags, with our names on them. 

      We realize that  nobody wants to have their clothing ruined by wearing a button, and we’re figuring out ways to get around that!  We also realize that Westminster tried this once before, but we want to try it again.  The salutary effects of wearing name tags has been noted in other churches.  

      The primary goal of this project will be to make it easier for church “visitors” to identify and speak with church members – and vice versa.  In addition–since we are all forgetful of names sometimes, and since we all could use a little push to say “hello” sometimes, the wearing of an identifying button or name tag may have the extra and all-important benefit of helping members to address each other, too.

      Peter Wrede is spearheading this effort.  If you are good at organizing and creating “systems,” or if you have design, visualization, or construction skills, you are encouraged to talk with Pete (via email at or by phone at 478-0290), or to any Steward as soon as possible.  Ultimately, we will need everyone’s help to make this project a success.  At present, we will be very grateful for positive words, and for every offer to assist in the design of a name-tag system that will effectively identify “All the Members of  This Church.”

Movies, Anyone?

      Pam Marvin and George Held of our congregation wonder if people would be interested in occasional Saturday night social events at the Church, to include potluck suppers and rented movies. They are willing to organize such events, and interested people may call Pam at 478-9437.

Flower Requests Due

      Requests are now being taken for Easter Memorials.  All money received is pooled to provide not only the lilies but also all the special decorations of the season. Please call the Church Office at 436-8544 by Tuesday, April 10 to sign-up.

Spring Dinner Set

      The Waldron’s next fellowship dinner will be held on Thursday, March 22, at 6 p.m., in the Welles Room.  The menu includes beef bourguignon, parsley potatoes, peas, fruit cup, salad, coffee and dessert.  Call the church office at 436-8544 for reservations.

By Al Fedak

      Recently Westminster Church was contacted by the editors of Reformed Worship, a quarterly journal of worship and music resources for churches in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition.  We were asked to participate in a survey of congregational song being conducted by the magazine for an upcoming article.

      Specifically, we were asked to tabulate the total number of hymns sung at our worship services during the last calendar year, and then to group those hymns according to the following categories: (1) traditional strophic hymns; (2) non-traditional hymns and songs (good examples might be Taizé choruses or Catholic folk-style songs like “Here I Am, Lord”); and (3) ethnic music or songs of the world church (including African-American spirituals and music of other cultures).

      In one sense, the categories are somewhat arbitrary.  After all, even our “traditional” hymnody is drawn from all over the globe and may fairly be considered “world music.”  And many of us would consider African-American spirituals to be part of the body of traditional hymnody by now.  Moreover, at Westminster, we sing lots of other music which does not seem to fit into any of the given categories–music like doxologies, Gloria Patris, Kyries, communion responses, and responsorial psalms.

      But we did as we were asked and obtained the following results, which might be of interest to Westminster members.  This is what our congregation sang from January 1 to December 31, 2000: traditional hymns, 152; traditional responses, 115; “non-traditional” hymns and songs on Sunday mornings, 12; “non-traditional hymns and songs at Sunday evening Taizé services, 70; ethnic music and songs of the World Church, 29; and responsorial psalms, 16.

      These numbers demonstrate two facts: first, we do a lot of singing here at Westminster Church!  Secondly, we are a very traditional church, musically speaking.  But things are changing, and the numbers are most valuable inasmuch as they present a musical picture of a church in transition.  If we had similarly surveyed the hymns of 1999, we would have come up with a completely different set of numbers (more heavily weighed toward the “traditional” category).  And I would expect next year’s numbers to show additional growth in the non-traditional and ethnic/world music categories in the coming year.

      All of this is good.  The changing profile of our hymnody shows that we  ourselves are changing and growing. 

 During this time of transition, Westminster Church is learning to do new things and sing new songs.  We are learning to be open and to listen for the promptings of God’s Spirit, wherever it is found, whether around the corner, or around the world.  

      In return for our participation in the survey, Westminster is being given a free 2-year subscription to Reformed Worship.  When it arrives, each issue will be kept in the church library.  We encourage you to read the magazine, and to seek out the  survey in which we participated.  It will be fascinating to see how our results compare with those of other Reformed and Presbyterian Churches around the country.

Westminster Presbyterian Church

85 Chestnut Street

Albany, New York 12210

March 2001

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