Worship Arts April May June 2022

F E L L O W S H I P N E W S & N O T E S

D ear Fellowship colleagues and friends, By the time you read this message, we in The Fellow ship will be celebrating many milestones. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, Music & Wor ship Arts Week at beautiful Lake Junaluska will have been a very meaningful and successful week of learning and sharing for wor ship leaders. Our Administrative and Executive teams will have inter

Please know that exciting and spirit-filled plans are being put into place to grow The Fellowship – a new, improved website; fostering connections with members and friends; embracing and celebrating inclusivity and diversity throughout our organization; continued ex pansion and excellence of worship resources; creating a stable financial future; and continued strong leadership for the future. May you find the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to be present as we all begin planning for the fall worship season in each of our places of worship. We encourage you to reach out to any of our leaders listed on page 26 of this WorshipArts issue for help, support, more information, or just a wonderful conversation. You are The Fellowship!

From the Interim Executive Director Tom Taylor

viewed several well-qualified candidates for the Execu tive Director position and will have named the person who will lead The Fellowship into a strong and dynamic future. It has been a year of transition for our beloved organization and we in the leadership deeply appreci ate your continued support, patience, and grace as we continue to move into the future with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our loving and creating God is with us: we are not alone, dear ones!

With love and gratitude,

Tom Taylor Tom@umfellowship.org (412) 417-8283

Fellowship Family updates

Rev. Debbie Chapman has retired after 20 years of ordained ministry and many more prior to ordina tion. Music camps, choir tours, cantatas and major choral works have blessed her and those she has been in ministry with.

Don McAvoy is celebrating his first year as Executive Pastor for Worship and Music at Bethany UMC, Austin, TX, and the end of his fifth year as Artistic Director/ Conductor of the Brazos Valley Chorale in Bryan/College Station. He and wife Michele really enjoy living in the Georgetown area and celebrate the recent engagement of their son, Alexander.

Dakota Hill and wife Scarlet welcomed their second daugh ter, Susanna Lee, in February. In addition to enjoying their new life as a family of four, they have moved to Tupelo, MS. Dakota has accepted an invitation from FUMC Tupelo to become their

Dr. Diana Sanchez-Bushong has been promoted to Executive Director, Worship Resources and Director of Music Ministries at Discipleship Ministries.

Director of Music Ministries and Organist. At FUMC, he conducts the youth and adult choirs, adult handbell choir, and oversees a fully-graded children’s choir program.

Former Fellowship president WilliamWeisser has moved from Raleigh, NC, after living there for 47 years and serving Edenton Street UMC for almost 35 of those years, to Wilmington, NC, to be closer to family and grandson.

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