A Message from Maaja
Dear Congregants,
It is bittersweet to address you in light of the news regarding our change in musical direction. Serving as your music director has been an honor and a true privilege. During my brief time here, I have felt a deep sense of belonging within this beautifully intimate church community.
Working with the choir and congregation to enhance our services has been a joy. From encouraging the voices of children to ring out in the sanctuary, to collaborating with talented instrumental and vocal soloists, each moment has been a testament to the spirit of innovation and worship that we share. I appreciated the encouragement of the church to allow me to improvise preludes and postludes both at the organ and the piano.
I am particularly proud of the choir’s growth — their dedication to producing a resonant and harmonious sound, and their commitment to mastering the art of reading music, has been truly gratifying. As my time with you comes to an end, I leave with confidence that the future holds new and wonderful opportunities for this choir and congregation.
I wish you all the very best, and I trust that the journey ahead will be blessed with fresh voices and an invigorated spirit.
With heartfelt wishes,
Maaja Roos
A Message from Pastor Jon
Friends in Christ,
SCC has been embracing a transformational mindset for years now, as our community seeks to adapt to a changing society and a shifting religious landscape. We’ve officially renamed the church, improved our technological outreach, welcomed a coffee shop to our campus, and expanded our staff team. Our last strategic planning process, designed to empower SCC’s leadership in discerning Christ’s call for our fellowship, was held in 2023.
Guided by prayer, thoughtful discussion, and conversation with the members of the congregation and grater community, our Session identified four strategic pillars: develop a joyful worship experience, grow membership, improve financial sustainability, and increase community outreach. Today I wish to highlight our first strategic pillar, develop a joyful worship experience, along with three areas of focus and two key initiatives for the present year. Our three areas of focus are: develop the music program, find the right formal/informal balance, and increase engagement. To achieve these goals, we have identified two key initiatives for 2024: strengthen our music program and strengthen sermon engagement.
With the hope of strengthening sermon engagement, I began sharing an image and question of the week, left my robe and stoles in the closet beside my office, broke free from my sermon manuscript, and delivered sermons from the center of the chancel rather than from behind the pulpit. Next, to further increase engagement, the pulpit was removed from the chancel at Session’s directive. This, along with moving the piano forward and adjusting the placement of the worship leaders has made the service look and feel more accessible.
In 2024, we have also been working to strengthen our music program. The choir has grown as new voices have joined us. We have incorporated more recent (late 21st century) Christian music in worship, occasionally introduced the acoustic guitar and bongo drums, and welcomed a variety of new musicians. The feedback that I and other members of our leadership team have received has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, you’ve asked us to do more.
At our regular leadership team meeting in August, our Session discussed our current music program and determined that now is the time to embrace more modern worship music and accompanying musical styles to complement an ever-evolving church and society. I wish to stress that this does not mean that SCC will completely turn away from traditional hymns, the Glory to God hymnbook, or our church choir. Rather, we wish to make our service more “blended,” as we explore an array of musical offerings along with the possibility of a second, informal worship service.
In discussing SCC’s musical future with our talented music director, Maaja Roos, it was apparent to all parties that our congregation’s greater emphasis upon modern worship music does not align with Maaja’s greatest areas of musical strength and interest. Moreover, both Maaja and SCC’s leadership agreed that it is best to prepare for a musical transition sooner than later so that a new music director will have the time to build the choir this fall and prepare for the Advent season.
I would like to add that I could not have been more encouraged by the responses from both Maaja and Leila, Maaja’s daughter and our weekly vocalist, as we navigated these sensitive conversations. Each responded with the utmost kindness, grace, and professionalism to meet this moment. I would like to thank each of them, not only for the many ways that they have blessed our community with their musical gifts, but also for modeling Christian love in a time of transition and challenge.
In addition to serving as our weekly vocalist, Leila is also a member of our congregation. I could not be more delighted to report that she wishes to remain a part of our congregation, both as a member of our community and as a weekly soloist. We are blessed!
While we do not know exactly what the future will hold, we endeavor once more to move forward with resolve and in faith. During this transitional period, as SCC seeks an interim and/or more permanent music director, we will also be exploring the possibility of pre-recorded music in worship, at least as a stop gap measure. We assure you that we will not simply go without music. We will also remain in regular communication with our choir regarding their participation in worship this fall.
Sunday, September 29, will be Maaja’s last Sunday as our music director. At a reception in Liston Hall following worship that week, we encourage you to join me and our leadership team in thanking Maaja for her service to our church by sharing cards and words of appreciation. Maaja’s contributions to SCC’s music ministry have been significant. Finally, if you have any questions or concerns regarding our next steps, please don’t hesitate to contact me or another member of our Session.
With gratitude for Maaja’s service and gracious spirit plus an abounding hope for our shared ministry,
Rev. Jon Hauerwas and the SCC Session
SCC’s Session: Laurel McKeith (Clerk), David Dorminey, Karen Evans, Eleanor Graham, Dick Higgins, Mark Hornsby, Ray Krstolic, Pat Ramsey, Bill Sickels, Carri Stoltz, Jean Strong, Mark Usher, and Ed Wayland
Comment(1)
Bob Smith says:
August 28, 2024 at 2:17 pmI think we need to sing what everyone in the congregation can sing without having to read music. As we have already begun doing, we have added some praise, gospel, and anthems to our hymns. But our hymnal is a library of most all the hymns ever written. Perhaps, we should put together our own booklet of hymns hymns, anthems, praise songs, gospel music, and even rock music that would be our go to music.