St. Paul’s is a welcoming and inclusive community of about 280 members who come from all over the greater Milwaukee area.
We treasure the richness and diversity God has given our community, as it enhances our understanding of God.
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• Join nine spectacular organists —”friends and family”— as St. Paul’s ushers in a new and exciting era of music making with the inaugural concert of the church’s new fifty-one rank Schantz pipe organ. Organists Michael Hey, John Weissrock, Lee Erickson, Sr. Mary Jane Wagner, Thomas Koester, Charles Q. Sullivan, Joseph Kucharski, Tedd King, and Timothy Benson play some of their favorites in an informal afternoon concert that promises to be as exciting, entertaining, and diverse as the folks performing. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear these great players perform wonderful music on this terrific new instrument. Bring your friends! • Saturday, February 25th • 4:00pm • Reception following • Freewill offering
I wish I could say, “Follow me,” or “I need you to do something,” and people would drop their nets and do it. Jesus is able to get grown men to drop what they are doing to follow him. Of course, Jesus has the Son of God thing going for him, but the fishermen don’t yet know that – and they know idea what they sign on for, or where Jesus will lead them. Mark’s Jesus commands attention – few words – like President Calvin Coolidge, who once decided to attend church. He gets home and Mrs. Coolidge asks, “What was the sermon about?” “Sin.” “Well, what did the preacher say?” “He’s against it.” That’s like Mark’s Jesus. He invites; they follow – that’s all we need to know. Continue reading January 22, 2012: And We Are to Follow, Too Just after New Year’s Day, I got an e-mail from the Vice President and Tonal Director for the Schantz Organ Company asking me if he could use one of my pictures of the St. Paul organ for promotional material they’re creating for the AGO’s (American Guild of Organists) 2012 Annual Convention in Nashville. The convention draws organists, organ builders, and church musicians from all around the country for a week’s worth of wonderful and informative workshops and concerts. Of course I told him Schantz could use the picture. The company is mighty proud of this instrument, and well they should be! It’s a beauty!! And it sounds fantastic!! And… organists and musicians from all around the country will get a peek at it this summer when they gather in Nashville for their festivities. I just thought you all would like to know this… Our new organ is becoming quite the celebrity!!
Have you ever walked into a room to realize, “I don’t belong here?” You hope others there would agree. As a hospice chaplain, I had to have certain vaccinations to work with patients. Our agency used a clinic that gave such vaccines, and did drug testing. One morning I walk into the waiting room for a shot. What am I doing here? I sit by a guy wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, arms like an art exhibit, and his bicep declaring his love for his mama. I felt out of place in my ironed polo shirt and khakis. Unlike others, I wore no jewelry in my lips, nose, or eyebrows. When I was called back, I wanted to yell out – “I am here for a vaccination, not the other.” On Saturday, January 7th at 4:00pm, close the Christmas Season and begin the New Year with joy and grace. St. Paul’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is an event you’ll remember and cherish for the rest of the year. Click the link below for further details, then mark your calendar and promise yourself, your family, and your friends an evening filled with beauty. And… click here to hear Carl Rütti’s I Wonder As I Wander, one of the wonderful pieces being performed by the St. Paul Choir with Music Director Timothy Benson and Guest Organist Michael Hey.
New Year’s Day in the church calendar, formerly called the Feast of the Circumcision, is now known as the Feast of the Holy Name. For many, though, New Years’ Day traditionally is the feast of recovery from New Years’ Eve, also called the Unholy Hangover. Holy Name rests on only five words: “And he was called Jesus.” That’s not a lot to get worked up over for a sermon.
Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011 Christmas Day, December 25, 2011 December 15, 2011
It’s finished! In ten working days! “Thanks” is just not enough when it comes to my gratitude for Rob Baumgartner and his spectacular crew (I’ll name them all later) for their talent, incredible work ethic, and unfailing good humor. I’m really going to miss having them around here; they’re a great bunch of guys. What’s left now is the incredibly important work of tonal finishing—giving the organ its voice. {I played it in its present unvoiced state today; really, you wouldn’t want to listen for more than about ten seconds. It’s pretty hilarious…) Note by note, pipe by pipe, rank by rank, each of the thousands of pipes in the organ gets adjusted for quickness of speech, volume, and timbre. It’s painstaking work, and it’s done by the geniuses at Schantz over the next weeks. I’ve left no commentary for these last photos; I think they speak for themselves. December 14, 2011
This magnificent instrument does great honor to the craftsmen and artisans who have built it—the terrific folks at the Schantz Organ Company. Love and care are evident in every detail. People come into the church and, even seeing the unfinished organ, are speechless. This is artistry at its best. One hundred years from now, this organ will still stand as a marvelous testament to the skill and artistry of its makers. Have a peek now at how things are wrapping up! It’s hard to believe, but most of what was on the truck yesterday and laid out on the pews has already been installed. The case is nearly complete, facade pipes are starting to be placed, and speaking pipes are being racked in the Great division. We’re almost there! And all done by the finest craftsmen (and nicest!!) people in the organ business! Check today’s amazing progress out at the link. P.S. Go to the Schantz Organ Company’s website (http://www.schantzorgan.com/) to see an announcement of the the St. Paul’s installation. They’re posting my pix, too! |
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