ST PHILIPS ANNIVERSARY
Since we cannot safely gather to celebrate in our usual styles of food, fellowship, presentations, etc... let us gather virtually. Please write a very brief paragraph containing the theme - "What St. Philips means to me." These writings can take any form which is comfortable to you - a few sentences, a poem, a lyric, a phrase, or a scripture. What connects YOU to St Philips? Family, friends, geography, past moments, future hopes?
I would like to collect these and then publish them on our webpage, facebook, NOW, Sunday bulletin, etc.. Please take some time to consider participating in this exercise. My prayer is that it will be very uplifting to all.
If you may have pictures or brief videos capturing moments of St Philips' Parish life, these will be welcome also. These can involve special events in the sanctuary, parish hall, church grounds, or at other venues connected with the many missions and ministries of the people of St Philips.
You may send your selections to sbailey@hcc.edu or sdbailey316@charter.net. Thank you for your participation!
Steve Bailey
Most Recent Submission
AN ORGAN FOR ST. PHILIP’S
by Ronald P. Shepard
In the early 1970’s I was employed by Austin Organs Incorporated in Hartford, CT and was also maintaining a number of organs in the lower Pioneer Valley on my own. One of those was the previous Hall Organ Co. pipe organ which had been installed at St. Philip’s in the early 20th century. By the early 1970’s it was showing signs of age and the need for a significant investment for repair and update.
At the request of the then rector, Rev. David Harrower, I reached out to Eugene A. Kelley Associates of Lawrence, MA, whom I knew from previous organ rebuilding projects. Mr. Kelley, in turn, brought in Mr. Barclay Wood, the then Minister of Music at the First Baptist Church in Worcester. After assessing the Hall instrument, Mr. Wood recommended replacing it rather than rebuilding it. He further recommended that the church reach out to the Andover Organ Company of Lawrence, MA and request that the firm locate an existing organ in need of a new home. READ MORE>>
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