The Tall Spire - First Baptist Church of White Plains

First Baptist Church • White Plains NY

The Tall Spire OCTOBER 2013

OCTOBER October 6 10:30am Worship with Communion 5:30–6:10pm First Sunday Evening Worship October 13 10:30am Worship October 20 10:30am Worship October 27 10:30am Worship Noon: Fall Business Meeting

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Pastoral Search.................. 2 Youth Music & Arts........... 2 October Worship..............3 Margaret's Garden...........3 Christian Education......... 3 Bits and Pieces...................4

Come grow with us!

Prelude or Postlude?

This month John Wolfe becomes our Interim Music Director, for up to two years. Chosen from 35 candidates through the American Guild of Organists, John brings impressive credentials, excellent references, and a humble heart to our worship and music ministry. His first Sunday is October 20th. McCullough Maintenance, Alice Longworth and John Wolfe each represent important building blocks. Improving our property management, communications capacity, and music ministry is vital to our future. In the meantime, we continue to work on developing worship ministry, care ministry, and leadership, while supporting an effective pastoral search process. Yet, we need to ask if John’s ministry will be the prelude or postlude to continuing organ-centric music at our church. As much as we may love organ music, unrelenting trends in worship since the 1970s have moved steadily away from traditional organ music,

robed anthem singing choirs, and four-part hymns, many of which were written 100 to 200 years ago. The new normal involves contemporary music forms, different instruments, and lyrics projected onto screens. Easy to sing songs and choruses are common. Hymnals may disappear like phone books. Pews have given way to flexible seating. Organ music, traditional choirs and hymns will endure, but in fewer churches. Habit-bound, change-averse congregations are playing their postludes. Their doors will close. Yet, wise congregations engage the new normal with courage and compassion, curiosity and creativity, exploring emergent forms of worship and music. They are playing their prelude to the future. God calls us to a new day, to sing new songs, to speak to the heart. The prelude is just beginning. Grace and Peace Bruce Greer, Interim Pastor

John Wolfe to Direct Music at First Baptist On October 15, John A. Wolfe, organist, choral conductor, and music educator will join First Baptist as Interim Music Director. He has earned favorable reviews in The New York Times and Time Out New York as a featured performer in the Prism Concert Series at Central Synagogue and in T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral at St. Joseph’s Church of Our Lord.

Recent performances include roles in the film Fugue for Boxed Wine Productions and in the Queens College Baroque Opera Workshop’s production of Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea. Previously minister of music at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Christ in Rosedale, Queens and choir director at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Coney Island, John is currently an executive board member of the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and a master’s degree candidate in organ performance at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College.

Pastoral Search Team Update The pastoral search team met weekly throughout September. Two meetings focused on church size-type theory and church life cycle theory, given their importance in determining the particular strengths needed in a pastor for our church over the next 5-7 years. On September 25 the team enjoyed a positive and productive meeting with the Reverend James Stallings, Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York. During October the team will collect data for the Church Profile needed for our denomination’s placement system, and also for our Prospectus, an information packet that will be sent to

interested candidates. Part of our data collection will occur through small “focus group” meetings. To hear every voice, we will offer meetings for 6 to 8 participants at convenient times, day and evening. Join the conversation! Get involved! You are important to our future. We will be contacting you to encourage maximum participation. Though Rev. Greer serves as consultant to the team, he maintains strict limits on his participation. He will not attend any of the focus groups, participate in the writing of the Church Profile or Prospectus, have any knowledge of the candidates, comment on them, or attempt to influence the

search team. Given his many years of experience, he provides much-needed guidance and resources to enhance the team’s effectiveness. Feel free to speak to any of our search team members at any time. With the exception of the names of candidates, the process is entirely open, start to finish. The team members are Alba Afif, Jeff Clark (chair), Kimberly Salico-Diehl, Melina Din, Alan Drewry, Mary Helmsworth-Hamby, and Ken Shortlidge. Come grow with us!

In October, practice begins for the Christmas Pageant, which will be presented during morning worship on December 22. We practice on Sunday mornings at 9:30am, and meet an

additional day at least once a month for Bible study, games, food and rehearsals.

—Jeff Clark, Team Chair

Youth Music and Arts It was a lively Rally Sunday. Our youth led the service on September 8. They continue to teach the congregation new music, including an Amen from South Africa—more to come next month!

— Kimberly Salico-Diehl Coordinator, Youth Music and Arts [email protected]

MUSIC AND ARTS YOUTH rehearse before leading the worship service on Rally Sunday, September 8. Left to right: Grace Hamby, Rose Hamby, Caleb Meekins, Nyla Caye Meekins, Norah Meekins, Miranda Segrave, Noel Segrave. Photo © Alice Longworth.

2 | The Tall Spire October 2013

www.firstbaptistwhiteplains.org

Come Grow with Us – in Worship REV. GREER'S FALL SERMONS Good News that Never Gets Old October 6: Rekindle the Gift. The Christian faith is often handed down through generations. How do we rekindle it for ourselves? 2 Timothy 1:1-14 provides some clues.

Want faith? Want peace? What will that require of us? 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 provides some answers. October 27: Both/And. Two men go to the temple to pray: one righteous and one a traitor? Which one does God favor? Luke 18:9-14 tells the story.

October 13: Mutual Welfare. What do an Old Testament prophet and the Buddha have in common? A lot more than you may think! Check out Jeremiah 29:1-7.

November 3: Growth Story. What does Jesus want us to learn from a tall story about a man short on morals? Luke 19:110 assures us of God’s grace, even when we’re out on a limb.

October 20: Persistence. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” as the saying goes.

Come, grow with us!

Margaret's Garden Fall has officially arrived and after harvesting the last of the tomatoes, beans and onions, it will be time to put Margaret’s Garden to bed for the winter. It was a successful gardening year with good yields of strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and corn. A large part of the cucumber and corn crop was canned as pickles and relish and will be available for purchase at $3 per pint or $6 per quart. A few upgrades are in the works that I hope will decrease losses due to our animal friends and will improve productivity in general. First, we are replacing the netting inside the fence with a stronger plastic mesh that should

be more effective in keeping our resident groundhogs out. Second, a new bed is being prepared for our blueberry bushes that will be completely caged with netting so we can harvest the berries before the birds do, something we have never been able to accomplish in the past. Finally, the garden will be mulched with grass clippings from the lawn and tilled under to provide fresh nitrogen to the soil in preparation for our new garden next Spring. We thank everyone who has made donations for our garden produce and, in so doing, has supported the youth and children’s ministry

CANNED PICKLES AND CORN RELISH from Margaret's Garden, available for purchase at $3 per pint or $6 per quart.

projects of Habitat for Humanity of Westchester and Center of Hope (Haiti). —Carl Hamby

Christian Education News The Christian Education Committee has approved a college scholarship for Wendy Uhlman's daughter, Jackie Leak, who is currently enrolled at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. We would like the membership at large to know that First Baptist Church offers this aid, and we encourage other families in the church whose children will be entering college to apply for it.


In the Adult Forum we are discussing Lillian Daniel's book, When “Spiritual but not Religious” Is Not Enough, Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church. In Children's Church we are studying God's relationship with Kings of Israel from David to Jehosephat. —Carl Hamby

October 2013 The Tall Spire | 3

Bits and Pieces

First Baptist Church of White Plains 456 North Street White Plains NY 10605 phone: 914.949.5207 fax: 914.949.5208 email: [email protected] www.firstbaptistwhiteplains.org Founded in 1871 and rooted in such historic Baptist principles as the freedom of conscience, separation of church and state, and religious tolerance, First Baptist Church seeks to serve faithfully, and think critically, following the courageous and compassionate example of Jesus Christ.  Sunday Worship at 10:30am

PARENT-INFANT DEDICATION on Sunday, September 15. Left to right in the foreground: Julie and Danny Jalca, Rev. Greer holding Lucas. Photo © Larry Seberg.

CRYING ROOM RESEARCH UNDERWAY A planning team from First Baptist has been visiting other area churches to look at "crying rooms" in anticipation of establishing one at First Baptist. A crying room is a soundproof space with audio and a window looking out into the sanctuary. Breast feeding mothers or parents with fussy children can watch and hear worship services without distracting other congregants. Team members are Julie Jalca, Dale Greer, Carl Hamby and Kunle Oshodi. THE POWER OF VIDEO Rev. Greer and communications coordinator Alice Longworth are currently enrolled in "Reel Change" at Jacob Burns Film and Media Center in Pleasantville. The 12-session course, which meets through December 5, trains staff at nonprofit organizations to use compelling video in communicating their messages. Homework? You bet! A five-minute film, which will star members of our congregation, is currently being planned to support our church's goal of increasing attendance at worship

GREENING PROJECT STUDENT Sameep Patel waters seedlings in First Baptist's greenhouse. Photo © Alice Longworth.

4 | The Tall Spire October 2013

GREEN PARTNERSHIP RETURNS IN SPRING On September 30, Carl Hamby met with Janet Spencer, Youth Services Aide, at the Greening Project, a program of the White Plains Youth Bureau. Carl reports that the Youth Bureau definitely would like to continue their partnership with First Baptist and use the greenhouse for growing seedlings again next year.

Misión Bautisa Hispana de Westchester Worship at 12:30pm Education for all ages at 9:30am First Sundays Evening Worship resumes October 6 at 5pm Church Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9am to 3pm  Rev. Bruce A. Greer Transition Pastor John A. Wolfe Interim Music Director Kimberly Salico-Diehl Youth Music and Arts Coordinator Alice Longworth Communications Coordinator George McCullough Maintenance Supervisor Maria Urena, Office Manager  Affiliated with American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan NY The American Baptist Churches USA www.abc-usa.org LOOK FOR THE TALL SPIRE at Bryant Avenue and North Street adjacent to White Plains High School Come grow with us!
