Monday, November 21, 2011

Old Apples and Mr. Prepared


Update: I think I'm all set! Thanks very much to everyone who offered or contributed.

Hey, you know that closet full of bottles you keep meaning to take to recycling depot but just can't seem to find time for? Guess what! I can help! That is, maybe we can help each other. I've recently racked off some cider I made and I'm beginning to realize that I'm going to need more bottles than the measly pile I've collected in my pantry. If you have some bottles you're looking to get rid of I would gladly trade a few pints of cider for your bottles. I'm looking for around forty 355ish mL bottles. If we can do business give me a call!

Yours,
Andrew Seraphim

Ps. As mead nears completion I'll also be begging for wine bottles...


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Anyone want a Christmas card post office at church?

graphic from this site:

Who will help me, said the Little Red Hen? :-)

An idea I've had for a long time-- not primarily for a fundraiser, but it may make a little on the side. 

The last few years at Christmas we have tried to use the hall as a post office for member to member cards. The parish has grown so much that this is unwieldy, and we do end up with a lot of cards that never get picked up.

SO, this December I propose we open the "North Star Post Office" (name from the St. Herman tropar we sing after vespers) on, say, the first Sunday in December. 

We will need:

Crafty folk who can make a mailbox (and donation box) and a sign for the library window. We encourage folks to drop their cards for fellow members in the mailbox, and gladly accept any donations great or small. 

Volunteers to deliver the mail at coffee hour on the Sunday before Christmas, as well as any that get left over to the following weekend (Christmas Eve and Day) because the addressees were absent the first weekend.

I will personally commit to sorting and rubber-banding the cards on Sat. Dec. 17th, when I will be at the church for choir practice anyway. 

I always felt this could be a nice fundraiser/awareness stunt for camp if kids were to do the delivery. But it could also be for the building fund or Diakonia.

So-- who's in? The more volunteers to deliver, the quicker we can share them out by alphabetical order and hopefully get them all delivered before people leave for the day.

And I am all thumbs, so there is a BIG need for someone with the talent to make a presentable mailbox.

Saturday, November 12, 2011


Women’s Annual
Advent Quiet Day

Saturday, December 3

at 11:30 AM

at Theresia's house in the country.

Akathist at 12:00 noon

followed by lunch.

Please car-pool, bring some Lenten Food (fish allowed) to share, bring your craft supplies, take a walk,and RELAX.

Pick up a handout with directions at church

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Group Voice Coaching

Hello St. Hermans! I have been asked by a couple of folks who are already doing voice lessons with me if I would do some group voice coaching, and I have been encouraged by our fearless choir leader, Rd. Gregory, to do this for the benefit of our choir and church.

Why would you want to join us? here are a few great reasons to come to a voice coaching with me.

1. Learning. You will learn technical vocal skills which are applicable to any situation including reading aloud in church, chanting the psalms, or singing in choir. we will focus on skills required for individuals, such as breathing techniques and tone production, as well as technical details regarding choral singing such as listening. I will also teach a short segment on conducting gesture for those who are learning to lead choir, and for those who are learning to follow the director.

2. Economical The fee for this two hour session will be $20 per person, which is 1/4 the rate of a private lesson, and if you ask nicely I will bring us a snack for the break time, probably egg nog and coffee because it's good for your vocal chords.

 3. Personal growth/fun Singing is an intensely vulnerable act, and learning some technique will give you more confidence which will enable you to sing better, which will serve our community and our God. I will give you tools that will give you confidence, even by acknowledging the difficulty of singing in front of others, we can grow together and trust each other a bit more and incrementally improve our individual and group sound.

 I will be offering this at my house, where I have two pianos, and a coffee grinder, likely on a saturday afternoon that we do not have choir practice.

 NOTE: this is OPEN to ANYONE in the church, if you want to learn how to sing, want to join the choir, or are a reader and want some tips on vocal production and projection. Also, we need at least six people for this to happen, and a maximum of twelve so each person can have enough specific attention to make it worthwhile.

 I am thinking Nov 19 or 26, between 1:30 and 3:30 (which of course will preclude eggnog, as it is fasting time, though coffee will still be available)

 Also, if anyone else is interested in Private Voice Lessons, feel free to talk to me at church, though I think the best introduction and sample would be this group coaching. If you have any questions or suggestions, email me or leave a comment here.


And for those who wonder why I should be leading something like this, I have a BA in Voice and am almost finished my B.Ed in choral music.

David Pasivirta