Ponder Anew

Jessica Nelson holds degrees in music and liturgy from Millsaps College and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. She has served churches of various denominations in Mississippi and Alabama and currently serves St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral in Jackson, MS as organist and choirmaster. She directs the Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy and has served two terms on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of The Episcopal Church. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi. William Bradley Roberts is an ordained minister and professor emeritus of church music at Virginia Theological Seminary. He is in demand as a composer, speaker, and workshop leader. He has served in parishes in Washington, DC, Arizona, and California. He was a founding member of the Leadership Program for Musicians and a curriculum writer for this multi-denominational organization. He lives in Richmond, VA. The Rev. Jennifer M. Deaton is rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Indianola and vicar of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Leland, both of which are in the Mississippi Delta. She is a retreat leader, writer, and an avid and accomplished knitter. She lives in Indianola, MS. The Rev. Dr. A. Katherine Grieb is the director of the Center for Anglican Communion Studies (CACS) at Virginia Theological Seminary, where she also continues to teach part-time. John Barton Andrew was the Rector of St. Thomas' Church on New York's Fifth Avenue from 1972 to 1996. He died in 2014. The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson is a native of Barbados and is the eleventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. He and his husband are the parents of two children. He lives in St. Louis, MO. The Rev. Rita Teschner Powell is the Episcopal Chaplain to Harvard University. Her work has taken her to the Black Hills of South Dakota as well as the Taizé community in France. She lives in Belmont, MA. David Sinden is organist and director of music of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ladue, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He is a cohost of the podcast “All Things Rite and Musical,” a frequent blogger, and has an active social media presence. He lives in St. Louis, MO. Beauregard, Alabama native Michael Smith is Minister of Music to St. Thomas, Whitemarsh, an historic Episcopal church in suburban Philadelphia. Prior to that appointment, he held positions at The Shipley School as well as Groton School. He lives in Philadephia, PA. Eugene Taylor Sutton is the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland since June 2008. He has contributed to the book The Diversity of Centering Prayer, and has written articles about preaching and spirituality. He resides in Baltimore. Singer-songwriter, composer, and arranger Keith Tan is Minister of Music, Missions, and Outreach at Christ Church, Episcopal in Richmond, Virginia. Working with a number of choral groups, Keith is a sought after collaborator and frequently speaks at retreats and workshops. He lives in Glen Allen, VA. Ellis Montes is a life-long Episcopalian and versatile musician who has held a number of leadership positions in service to the Episcopal Church, including work with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and Integrity USA. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Foreword | The Rev. Dr. William Bradley Roberts

Introduction | Jessica Nelson

I. Essays

1. How Can I Keep from Singing: On Music As Pastoral Care | The Rev. Jennifer M. Deaton

2. Tablets and Technology: Liturgy and Music in the Information Age | David Sinden

3. Story of Stories: The Language of Story in Song | The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson

4. You Will See Rare Beasts and Have Unique Adventures: Considering Again the Clergy/Musician Relationship | Jessica Nelson

5. Celebrating One Another’s Way of Worship | Keith Tan

6. A Shift in Tension: Leveraging Music Programs for Evangelism and Formation | Michael Smith

7. Reckoning with the Anglican Inheritance: Stories from the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard | The Rev. Rita T. Powell

8. Colonialism in Church Music | Ellis Montes

II. Conversations in Vocation

1. Claim the High Calling: Conversations in Vocation

2. Musicians in Bivocational Ministry

III. Sermons

1. A sermon preached by The Rev. Erika Takacs at the closing Eucharist of the 2013 Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy

2. A sermon preached by The Rev. Erika Takacs at the closing Eucharist of the 2019 annual conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians

3. “The Two Calls,” a sermon preached by The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton at the opening Eucharist of the 2014 annual conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians

4. A sermon preached by The Rev. Canon Carl F. Turner at the 50th anniversary annual conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians

5. A sermon preached in two parts by The Rev. Andrew Mead and The Rev. Canon John Andrew at the Requiem Eucharist for Gerre Hancock

6. A sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Katherine A. Grieb at the funeral of Ray Glover