First Church members and staff read an abridged version of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic seated by the fire. Chapter 2 ,“The First Of The Three Spirits,” is ready by Melanie Edmunds. 

First Church members and staff read an abridged version of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic seated by the fire. Chapter 1, “Marley’s Ghost,” is  read by Sammi Smith, Sharon Lawrence, and Michael Zemenick. 

In Conversations With Composers we talk with people who are creating new soundscapes that shape the ways we engage with life, art, and sacredness. In this first episode we speak with Patrick Cassidy about “The Mass”, his new major work for choir and organ. David Harris interviews Patrick and Christoph Bull to discuss the conception, creation and production of a major work recording during quarantine, and to delve into the mysteries of The Great Organs at First Church.

In Conversations With Composers we talk with people who are creating new soundscapes that shape the ways we engage with life, art, and sacredness. In this first episode we speak with Patrick Cassidy about “The Mass”, his new major work for choir and organ. David Harris interviews Patrick, Rev. Laura Vail Fregin and Rev. Michael Lehman to discuss their role in helping to bring this work to life, and its theological, liturgical, and cultural integration with the services at First Church.

In Conversations With Composers we talk with people who are creating new soundscapes that shape the ways we engage with life, art, and sacredness. In this first episode we speak with Patrick Cassidy about “The Mass”, his new major work for choir and organ. David Harris interviews Patrick and several members of Laude, Laurel Irene, James Hayden, Molly Pease and Fahad Siadat, to talk about the process of creating a new major work in quarantine and the joys of knowing Patrick’s work intimately. 

The Sacred Earth/Sacred Soul series explores deep questions of faith through the inspiration of Celtic faith leaders who were outcast and/or labeled heretics for their questions about spirituality and interconnection.  The series centers on Celtic theologian J. Philip Newell’s book “Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul”. In this episode, Rev. Laura Vail Fregin closes the series with modern Celtic prophet Kenneth White who believes that there is a shining deep within all things that illuminates their journey and which he calls “the loveliness.” 

The Sacred Earth/Sacred Soul series explores deep questions of faith through the inspiration of Celtic faith leaders who were outcast and/or labeled heretics for their questions about spirituality and interconnection.  The series centers on Celtic theologian J. Philip Newell’s book “Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul”. In this episode, Rev. Michael Lehman welcomes George McLeod’s radical compassion, insisting with McLeod that “matter matters”: that everything and everyone is sacred, and in this holiness is an imperative to care for all.

In episode 5, Rev. Michael Lehman endeavors to illuminate links between all beings, calling on the work of John Scotus Eriugena who said that divinity is "like a river flowing through everything that has being."

In episode 4, Rev. Laura Vail Fregin explores the sacred nature of the stuff that makes up the world around us, illuminating the works of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin that show that the glory of the divine can be found everywhere.

In episode 3, Rev. Michael Lehman explores the influence of Bridgid of Kildare on generations of believers including her generosity, faith, and devotion to greater connection between all things.