01/27/2021: Worship Volunteers Needed!

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Volunteers for our online Worship Service are VERY MUCH NEEDED. It’s easy to do and very rewarding! Opportunities are as follows:

1) Volunteer to read a scripture passage or a prayer (on Sign-up Genius this is “Reader”).

Your Lay Leader will walk you through everything-what to read, how to video yourself, and how to get the video to the church office.

2) Buddy-up with a Lay Leader to see how it’s done. Watching how the Lay Leader puts things together and assisting him/her will demystify the process for you. Contact Ernest or Patty (see below) if you’re interested.

3) Volunteer to be Lay Leader, by yourself or with your spouse or with a friend (on Sign-Up Genius this is called “Worship Coordinator.”) If you have some basic organizational skills, this is a fun and rewarding task. The Worship Committee members will coach you all the way through. And we have written materials to organize you and online resources to find readings and prayers.

Questions? Feel free to contact the office, and we’ll put you in touch with our Worship Committee leaders. Follow this link to sign up: [LINK]

01/20/2021: LAC’s Annual Congregational Meeting

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Dear LAC Community,

On Sunday, January 31st at 11:00AM, there will be a meeting of the congregation of the Larchmont Avenue Church to hear reports from Session committees, as well as reports from the Deacon Board, and the Trustees.

Additionally, a representative of the Finance Committee, and the Stewardship Committee will update the congregation on the 2021 budget, as well as the status of

the 2021 Stewardship campaign.

Your participation matters!!!In order to conduct the business of the Annual Meeting, we need a quorum of 57 members, preferably on separate devices in order to tabulate votes from multiple-member households.

We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

Sincerely,

Clark Morehouse and Leah Griggs Pauly

Co-Clerks of Session

01/13/2021: LAC Preschool Announces New Director

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Dear LAC Community,

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Kristin DeFelice as the Larchmont Avenue Church Preschool Director. Kristin has been serving as Interim Director since February of 2020, and has ably led the Preschool community through a challenging time while providing a safe and encouraging learning environment for the students.

Kristin has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and taught in preschool programs for over 12 years. While taking time away from teaching after having children, Kristin was very active at the Preschool. Both of her children attended, and she was a member of the Preschool Board/Advisory Council. She is a LAC Preschool alumni herself.

We are sorry to say goodbye to Alexandra Belluzzi, who started as Preschool Director in May 2019 and brought a focus on updating the classrooms and curriculum to the Preschool. Please join us in thanking Alexandra for her leadership and wishing her and her baby Daniella all the best, and in welcoming Kristin as Preschool Director.

Sincerely,

Leah Griggs Pauly

LAC Personnel Committee

01/06/2021: Happy Epiphany!

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Dear LAC,

Last Sunday, we celebrated Epiphany in worship; but if you have been counting down, you know that yesterday was the twelfth day of Christmas, and today, January 6th, is traditionally when we celebrate the Magi’s Journey and the incredible revelation of God’s self in Christ. If you missed it, you can catch up on Rev. Jed Koball’s sermon, “We Journey Together,” here [LINK] and join in God’s call to be in solidarity with our neighbors, both far and near.

In recent years, we have celebrated Epiphany in worship by receiving Epiphany Stars-small cut-outs, lovingly hand-lettered by Rev. Smith-Bartlett with a “Star Word” to be a guide for reflection in the new year. Artist Morgan Harper Nichols has created a digital adaptation [LINK] for folks missing this tradition. As star words fly by in this Instagram Reel, simply close your eyes, and take a screenshot (or tap your device to pause) when you feel ready to receive your word for 2021. (You can find the full list of star words here [LINK].) Or, if carnival attractions and gameshow antics bring you delight, you can try clicking to “Spin the Wheel” here [LINK] to see how the Spirit may be speaking to you through the wonder of random number generation!

Whether your star word resonates deeply with you, or if you forget it within a matter of minutes, I pray that this new year will be a time of God’s light breaking in through the darkness, and that when you reflect on what it means to have survived this past year, that you will remember moments when God’s love surrounded you.

Star Giving by Ann Weems

What I’d really like to give you for Christmas is a star…

Brilliance in a package,
something you could keep in the pocket of your jeans
or in the pocket of your being.
Something to take out in times of darkness,
something that would never snuff out or tarnish,
something you could hold in your hand,
something for wonderment,
something for pondering,
something that would remind you of
what Christmas has always meant:
God’s Advent Light into the darkness of this world.
But stars are only God’s for giving,
and I must be content to give you words and wishes
and packages without stars.
But I can wish you life
as radiant as the Star
that announces the Christ Child’s coming,
and as filled with awe as the shepherds who stood beneath its light.

And I can pass on to you the love

that has been given to me,

ignited countless times by others

who have knelt in Bethlehem’s light.

Perhaps, if you ask, God will give you a star.

From Kneeling in Bethlehem, The Westminster Press, 1980.

Help Us Imagine and Create!

Did you find these online Epiphany stars delightful? If you are intrigued by thinking about ways to adapt worship traditions to work in an online context, please join the Worship Committee as we continue imagining how to make our online worship services more meaningful! We need folks to volunteer as Liturgy Editors to select readings and write prayers for upcoming services. (We’ll set you up with resources, and can even connect you with a worship mentor to talk you through the process!) We need folks to record video and audio clips as virtual liturgists! We need artists-of all ages and experiences and media-to create images and videos as we work together to create LAC’s very own visual culture. Send a note to the office to be paired with a worship mentor, or sign up here to get involved with an up-coming service: [LINK]

12/30/2020: An Update from the PNC

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Dear Devoted LAC Members,

As you know, our committee has been working since March as we dedicate ourselves to the important task of finding our next pastor. After reviewing and discussing over 100 applications and conducting several dozen Zoom interviews, we have narrowed our search to two exceptional candidates. We are enthusiastic about these pastors and they are excited about the prospect of serving at our church.

We were in the process of scheduling in person interviews when safety concerns about travel during the pandemic arose. Although these final interviews have been temporarily delayed, we will schedule them as soon as prudently possible. During this brief hiatus, we have been in regular communication with both candidates, who are as eager to meet with us as we are to meet with them. Thank you for your patience – we promise that we will be welcoming a wonderful new senior pastor here at LAC very soon!

Faithfully,

Your Pastor Nominating Committee

Thea Beaver & Jim Hanley, Co-Chairs

Stacy Brandom, Kim Christiansen, Anthony Manson,

Allison Martin, Won Min Song, Mary Sykes, Samantha Udondem

12/23/2020: Merry Christmas!

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Merry Christmas, LAC!

On Christmas Eve, Larchmont Avenue Church will offer two opportunities for virtual worship:

5PM Pageant Encore: For little ones who need to be in bed early, we will have a second screening of our Christmas Pageant, complete with candle-lighting (or glow-stick snapping!)
8PM Traditional Service: LAC’s Traditional Christmas Eve Service will begin with a special Musical Prelude at 7:45 PM. Please join us for festive music, a sermon from Rev. Jed Koball, and grab a few candles to join us in sharing the love of Christ! Download your bulletin here: [LINK]

This Christmas, may hope be born anew for you; may you be an agent of God’s peace in our community; may joy bubble up as a song that transforms your heart; and may you share the love of God with everyone you meet.

With Joy,
Your LAC Worship Team

Another Opportunity for Contemplation

Even in this unusual Christmas season, the Holy Spirit is at work not only within us, but also within our Church. LAC’s Elders have arranged for special lighting to illuminate the sanctuary windows showing the nativity scene so that all may experience the spirit through art and feel connected to our physical church home while we continue to worship online.

You are invited, starting after sunset on Christmas Eve through January 6, to walk, drive, bike, or skate by the Forest Park side of LAC to view the illuminated crèche scene. You can recreate the tradition of our candlelight service by bringing your own candles to light, and singing a verse of Silent Night as you glimpse Jesus in the manger. We hope this joyful sight will fill you with peace and hope, serving as a reminder that while we cannot be together in our glorious sanctuary, we remain connected with one another.

12/16/2021: A Virtual Christmas Pageant!

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Greetings LAC Family,

As expected, this season of Advent is chugging right along and Christmas is only a week and a half away. While some of our regular traditions of this time of year have had to be set aside, others will remain, though maybe in different ways. In that light, it is such a joy that the beloved Christmas pageant will make the LAC airwaves this Sunday!

It’s been quite a fun week getting to both hear and see some giggles as filming for this year’s Christmas pageant commenced. Our incredible director Brittany Beaver worked diligently to edit our production for these digital times. As always, shout out to all of the stars of our production as well as parents (who’ve become expert film producers, videographers, and costume designers) for your excitement and diligence over this worshipful project!

Please join us at 10am on Sunday for this year’s Christmas pageant and carols service. We are so so excited by the hard work and enthusiasm of some our youngest members with you all. On Christmas Eve, we will offer a special encore screening of the pageant at 5:00 p.m. for little ones who may not be able to stay awake through our traditional service at 8:00 p.m.

Blessings,

Ekama Eni

Interim Director of Youth and Family Ministries

12/09/2020: A Dancing Magnificat!

Posted on April 19, 2021 by mm_editor

Dear LAC,

Over the summer, your LAC worship staff gathered to envision the months ahead. We had no idea what to expect–would we be online forever? Would we worship in-person, perhaps outdoors? We thought about instrumentation that would minimize droplet spread–could LAC host a ukulele choir or perhaps a steel drum ensemble? Some ideas have born fruit, like reviving LAC’s handbell choir, while another idea has blossomed into this week’s Dancing Magnificat.

This week, we will celebrate the third Sunday in Advent when we light the pink candle, symbolizing Mary’s joy, and read Mary’s song in Luke 1 that tells of the amazing things God has done. In this time of waiting and watching–for a vaccine, for hope, for God’s love to break into our world–Mary prophetically reminds us to reflect on the ways God is already at work in our lives. When our own bodies tell the stories of times when God has shown up in our growth, survival, and healing, what could be a better vehicle for this embodied proclamation than dance?

In our Reformed tradition, proclamation is the heart of our worship. We believe that there is something transformative that happens when we gather as a community and read scripture together. The Holy Spirit is at work within us and within the Word of God to lead us to understanding, wisdom, and insight. This act of communal engagement, transformation, and illumination of God’s Word is called proclamation. We are familiar with proclamation happening during the sermon; however, we also experience these moments of transcendence during other parts of worship–from choral anthems that help us to hear God’s Word in a new way to stories of how our mission partners are living out the gospel during the moment for mission. This week, there is no sermon, but there is an embodied proclamation as dancer Candace Tabbs, violinist Nicole Sharlow, and organist Douglas Kostner have collaborated for a spirit-led interpretation of Mary’s Magnificat.

LAC, I hope you love this service as much as your worship planners have loved conspiring to prepare for it! You won’t want to miss it! Here’s a sneak peek:

With Joy and Delight,

Marranda Major

LAC Secretary, Communication Coordinator, and Video Editrix Extraordinaire

Music Notes

Acts of worship. It is difficult to be a participatory community in the midst of a pandemic. There is so much we can’t do: congregate in our sanctuary, sing hymns together, exchange the sign of peace in person, share communion, meet for fellowship. We know this and justifiably lament these losses.

Still, we continue to express our acts of worship as best we can from our distances. And, dare I say it, we even find opportunities that were either not considered before or physically not possible in live worship. Think of Dave Brandom playing a trio with… himself. Or, coming up on Christmas Eve, our Chancel Choir consisting of both LAC family present in the community and who have moved away but who can join us again with some help from technology, accompanied by a piano duet where both parts are played by yours truly.

Or, this Sunday. A special act of worship, so appropriately titled by Marranda as an embodiment. Not an anthem or a cantata. Not a sermon. A dance. Mary’s response to the angel’s words, her song of praise, expressed through music and motion.

The music, by composer David Bednall, is an unpublished piece that he graciously gave us permission to record for our service. Marian Suite consists of three movements. In the composer’s words, “The first and last movements are Gregorian paraphrases on their respective chants, ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Ave Maris Stella.’ The middle movement, ‘Mary’s Lullaby,’ is a free melody imbued with the feeling of folksong. There is both an Irish and Scottish feel to it, and I tried to impart to it the simplicity of a lullaby such as my Welsh grandmother might have sung.”

When I heard this music, I thought it almost cried out for movement. I imagined, with its focus on Mary, that it could be used to relate to the Magnificat reading from Luke that we will hear on Sunday. Through Becky Timms, another member of our LAC family who moved away, I was put in touch with Candace Tabbs, who created the dance she so beautifully presents for us.

In her words, “It was a joy and blessing to be in collaboration with Douglas and Nicole to minister Mary’s Magnificat through dance and music. The movement took inspiration from Luke 1:46-55, with each section exploring Mary’s journey through trepidation and doubt about what she was called to do, to soothing her child and herself in a lullaby and finally rejoicing in the power of God and all God has done and would do. The offering speaks to the infinite ways in which the Lord will embrace us with love and protection through all of life’s journey.”

Douglas Kostner

Director of Music Ministry

Congregational Meeting on December 13

Following worship this week, there will be a meeting of the Congregation of the Larchmont Avenue Church at 11:00 a.m. for the purpose of electing new church officers. This will be a historic moment for our church as it will be our first congregation-wide meeting on Zoom! In order for the vote to count, we must have a quorum of members present–that means a minimum of 57 LAC members must participate in this historic vote! You may participate by calling in via phone, or by using a smart device loaded with the Zoom app. If you have multiple LAC members in your household, we recommend that each person use their own device in order to make voting easier.

Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.