2023 Strategic Plan Update

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For every organization, be it a business, a charity or a church, planning is essential to success.

As mentioned at St. Alban’s Annual Meeting this spring, your vestry is working on three-year strategic plan that will serve as both an audit of current activities and a roadmap to prioritize future endeavors. With the overarching goals of expanding our parish membership, enhancing their spiritual growth and development, and impacting the community, the plan embraces five main pillars of focus to coordinate our activities within:

  • Expand Spiritual Growth and Renewal
  • Support Discipleship/Christianity
  • Embody Service and Community
  • Remain Vibrant and Relevant
  • Enhance Christian Education and Learning

When auditing current activities, we looked at a number of factors, including implementation resources (both human and financial) and current parishioner engagement. We took the time to evaluate what we believe St. Albans does well. Which is considerable! We also looked at where we struggle to provide services due to lack of human or financial resources, what our church should keep doing and areas where we believe resources could be redeployed to help us better serve our parishioners and the community.

When looking at future initiatives/ideas, we used a similar lens, focusing on what we believe would deepen our worship, and enhance our spirituality, provide a strong return on investment to strengthen the church financially, increase our engagement in the community and continue to grow in number.

In addition to our Vestry members, we offer special thanks to a working group of St. Alban’s parishioners who have been helpful in providing input on the strategic plan. Members include Vestry members Monique Clark, Debra Becker, and Alison Dilworth, and parishioners Pam Mathes, Mark Deal, and Chuck Blanchard.

Please click here to review the proposed 2023-2025 Strategic Plan. We welcome your feedback as we continue our work of being a vibrant source of faith, hope, renewal to all who engage with us.

Bob Ensinger and Chris Murphy Peck
Co-Chairs, St. Albans Strategic Planning Task Force

Dr. Kimberly Marshall in Concert on May 14

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On Sunday, May 14 at 4 PM, prominent performer and pedagogue Dr. Kimberly Marshall will present an organ recital program at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Annandale, entitled “Songs and Dances at the Organ.” Part of the Muldoon Memorial Concert Series, the program will feature compositions by Renaissance and Baroque composers from all over Europe, including J. S. Bach, Buxtehude, and Purcell.

Dr. Marshall and her program are perfect for St. Alban’s sensitive mechanical action organ (John Leek, Op. 1). Please plan to linger after the performance for a brief reception where you can meet the artist.

Donations to support the Muldoon Memorial Concert Series will be gratefully accepted at the door. For more information, please contact Adam Detzner, Minister of Music and Organist, at [email protected].

Summer Choir Camp: July 31 to August 4

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Building on the success of our nascent Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Chorister Program, St. Alban’s is delighted to announce a weeklong Choir Camp from Monday, July 31 to Friday, August 4. St. Alban’s Minister of Music and Organist Adam Detzner and Vocal Coach Merissa Martignoni Driscoll will lead a week of carefully structured rehearsals, theory lessons, music games, break time, and snacks from 9 AM to 12 PM each morning.

All boys and girls age 8 and up with unchanged voices are welcome to join us. (Children aged 7 are welcome to join after a brief meeting with our music staff to determine readiness.) It is our hope that children and families who participate in our summer program will consider participating in our Chorister Program, which runs from September until June. For more information about our program, RSCM, and the RSCM VOICE for LIFE curriculum, please visit https://wearestalbans.org/music/.

We have many details to work out between now and July, but if you are interested in our summer program and would like to learn our plans as we finalize them, please fill out this form.  Please help spread the word about our program, and thank you for your time and consideration. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with Adam with any questions via e-mail at [email protected].

Carrie Rose and Szu-Yi Li in Concert

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Join us for our first Muldoon Concert of the season on Sunday, October 23, at 4pm in the St. Alban’s Parish Hall!

Carrie Rose, flutist and Szu-Yi Li, pianist combine liquid phrasing and musical sensitivity to interpret the delicate Morceau de Concours by Fauré, the dark and complex Sonata in E Minor by J. S. Bach, the frothy Cantabile et Presto by Enesco, and the fireworks of Poulenc’s Sonata. Szu-Yi will interpret Schumann-Liszt’s Widmung for solo piano.

There is no fee for admission – all are welcome and encouraged to donate to support the Muldoon Memorial Concert Series. A brief reception will follow the concert.

Caroline Robinson in Concert on April 3

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Dr. Caroline RobinsonDr. Caroline Robinson, concert organist, will present a full length solo recital on the fabulous mechanical action organ (John Leek, Op. 1) at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Annandale on Sunday, April 3 at 4pm. Her program will feature music by composers like J. S. Bach and Dietrich Buxtehude, as well as dance music old and new.

Dr. Robinson serves as the Associate Choirmaster and Organist at St. Philip’s Episcopal Cathedral in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the laureate of a number of important organ competitions, including the AGO National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance in 2018. She holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music, and studied as a Fulbright Scholar in Toulouse, France.

Dr. Robinson is widely recognized as one of the great performers of her generation – you don’t want to miss this! A festive reception will follow. For more information, contact Adam Detzner, St. Alban’s Minister of Music and Organist, at [email protected].

1st Annual Bach Birthday Marathon

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Join us on Sunday, March 13 for the inaugural Bach Birthday Marathon at 4pm.

Five talented, local Episcopal Church musicians will perform twenty minutes of Bach apiece. This year’s performers are:

  • Jinsun Cho (Epiphany, DC)
  • Adam Detzner (St. Alban’s, Annandale)
  • Karl Robson (St. John’s Norwood, Chevy Chase)
  • Samantha Scheff (Grace, Alexandria)
  • Julie Huang Tucker (The Falls Church Episcopal)

A reception will follow around 6:00 pm with German food and beer. Come when you can – leave when you must!

This event is part of the 2021-2022 Muldoon Memorial Concert Series.

Find Peace in a Chaotic Time

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During Lent, we are encouraged to come away from our routine, to make space for quiet reflection and for prayer.

We are making a quiet space at St. Alban’s for you to step away for a time. On March 5th at 8:30am, join us and experience a quiet morning.

This time is intended to be a mini-retreat. It will be a morning of space, a morning of peace. You can come for the whole time (until 1pm) or just for part of it. You can bring something to read or use for reflection, or you can just come sit and pray. You may choose to walk a labyrinth or use art or poetry to support your reflection.

Some time will be spent together to pray or hear a Lenten reflection, but most of our time will be spent in silence. Our morning will end with Eucharist and a light lunch.

 

Where Is God Calling Us (and You) to Go?

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empty concrete road covered surrounded by tall tress with sun rays

When Jesus was asked by a lawyer to identify the greatest commandment, he responded with two: to love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Here at St. Alban’s, we have a long history as a mission-oriented church, with numerous outreach and community ministry programs aimed at providing food, comfort and spiritual support to our neighbors here in Annandale and around the world. Even during the craziness of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all been overjoyed to see how many of our parishioners have given their time and energy toward helping others – toward “loving our neighbors.”

But, what does it mean to “love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind”?

This past summer, your Vestry resolved to make spiritual growth and discipleship a priority for our parish. We are working with an organization called RenewalWorks (part of Forward Movement, a ministry of the Episcopal Church) to identify the best way to develop a discipleship program that will meet the needs of our parishioners, wherever each of us may be on his or her Christian journey.

The first step will be to figuring out where we are right now on that journey. In mid-September we will be sending a link to an electronic survey (print surveys will also be available) that we hope every one of you will take.

This survey, called a “Spiritual Life Inventory,” will take about 30 minutes to complete. I know that sounds like a lot, but it is very important! Your direct input through this survey will drive all our decisions about new programs and resources designed to help us, as individuals and as a community, grow closer to God in our daily life.

You will be hearing a lot more about the RenewalWorks program, the survey, and discipleship in general, over the next weeks and months, as we seek to discern God’s call for the future of St. Alban’s. Your participation is immensely valuable. Keep watching for the survey link later this month, and please participate as soon as possible (the survey will be open for only a short period of time).

If you have any questions about the RenewalWorks program, please speak with Fr. Jeff, Fr. Paul, Kevin Holland or Chris Martin.

Holding On to Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness

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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will lead a live-streamed prayer service from Washington National Cathedral, Holding on to Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness, on All Saints Sunday, November 1, at 4:00-5:30 p.m. EST.
In the midst of a pandemic, racial reckoning, and a historic election, the live-streamed service will gather Americans for prayer, song, lament, hope, and a call to love God and neighbor. The event will be simulcast in English and Spanish.
In addition to Bishop Curry’s sermon, the service will include reflections from Father James Martin, a noted Roman Catholic commentator on American life and values, and Valarie Kaur, an inspiring Sikh author, filmmaker, and civil rights attorney. The gathering will be officiated by Washington’s Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith, and Reverend Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop.
Learn more and watch on Facebook here, or at the Episcopal Church website here.

Muldoon Concert: A Musical Journey Through the Church Year

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Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Muldoon Concert Series is back — virtually! Join us on Sunday, November 8, at 4pm Eastern for a brand new online concert from organist Dr. Jason Farris. This special event will showcase works from composers including Bach, Langlais, Durufle and more, as Dr. Farris leads us on A Musical Journey Through the Liturgical Year. The video will premiere on the St. Alban’s YouTube Channel.

About Dr. Jason Farris

Jason Farris is the Director of Music at Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, VA.  He plays the organ for all worship services, conducts the Grace Church Choir, and serves as the Artistic Director of the Grace Church Concert Series. He also currently serves as the interim organist at St. Alban’s, providing music for our Sunday online services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jason was previously employed by The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. As a visiting assistant professor of music, he taught applied organ lessons to both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as undergraduate courses in music theory and a graduate-level church music course. As the Associate University Organist and Choirmaster, he directed the music programs in two campus chapels and conducted the University and Seminary Choirs. Prior to this position, he was the Assistant University Organist at the same institution. In addition to playing for campus-wide liturgies in All Saints’ Chapel and the School of Theology’s worship services in the Chapel of the Apostles, he also accompanied the University and Seminary Choirs.  In 2011, he was the organist for the University Choir’s residencies at the Anglican Cathedrals of St. Alban, Rochester, and Canterbury, and is featured on the choir’s latest recording, “O Praise God In His Holiness: A Three Cathedrals Tour.”

He was awarded the doctor of musical arts degree in organ performance at the University of Houston where he studied with Dr. Robert Bates. He earned bachelor and master of music degrees at Baylor University as a student of Dr. Joyce Jones. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda and Alpha Chi academic honor societies, and was the second place winner in the graduate division of the 2003 William Hall Organ Competition (San Antonio).  On separate occasions, he was awarded scholarships to attend the British Organ Music Seminar in London, England and the French Organ Music Seminar in Paris, France. Active as a collaborative artist, he accompanies vocalists and instrumentalists at the piano, and has performed with multiple church and university choirs at the organ. Previous organ recital engagements include Christ Church (Episcopal) in Cranbrook, MI, the Philadelphia Cathedral (Episcopal), Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) in Nashville, TN, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TN, and the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Roman Catholic) in Houston, TX.

About the Program

On November 8, Dr. Farris will lead us on A Musical Journey Through the Liturgical Year, highlighting musical selections from each season as celebrated by the church. Download a copy of the complete program here.

Watching the Concert

Join us at 4pm on November 8 as we premiere the video concert on the St. Alban’s YouTube page.