The Personnel and Music Commitee are pleased to announce that Frances Burmeister has been selected to serve as our Interim Music Director through this program year. Frances has resided in New England for seven years. Prior to moving to Massachusetts she lived in the Cleveland area where she was active in church music, conducting, elementary school music and owned an antiques store which specialized in period antiques and historic keyboards. Most recently she has served as Organist and Director of Music at First Religious Society UU in Newburyport and Interim Organist at Hancock Church in Lexington. She has taught high school and middle school music in Wakefield and Amesbury, and elementary school music in Natick. As an organ recitalist and piano accompanist, Frances has played concerts all over the east coast. She holds degrees in performance from Old Dominion University and University of Michigan. Join us in welcoming Frances!

OVERVIEW

The Music Director shall work twenty hours a week under the direction of the Pastor and with guidance of the Diaconate and Music Committee, overseeing and implementing the music ministries of the church which express and celebrate the congregation’s religious faith. As this position is one of high profile at Payson Park Church, the Music Director must demonstrate an ability to work within and be responsive to a diverse congregation and staff through excellent communication and interpersonal skills as his/her work serves as an integral part of the spiritual and pastoral mission of the church. He/she is expected to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and integrity and create an environment that is respectful and conducive to the spiritual growth of the community and its members.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

The Music Director shall serve the church in the following ways:

Provide overall leadership of Payson Park Church’s music ministry, rehearsal, and performance for Sunday worship and other services and events.

In collaboration with the Music Committee, prepare and manage the music budget.

Communicate regularly with Pastor, Music Committee, Diaconate, Administrative Secretary, and congregation regarding music to be performed. Attend Staff, Music Committee and other meetings as appropriate. Contribute articles to the church newsletter and bulletins. Submit an annual report to the congregation.

Recruit and direct Chancel Choir members, ensuring that musical selections are appropriate for the skill level of those participating and reflect the beliefs held by the congregation.

Oversee and direct Children’s Music Ministries, coordinating rehearsal schedules and musical selections with Pastor and Director of Christian Education as appropriate.

Recruit, hire, and oversee guest instrumentalists and soloists/section leaders as needed. Delegate to and manage volunteers and student(s) as appropriate.

Ensure all music equipment, instruments, and vestments for the music ministries are properly cared for and stored, contracting outside professionals as necessary.

Hold to standards of behavior consistent with all church staff as articulated in the Payson Park Church Personnel Handbook.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Please email the office at office@paysonpark.org or call and leave a message with the church for Moderator and Chair of the Personnel Committee,
Al Gledhill (617/484-1542)

With the sad and difficult termination of our music program in the spring of 2009, we said “farewell” to Terry Halco and Cathy Meyer as our Minister of Music and Director of Music. Working within the limits of our budget in this recession and with our pledge dollars, the Personnel Committee has developed a job description for the new position of Music Director, reviewed and approved by the Music Committee and Diaconate. This job will be posted with the American Guild of Organists, the United Church of Christ and other church organizations, and at local schools and universities. Throughout the summer months, the Personnel Committee will meet weekly to ensure the search moves forward as effectively and thoroughly as possible. Guest pianists will be hired for our Sunday morning worship services. For more information about this process, please speak with our Pastor, Moderator, or a member of the Committee. We thank you for your prayers and patience in this challenging time of transition.

A Letter to the Congregation
June 9, 2009

Greetings Payson Park Church Members and Friends.

We write to follow up on our Congregational Meeting and to let you know about the community’s decisions that day as well as those made in subsequent meetings of the Church Council and Personnel Committee.

The recommendations presented on Sunday, May 31 were overwhelmingly supported by the vote of those present. This means our new music program will include the combining of the Chancel and Pick-up Choirs and a decreased spending on soloists by 50%. It also means the staffing of our music program will change.

After a long discussion of the proposals, it was decided that one professional will be recruited and hired to handle all aspects of the music program, with the added provision, “with the possibility of an assistant,” so long as the proposed cost would remain as presented (the final vote was 54 in favor; 13 opposed; 0 abstentions). The Personnel Committee, working in conjunction with the chairs and members of the Diaconate and Music Committee, are now organizing a job description and recruiting plan.

Obviously, the congregation’s decision has serious implications. It means that the current positions of Minister of Music and Director of Music will no longer exist because a new, combined position is being created. With this staffing cut we recognize we’ll not only have a pared back program, but also face the need to recruit more volunteers and students to help with the program.

It also means the work of Terry Halco, as Minister of Music, and Cathy Meyer, as Director of Music, will be ending, even though, as presented through the recommendation of the Personnel Committee at the Congregational Meeting, current staff is encouraged to apply for the newly created position. Identifying the need to terminate our current program and to celebrate the many years of dedicated service of both Terry and Cathy, the Church Council voted to recognize the end of our current music program on Sunday, June 21. After discussion in the Personnel Committee, we have decided, then, to celebrate Terry’s 16 years here at Payson Park during and after worship on that day. With her involvement in the Vacation Bible School the following week under the auspices of our Christian Education program, it was deemed appropriate to celebrate Cathy’s nine years of service at the end of VBS on Sunday, June 28.

As we all know, this is an exciting time of growth here at Payson Park Church but also one filled with loss and a sense of sadness. Change is never easy, and the need to cut our budgets in all areas of the church has challenged us to make many sacrifices through the lay off of our Sexton and Youth Minister and now in our music program. We believe this is a time that we can come together in new and dynamic ways even as we grieve. We hope you’ll be a part of our celebrations on June 21 and 28 as we express our great thanks to Terry and Cathy. If you would like to be a part of the teams organizing these events, please contact us.

We thank you for your commitment to God and Payson Park Church in this challenging time, and ask for your prayers for us all as we move forward together.

Faithfully from,

Al Gledhill
Moderator

The Reverend Lael Atkinson
Pastor

In the months of winter and spring of 2010, the adult choir will be meeting for rehearsals on Thursday evenings at 7:30PM and then again on Sundays at 9:30AM for the 10:30 worship service. With our music program in transition, more information will be available soon. Please check this website listing then, or call our Pastor, The Reverend Lael Atkinson for details. Thank you for your interest and support!

In the winter months, the Alleluia Choir meets on Thursday at 3:30PM with fellowship and snack to follow in the Kidspace area. All are welcome! The older youth meet on Sundays at noon for the drumming circle. All drums are welcome! With our music program in transition, more information will be available soon. Please check these website listings then, or call our Pastor, The Reverend Lael Atkinson, or Christian Education Director, Cindy Lou Benson, for details. Thank you for your interest and support!