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Minister of Music for Traditional Services

Senior Pastor
Biography

Rev. Gerry McDermott

Children's Ministries

Barbara Fraticelli

“I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Psalm 108:3-4

This has certainly been an interesting year for me. In December 2005, I was doing my annual ritual of grading final exams for engineering students at Virginia Tech when I received a phone call from my friend Barb Chandler. I knew Barb because we both attended Our Lady of Nazareth, where we both also substituted for the OLN music minister when he was out of town. She informed me that she would be leaving St. John to prepare for her move to North Carolina, and she asked if there was any way that I could possibly serve as interim minister of music at St. John, even if only for a few weeks or months. Becoming even an interim music minister was not even on my radar screen at that point in my life. In the past, I had served as organist, pianist, and music minister at a few other churches, but it had not been the focus of my life while I was completing my Ph.D. in engineering and then teaching at VT. But as it turned out, I had no classes assigned to me by VT for the spring semester, so I told Barb that I could do it, but I’d definitely have to be done by May to teach summer classes. Thus began what is probably the most vivid example of God leading me to a completely unexpected place, but a place where I immediately felt called to be. When June rolled around, the search for a full-time music minister was still not leading to a suitable candidate, and my summer and fall classes at VT were both cancelled. It seemed pretty clear that God was asking me to stay put, so I agreed to talk with the Search Committee about staying on permanently. As of the Church Council vote on July 11, I am now officially here on a permanent basis. It’s been an interesting journey over the past six months, and I look forward to continuing it. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the staff and members of St. John during my time here. The St. John community is very welcoming and faithful, and I appreciate all of the kindnesses that have been extended to me. In particular, I would like to thank Barb Chandler and Kim Mucha for their great help in helping me get settled and showing me the ropes.

I’d like to share a few of the things that have been going on in music ministry at St. John. One of the things that I am most pleased with is that we combined the two music groups (Chancel Choir and Praise & Worship Team) for the Ash Wednesday and Holy Week services. As I understand it, this was the first time that the two groups rehearsed together and sang/played as one unit. The additional singers and a full complement of instruments really enhanced our sound. I think it also helped to remind us that there is only one community at St. John, rather than two disconnected groups. I hope that we will continue working together for special services in the future. We’ve also tried to incorporate a variety of instruments into our worship experience. On Good Friday, we had two string players, and on Easter Sunday, we had a French horn quartet, a euphonium, and two flutes. It was great to be able to set those holy days apart with a distinctive sound. Throughout the spring and summer, we’ve also been blessed with a group of talented instrumentalists (flutes, clarinet, steel guitar, acoustic guitar, and euphonium) who have shared their musical gifts to enhance our worship services. We are also appreciative of a number of vocal soloists who have shared offertory pieces throughout the summer, while the choir is taking a well-deserved break.

Since this report covers the end of 2005 as well, I also want to mention two important events that happened while Barb Chandler was still here. In November, the Chancel Choir participated in Hymns for Hope, which was held at First Presbyterian as a fundraiser for the Interfaith Hospitality Network. The event was wonderful, and it was also a huge fundraising success. In December, our choir joined with the choirs from St. Andrew’s Catholic Church and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church to perform in the Festival of St. Lucia. The combined choirs were quite large, and the music was challenging. The event was well attended, and the acoustics of St. Andrew’s really showed off the music nicely. I think it is great that Barb Chandler reached out to work with other church choirs, and I hope to continue that tradition in the future.

I’d like to take just a moment to thank all of the members of the St. John Chancel Choir. These singers put in a great deal of time rehearsing and singing at worship services, and it is often a thankless job. From my first day at St. John, the choir was particularly welcoming and helpful. They put in extra long hours preparing for the services throughout Lent and Holy Week, and they sang for seven services during the period from Palm Sunday through Easter. I am also thankful for their patience with me while I was still learning my way around St. John.

I’ll close with one last personal note. Once I got back into music ministry, I realized what had been missing from my life. I had spent a number of years attending services weekly, but basically just as a spectator. If you have never served in worship ministry (through singing, instrumental play, lectoring, assisting at communion, or preparing the altar), you don’t know what you are missing. Getting more actively involved has been a true blessing to me and my faith, and I invite you to experience the same by getting more involved with the worship ministries at St. John.

Barbara Fraticelli

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