The success of the first coffee house in October made one thing very clear for the church. They liked the idea of new events and a time for fellowship. It was in January that myself, Connie Sabatine and Jeff Barrows sat down with the pastor and proposed our plan to hold a concert in June and follow it with an Italian dinner. Calling it “Italian Night” we would be able to entertain our guests and then provide a delicious home cooked Italian meal.  I knew this combination would be a great fit.

Building off of our success with the Interfaith Choral Festival in November, I had searched for an opportunity for the choir besides the coffee house and singing in church on selected Sunday mornings.   I believe if you want your ensemble to grow and become more mature, you need to find new outlets to perform in and a new audience to sing for.  Stretching yourself out of your comfort zone will definitely do that.  Since we have never sung more than two sections in a row, this opportunity to perform a full concert can only help us become a better choir.  I can now select literature of varying styles ranging from secular to Sacred as well as material that is better suited for a concert as opposed to just a Sunday service.  This is exactly what I did. I chose several songs including “Cantate Domino” which is partially sung in Latin. Although not terribly difficult, it is a good concert song that allows me to teach more advanced musical concepts as well as introducing Latin to our members.

In addition to Cantate Domino, we are performing Instrument of Peace, A Thousandfold, An Irish Blessing, Joshua, Make a Joyful Noise, A Mighty Fortress is our God and The Christ Child is Born will be our Sacred selections.  But, we also have a few non Sacred songs to provide a little fun and they include Bring Him Home from Les Miserables, Stand By Me and the traditional college song Vive L’Amour.  There will also be a special selection sung by Jeff Barrows.

I am definitely proud of the choir and the work they have put in so far to make this concert a success.  Like other church choirs, our membership has a varied level of musical talent with some having music and choral experience to those who this is the first time they have ever sung in a choir.  But, they are developing nicely and working towards my high expectations of them.

The dinner part just fit so nicely into the plans. It does provide a night out for our guests with dinner included.  Plus, it is all for free.  Where can you go in our society today that you can get a good concert and a full dinner all for free?  I am excited to know that many of our guests are not just going to be regular members of the congregation.  We will have family and friends from out of town, those from other churches, and even those who don’t go to church at all.  This is a nice opportunity for anyone who has never been inside our church to meet our members, have a chance to walk through the church and get a feel for who we are and what we stand for.  If opening up our church can even change one persons life for the better, than it is all worth it.

After the concert, I will be the disc jockey for the dinner.  I will be playing many of the great Italian favorites and dinner classics associated with the great country of Italy.  It stands to be a beautiful night for everyone.

I do need to tell you that entrance to both the concert and dinner is by ticket only. You will be only able to get into the dinner by having a ticket. Right now we have very few seats left. If you are interested, please call me and I will try to save you one.  However, if you don’t care about the dinner and just want to come and hear the concert, you can do that.  Just come on in!

If you have any questions or would like to inquire if we still have tickets remaining, please call me at 908-619-4502 and I can give you more information.

February 18, 2018
Christ Lutheran Church, Hellertown, Pa.
10:45am Service
https://www.christlutheranhellertown.org

Of all the musical offerings that I am a part of, the one that is the most rewarding is my sacred big band.  The ensemble is a 17pc. band which plays sacred songs and hymns but in a swing and jazzy setting.  There is nothing as great and awesome as the sound of a big band performing in church.  The oddity of it alone makes it a must see for anyone. But, the experience of hearing such a sound is what makes it so great.  Yes, it can be a bit loud at times. But, what would you expect from 17 musicians performing in a church? However, because of the style of the music, the volume never becomes an issue. When directing the group, it is always so rewarding for me to turn to the audience and see the enjoyment on their faces as they hear their favorite hymns played in a jazz setting.  For many churches, music plays a vital part of their Sunday service. Whether it is an organ, praise band or even just a piano, they lead in song and help to give praise to the Lord.   The Sacred Big Band was formed in 2011 after I felt led to begin a new ensemble which could take the love for the Lord and my faith and pair that with the swing band.  It was and still is a great experience for me to direct this group.  The arrangements are terrific and everyone realizes this is such a unique ensemble that it is hard not to experience joy.  Unfortunately, due to space constraints, it is not easy for the band to perform in many churches. It seems finding enough space to adequately fit us in is a key issue. The churches that I talk to love the idea and wish we could schedule a performance. But, when our next conversation covers logistics, it can tend to be a deal breaker.  I wish we could play every Sunday somewhere. But, it is just not possible.

With the declining number of churches to perform in and the opportunities becoming fewer, I realized that if I wanted to keep this moving forward, I needed to be pro-active to their concerns and find a way to be more feasible to church facilities and schedules.  So, it is with great excitement and joy that I announce that we now have 7 pc. Sacred praise band that is about to start performing in churches.  The band, comprised of horns, solid rhythm and great vocals will feature a blended style of favorite hymns as well as contemporary praise and worship favorites. Many churches with blended services may have a praise band already, but, this ensemble combines the best of traditional, contemporary and jazz all in one! We have been working had to compile music and arrangements and are ready to perform.  Merging styles such as, rhythm and blues, Latin, contemporary and soulful jazz together, our group is ready to spread Praise wherever we go.  I am excited to announce that our first performance is set for Sunday, February 18, 2018 at the Christ Lutheran Church in Hellertown, Pa.  The service is at 10:45am and we welcome you to praise the Lord with us!

I have had the privilege to perform in the church the past two years with Ken Brader and the Holiday Brass Quartet.  I have always been impressed with the musical direction and the planning of their music schedule. They do not take a break in June but rather schedule a variety of groups and performers all summer long to provide spiritual renewal.  The music department is in very capable hands led by Steve Wysocki, a very talented organist and educator.  Steve clearly has a vision and desire to bring the congregation more diverse music and opportunity for worship.  I have always enjoyed my time playing for this church. Whenever the quartet has played, they are always so welcoming and excited to hear us. They are an active church and always seeking the best for their congregation.I am very much looking forward to our debut performance and am glad that it can be at such a great church like Christ Lutheran.  I welcome everyone to our debut and hope you can come. It should be a great time and.  The church is located at 69 Main Street, Hellertown, PA 18055. It is very easy to get to. Take Route 78 to Exit 67 and proceed south on Route 412 for about 2 miles. The church will be on your left hand side across from a used car dealer. It is that easy. If you have any questions or need more info, please call me and I will be able to help you out. I can be reached at 908-619-4502.

We would love to see you on Sunday, February 18^th at 10:45am.  If you can’t make it, I will blog after and hopefully have some video clips to share with you.

Blessings to all of you!!

For many people, November 11^th means the remembrance of Veteran’s Day.  It is a solemn day to remember those who fought and gave of their lives to serve in the United States Armed Services.  From the American Revolution to our conflicts of today, it is a day to honor those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms.  This year, I have the joy of celebrating Veteran’s Day with a Thanksgiving Cantata held at The Resurrection Center in Wilmington, DE.  This year, the theme will be honoring all the branches of the military and is called “Spirit of a Grateful Nation”.  The Cantata begins at 5:30pm and is held at the church, which is located at 3301 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19802. http://www.trclive.org/Events?fldMonth=11/1/2017&fldEventID=505345&fldOccuranceDate=11/11/2017

I began a relationship with this church in 2015.  I was contacted by Dion Lemond, music director of the cantata and asked to come down to be the lead trumpeter.  I had never been to the church and had no idea what to expect.  In 2015, they began hosting their Thanksgiving Cantata to give thanks to the Lord for all that we have.  I was honored to perform in their first ever event and it was an incredible experience.  The choir and soloists, consisting of almost 30 voices are incredible singers and perform with such great passion and joy to the Lord.  But, I had no idea when I got there that in addition to the great singers was a 20+ pc. orchestra to back them.  Wow, the only word I could describe the experience was Awesome!  It began as a gig I had to go to in Delaware to a very rewarding musical experience with great people who were there to give their praise to the Lord.

After this experience I was asked to perform in a Christmas Cantata in Dover Delaware in December.  It was another great experience.  I only wish it was a little closer to home so I could invite everyone to experience it.  I was also fortunate to be asked to perform in the cantatas again in 2016.  When you play in something like this, you can’t help but to meet great people.  One of the musicians I met is a saxophone player and vocalist named Chip Bailey.  Chip is a great guy with an even greater attitude on life.  He always had a dream to record his own live album.  Well, that came true on March 4, 2017. I traveled again to Wilmington to be a part of his project, a live CD and DVD recording for Chip’s first album.  I was so proud to be there to help him realize his dream and I cannot wait to hear the CD when I meet him again in November.

A cantata glorifying the Lord is always worthwhile to me. But, with this years cantata honoring those who served in the military it can only make it that much more special.  The arrangements we are performing are full orchestrations many of which come from the library of The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.  They include America the Beautiful, You are Worthy, Faithful to the End and Spirit of a Grateful People to name a few.

Although the travel is too far for most locals to attend, if you wanted to be truly moved by a great experience, this would be it.  I am glad for experiences and opportunities to improve who I am and help to make me a better person.  I hope to share my thoughts and experiences from this event in the near future.

Once I got the approval to go ahead, I began soliciting members to sing.  To my surprise, it wasn’t a difficult thing to do.  Excited men came to me wanting to be a part of it.  Maybe it was just because it was something new, but, whatever it was, the addition of a new group appealed to many people.  I also decided that we would tie in the first performance of the group with our upcoming coffee house on October 28. I knew if we began and already had a performance to prepare for, we would have a goal and something to work towards right from the beginning.

We began rehearsals on Thursday, September 7^th and had 13 men in sign up!  I had hoped we would get maybe 6-7 but never thought 13 would want to sing. And, on top of that, no one has dropped out! Everyone seems like they are having a great time.  Like all choirs, we have a mix of members with a musical background and some who have never sung in public before.  I have never had the opportunity to direct a men’s choir before, but, I am really enjoying my time so far.  My goal has been to create a fun learning environment where the men can come on a Thursday night and put whatever stress they are dealing with on hold and just enjoy the rehearsal.  I’ve always believed that if someone is giving up time with his or her family to come to a rehearsal I am directing, I know it has to be productive. I want them to leave with a sense of satisfaction and that it was time well spent.  I also want to inject humor and laughter.  I believe when someone is relaxed, they can absorb more instruction and perform better.  I want the men to want to come to the rehearsal and look forward to our time together.

Well, I am very happy with where we are right now and the progress we have made.  There has been a noticeable difference from the first rehearsal to now.  I am seeing the men show enthusiasm and excitement about singing. Singing for the Lord! We even have decided on an identity.  We are now Victory Voices.  A great name suggested by our most senior member, Sam Boddard.

If you cannot attend our coffee house on Saturday, October 28^th, we are also singing the next day in church at 10:30am.  Come out to hear us, you won’t be disappointed.

Here is the address of the church if you are interested in coming to hear Victory Voices.

Bethel Memorial Baptist Church

715 Chestnut Lane

Easton, PA 18045

You can always call me if you have any questions.  I can be reached at 908-619-4502.

I have seen the success of “Coffee House” events and strongly believed that if we held our first, it would be a great success. So, I began to spread the word about hosting one and looked for those interested in serving on a committee.  Through word of mouth and prayer, the vision was established and we had a group interested in organizing it so it was now time to approach the leadership for approval.  I was very pleased to receive an email from our pastor telling me that the idea was approved and to begin planning an event.

Our event is upon us and is going to be held on Saturday, October 28 at 6:00pm in the multi-purpose room downstairs in the church.  The vision of this is to create a cozy atmosphere within the church where people can come without having the stress of having to bring something.  I wanted a night out that would be social and rewarding yet still deliver a good Christian message. We can be with friends and church members sharing good food and music.  I noticed that after each of the three events at the Pilgrim Church, there was a noticeable surge of enthusiasm and energy within the church.  Each of the events was held on a Saturday so the next day in church there was a great feeling of camaraderie.  It is a great recipe of success for the church.  Whenever a church can bring people together socially and they have a great time, it is a great thing. But, when you add into that a strong Christian message it will actually draw people closer to the church and ultimately God.  Two great things to happen any church and anyone!

Although leading this charge has been a tremendous amount of work, lots of phone calls, meetings and decisions to make, I am Blessed to have a great committee to work with and a growing spirit for this event within the church.  We have a floor plan design to really transform our multi-purpose room into a quaint, yet classy restaurant feel with a stage.  We have 16 great performances lined up over two sets.  Plus, what has really been a big hit in our other events has been the trivia contest.  During the intermission, the audience gets to be a participant.  I created a trivia contest mainly of pop culture, TV and movie questions from yesteryear that definitely create a nostalgic feeling.  I also added an audio section so everyone gets to hear some great sounds of the past.  Again, this will be a great time for everyone.  In addition to the entertainment and trivia, we have a lot of great refreshment available. The best part of it all is, it is free and there is no admission to enter.  Anyone can come.  If you are reading this and will be around on the 28^th, please come over and check out this event. It will be fun.

I want people to feel like they can come to church for events other than just a Sunday service. To be able to know that there is so much more than just one hour a week! An opportunity to come to an event that does not have a sermon yet is still very spiritually rewarding. I really believe this event will do that. We have been working hard to advertise and share the word of this event.  If you are able, I would love to see you attend.

Here is our address:

Bethel Memorial Baptist Church
715 Chest Lane
Easton, Pa. 18045

If you need directions or have any questions, please feel free to call me (908) 619-4502.  I would be only too glad to assist you.

Blessings to you all!!

My sister Linda has embarked on two missions trips within the past 10 years to Kenya.  The trip was connected with our church, the Pilgrim Presbyterian Church of Phillipsburg and the Newton Presbytery.  The Presbytery of Newton, NJ has had a longtime partnership with a Presbytery in Nairobi , Kenya.  From that Kenyan partnership, Pilgrim adopted a sister church in Kahawa Station to fellowship across the world in sharing the love of Christ.  Over the years, Linda traveled with Doris Haring and Cathy Mannick to Kenya and visited our sister church.  In addition, we also donated our Choir robes to them when we purchased new ones, and we also have had prayer partners with members of the Kahawa Station congregation.  When Linda went to Kenya in 2006, she stayed with Geofrey and his wife, as he was the pastor of our sister church at the time. There she visited and assisted with many of the projects that Presbytery was sponsoring.  When she traveled the second time, she taught vacation bible school to kids in the Bahati Martyrs church in Kenya.

Pastor Geofrey, and his wife Nancy, arrived in January and have been staying with his brother John.  John came to the United States about 15 years ago to begin pastoring a church in Boston.  He has become accustomed to our culture as well as teaching about his.  Needless to say, coming to the USA from Africa can be quite a change.  Since Geofrey and Nancy came in January, they experienced something we all take for granted…Cold weather and snow… Apparently, African winters are what we would consider a mild day in early September.  We would love the summer to be that always, but, to those from routine 100+ degree-days in desert conditions, it is definitely chilly.   You can then only imagine the weather shock of a Boston winter with constant snow and freezing temperatures.  It certainly was a time of adjustment.  Since they had a lot to do as Pastor Geofrey is applying to churches all across the US to become a full-time pastor, trying to schedule a visit with them in New Jersey was not easy.

But, schedules finally aligned and they came down, albeit for only 2 short days, last weekend.  They came to our house and it was such a pleasure to meet them and experience their love for the Lord.  They have such positive and dynamic personalities and are so much fun to be around.  You can’t help but to feel uplifted in their presence.  From story telling to singing, they were never at a loss for words.  Although in many ways our cultures and daily routines are so different, we clearly had a connection with our Praise and Worship for the Lord. It doesn’t matter the race, color or culture of someone, praising the Lord has no barriers. For seeking Him is open to everyone.

On Sunday, September 10, Rev. Geofrey attended church with his wife Nancy and his brother.  It was great timing, as it happened to be the day of the annual church picnic.  They had a great time and were welcomed in by all.  I was blessed to have this opportunity with them and I cannot wait for another chance to visit with them again.

The group is comprised of myself on trumpet, Rick Case on drums, Joe DeMaio on bass, Oscar Duarte on auxiliary percussion and Jennie Tielman on piano.  Jennie was unable to make it so Linda Pettinelli (my sister) filled in quite ably for her. We played “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder”.  This was the first time that our jazz quintet has performed outside of Bethel.  When the coffee house date was set, I thought it would be great to include this group to have an opportunity to perform for a different audience away from the church campus.”

The members of the group beside myself mainly only perform with the praise team at the church.  So, when this opportunity came along, I knew it would be a great chance to get out of our comfort zone. I’ve always believed that anytime an ensemble or performer has a chance to play outside of their regular spot, it can only strengthen them. When you go to a venue that is new, there is a sense of uncertainty and you don’t always know what to expect. It actually draws everyone closer because the only thing that you can rely on initially is each other.  It is natural if you are in an unfamiliar place to cling to what you are comfortable with.  So I thought from this aspect it would be a nice bonding experience for all of us.  Then, when you begin to perform you know it sounds a little different and that forces your ears to be even more focused to what is going on.  This is always my favorite part.  When you begin to hear your music and it sounds a little different than the way it usually does, it allows you to take more chances and develop more creativity.  I believe the members of the quintet did just that on Saturday.  I felt Oscar was playing more unique rhythmic patterns and whether he recognized it or not, was branching out and expanding on the parts he normally plays. The same was true with Rick. I felt his drumming had a different vibe to it as he added some neat new grooves to both songs.  Both added a nice touch to the music allowing us to really feed off of one another.  All of these experiences I believe, will help us in the future as we continue to grow and build on the success we are having. Overall, we are most happy to be able to Glorify the Lord through our music! We were very grateful to have the opportunity.

In addition to performing, I also had the privilege of running sound and lights.  I had recently purchased some new LED lighting so I was excited to be able to use them. Memorial Hall, which is used for Sunday school, the boy scouts and an occasional covered dish was transformed so nicely with the ambiance and feel of a real coffee house.

The night was awesome. Everyone had fun, loved the entertainment and enjoyed reminiscing with the trivia contest.  As I said, “It was a great night for the church”!  The mission aside, the fact that it was a miserable rainy Saturday and yet still drew a record crowd is a great sign of strength and growth occurring within Pilgrim.  As of now, there is talk of wanting to schedule another coffee house in October.  I am already looking forward to it with plans to grow the event even more.

More information regarding the Presbyterian Coffee Project of Equal Exchange and Fairly Traded Coffee can be found on the website http://equalexchange.coop/pcusa

A Beautiful place to enjoy an Easter Morning Service

The Easter season has always been an important time for me.  As a kid in school, this usually meant Spring Break or at least a few vacation days if we did not use all of our snow days. It also served as a pseudo introduction to Spring. It seemed Easter Sunday was filled with great Spring-like weather with the hope of the season to come and the thought that the cold snowy days were behind us.  As I grew up and learned more about my Christian Faith, I began to appreciate and revere Holy Week for a much different reason.  A much more important one.  Each event during Holy Week has significant meaning to me and it has changed who I am today.

One great joy I have each Easter Sunday is to perform for the Easter morning service at the Carmel Presbyterian Church in Glenside, Pa. I’ve had the privilege to play at the church since 2012 along with trumpeter Chris Ballentine.  Both Chris and I are very ably accompanied by organist Abby Palmisano.  Abby is a very talented organist and choir director who has a great vision of the music program at Carmel.  She is very attentive to detail demanding the best from everyone yet is very kind and gentle to work with. She is fortunate to get to play the great Carmel Organ. Dating back to 1926, the Austin Organ had 18 ranks.  Twelve more ranks were added in 1955.  The 30 ranks left much to be desired tonally.  The church was Blessed in 1993 when renowned organ-voicer Bruce Shultz rescaled and revoiced the organ without removing any of the pipes.  The final touch was the addition of digital ranks by Walker Technical Co., with voicing by Mr. Walker himself along with Mr. Shultz to produce a glorious sound that truly rings to the Heavens inside the church.

The church has so much character as it a wonderfully constructed of brick and stone with high ceilings and exquisite stained glass windows. But, not just single pain windows. Several areas have full-scale artistic motifs and designs that are works of art themselves.  The original church dates back to 1872 when it was sponsored by the Abington Presbyterian Church. The first church building, the chapel, was constructed at the corner of Mt Carmel Avenue and Edge Hill Road, and dedicated on February 15, 1876. The formal organization of Carmel Presbyterian Church took place on February 15, 1882, with 26 charter members. As things grew, it was determined that a full-scale church needed to be built. So, in 1894, ground was broken and on January 26, 1896 the first church was dedicated. As the area was growing, so was the church. The tiny church of 1896 could not hold the explosion of growth.  This led to it being torn down and the building of the current structure in 1924-25.  Amazingly, by 1924 church membership had grown to 662 and the Sunday school had 825! Carmel’s membership grew to its highest in 1952 as it welcomed 2256 members weekly to service. Even more amazing was that the Sunday school or church school, had an incredible 1,816 in 1949. Needless to say, a new church school had to be built.  With this incredible history, you can see why I enjoy making the trip to Edge Hill Road in Glenside to be able to take part in a wonderful service of a church with such great history.  This year, an elevator was added to assist guests with the 2 floors of steps.  However, in great Carmel tradition, the design and implementation is not gaudy and filled with a modern look.  The construction echoes the craftsmanship and look of the existing building with a beautiful design reminiscent of its original design.  To learn more about the church and all the great things it does for the community, please visit their website at www.presbycarmel.org.