2023 was quite the busy year for our music ministry! We continued our tradition of musical excellence in diverse styles, while also expanding the range of projects we pursue and our accessibility to community outside of Sunday morning worship.

In 2023, the music ministry’s musicians:

-Performed Fauré’s Requiem in collaboration with Program Choir of Baltimore. We raised almost $3,000 to fund a 9-member orchestra for this performance. Our audience was around 100 attendees.

-Were the core of singers for the Ordination of Carolyn Armstrong in June at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.

-Sent two singers to perform in the Ordination of The Right Rev. Carrie SchoSield-Broadbent in September.

-Led a newly resurrected Ascension Thursday service.

-Put together a community concert in November, which featured Memorial’s choir, instrumentalists in our church community, and the premiere of a new composition commissioned by the Casey family and composed by Justine Koontz.

-Held our 3rd Annual summer choir retreat in August.

-Added a Hallelujah chorus rehearsal to our calendar in Lent.

Challenges posed to the music ministry this year included:

-Financial issues, which affected the quantity of music we could purchase and the musicians we could hire.

-The passing of our piano technician, Jay Walton, and the need to Sind his replacement.

-Some attrition to the choir roster in the fall. Our music ministry is small but mighty.

-Wan-Chi Su continues in her role as keyboardist/organist, and her creativity at both instruments continues to enliven Sunday services, Thursday rehearsals, and all of our additional concerts, services and other needs.

-David and Megan Dimmock continued to serve as section leaders in the choir through all of 2023.

-Elisa Sikula, our alto section leader from January to May 2023, graduated and resigned the position. Due to Sinances, we were not able to hire another section leader.

-We were able to bring other guests into Sunday services in 2023: Chase Maggiano (violin); Matt Rodela (trumpet); Brass ReSlections; The Standard Band (jazz); and our “in-house” instrumentalists, including David Dimmock (woodwinds), Beth Torres (horn), and Matt Matheson (percussion.)

-We continue to be that “three hymnal church,” using the 1982 Hymnal, WLP, and LEVASII in our services, plus additional hymns that catch the music director’s eye.

-Many thanks to the support of Beth Ratrie, who helps organize the singers’ robes; Becky Clark, who takes care of the hymn boards; Beth Casey, hospitality; and Nancy Kelso and Ken Ironside, choral librarians.

Justine Koontz

Music Minister

1/12/2024

Coming Soon.

Members: Jesse Milan, chair, The Rev. Gray Maggiano, The Rev. Natalie Conway, Barbara Cates, Justine Koontz, Alice Peake, John Seeley, Stacy Wells, Caroline Armstrong

The worship committee convened throughout 2023 to support the Rector in developing plans for each liturgical season. With COVID-19 vaccinations and mask wearing making In-person services safe, Memorial conducted in-person services consistently throughout the year as the main Sunday morning offering at 8:00 and 10:30.

An informal survey and discussion by the Rector with parishioners participating on Zoom made clear that the virtual option on Zoom for the 10:30 service is important to maintain. The committee endorsed continuing Zoom as an ongoing offering for our congregation and recognizing the community worshiping on Zoom as a vital part of our parish life. Paid technicians assured that the Zoom offering was available consistently and had quality technical performance throughout the year. Memorial adapted beautifully to the ongoing “hybrid” 10:30 service with lectors and intercessors reading their assignments in-person or on Zoom, with parishioners on Zoom passing the peace in breakout rooms and convening like our in-person congregants for fellowship and “coffee” after the service. On some occasions, the Gospel and sermon were also given on Zoom! Stephanie Hull joined the worship committee in the fall to represent the Zoom parishioners in the committee’s work. At the end of the year, special thanks and cash gifts funded by a special appeal were given to Nico Huete and Arlo Leneteini for their dedicated service as our primary Zoom technicians.

Lent featured a booklet of reflections on “Repair” written by the Lenten journal team: Fr. Gray, Daviedra Sauldsberry, Anthony Francis, Miles Weeks, and Natalie Conway. Each weekly reflection provided space for parishioners to journal their own reflections on that week’s topic.

Bishop Sutton celebrated Palm Sunday with us as he entered his final year as our Diocesan. He joined our tri-church processional and celebrated at both the 8:00 and 10:30 services. In his sermon and remarks he thanked Memorial for our leadership in the diocese. He noted that his first public appearance in the diocese after being elected bishop was coming to see Memorial Player’s production of “Mame.”

Easter service was a packed house! An Easter egg hunt was held for our young members at Rutter Mill Park. Memorial was joined on Easter by parishioners from St. Katherine’s and the service ended with Memorial’s traditional singing for the Halleluiah Chorus by our choir and singers from the congregation.

In June, our deacon postulant, Carolyn Armstrong was ordained in a glorious service at the cathedral featuring Memorial’s choir. Carolyn preached the next day to a full house at our jazz service as her first official act as a deacon. In September, Memorial’s leadership was on display again as Fr. Grey served as emcee for the consecration at the National Cathedral of our new Bishop Coadjutor Carrie Schofield-Broadbent. The procession included Memorial’s beautiful new banner thanks to the amazing handiwork of Sue Gorman!

The fall season launched with a festive homecoming service featuring brass. In October, our All Saints service had the traditional necrology read this year immediately following communion. During stewardship season we heard reflections from new members Lateya Burrows, Andrew Tomlinson, and others. On a Sunday in November, our youth took lead roles as lay readers, crucifer, and acolytes, and they wrote and led a moving litany of intercessory prayers and a beautiful post-communion prayer. And, Miles Weeks, our youth minister delivered an inspiring sermon. Our youth rock!

In September, Deacon Natalie Conway retired from her active role as our deacon. We celebrated her trailblazing ministry with a festive lunch reception, and we were blessed to hear her final sermon.

The year ended with Advent services sand our traditional Blue Mass. On December 24, we held the Advent 4 service at 10:30 and two well-attended Christmas Eve services at 4:00 and 8:00 p.m.

Throughout the year, Memorial’s choir shined under the director of Justine Koontz. The choir’s fall concert was truly masterful and included a new work written by Justine in honor of choir member Tom Casey’s 70th birthday. Our organist, Wan Chi Su performed throughout the year a terrific smorgasbord of virtuoso preludes and postludes and exciting interpretations from our three hymnals.

And, in 2023 the sanctuary renovations were completed with a new floor and air conditioning! Halleluiah!

As we begin 2024, the worship committee hopes to help recruit more volunteers for lay chalice bearer, crucifer, acolyte, verger, and usher roles. Attrition has diminished the number of people performing these roles and the current corps of volunteers are serving more frequently than desired. If you are interested in performing one of these rewarding ministries please let Jesse Milan, chair, or any member of the worship committee, or Fr. Grey know.

Annual Youth Report

2023 was an eventful year for the Youth of Memorial. We started off the year strong by hosting the pancake supper in February, where the youth cooked breakfast foods, served them to the members of our community, and won back our title in the annual pancake race against Brown Presbyterian! We did a lot of events that flexed our creativity. We left our mark on the floor with

art and signatures before it was covered by the final layer during construction, we made crosses out of various materials every day during lent and displayed them during Holy Week and Easter for the congregation to see, and we had a small but fun gathering to take part in the National Day of Prayer for LGBTQ+ Youth where we took part in several different art projects and games. During Holy Week, we hosted a Spring Break Camp, where we learned about various percussion instruments, built and decorated a grow box, and planted flowers and strawberries and we planted new, fresh flowers in the grow box at the end of summer, just after our annual Hershey Park trip!

The fall saw the return of our program year, which included Sunday School. The tradition of handing out candy at the church continued for another year and, before we knew it, it was the Christmas season. We had a youth crucifer, reader, and candle lighter for each week in advent to introduce our themes of hope, peace, joy and love, and it all culminated with a Christmas Pageant on Christmas Eve to celebrate and tell the story of the birth of Christ together. This year, many of the children had lines and we were able to use our costumes for the first time in several years. It was a wonderful end to 2023!

This year, one of my goals was consistency, and I think we did well! Sunday School went on nearly every week, events happened often and we had plenty of Youth Sundays! I want to keep this consistency in 2024, and add to it. With the construction finally beginning to finish up and the Sunday school room almost ready, I’d love to give the kids a space in the church that feels like their own. This year, I would also like to make a stronger connection with other churches in our community, as well as the diocese, particularly for the older children in our youth group. Thank you all for your support again this year. Our Youth Program continues to grow with all of your help, and I can’t wait to see what new, fun, and exciting things we come up with together in 2024.

Thank you,

Miles

B&G’s report will be shared at the Annual Meeting January 28, 2024.

Coming Soon.

Finance report will be shared at the Annual Meeting on January 28, 2024.

Rector’s report will be shared at the Annual Meeting on January 28, 2024.