Saint Benedict Episcopal Church

I was born in Detroit, MI on August 7, 1980. I was raised by my grandparents in southern Michigan/northern Indiana. The church we attended was First Baptist Church, a large “Regular” Baptist church in Elkhart, IN. My grandparents believed it important that we go to church, so, without fail, we attended all three weekly services: Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday prayer meeting. I also attended a small Baptist school from kindergarten through graduation. I was drawn to God and spirituality early in life and as I grew up became more and more involved in the church, in its ministry, and in growing in my relationship with God.

My interest in spirituality directed me to Cedarville University, a Baptist college in rural Ohio. I began to learn there that my calling was in music. After taking a brief hiatus from school to take private piano lessons in New York City, I studied piano for a year at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. At that point, I chose to widen my horizons beyond the scope of classical music performance. As many before me, my search for new possibilities led me West to beautiful Washington. In 2005, I finished my undergraduate degree at Washington State University in the Humanities. Shortly thereafter, I decided to pursue my interest in business and in 2007 I received a Masters of Business Administration from Purdue University, in Indiana.

I began work as a church musician in 2002 in a small UCC church in Sammamish, WA. Ironically, I started as an accompanist with no real intention of being anything more than that. However, after about six months, I was directing the choir, singing, composing and doing much more than just accompanying. After enjoying this first experience in church music, I was glad to find a position as choir director at another UCC church in Indiana while studying at Purdue. Once I had completed my studies and returned to Seattle, I entered the Episcopal church as the music director for Good Samaritan Episcopal in Sammamish, WA. It was quite a process becoming familiar with the Episcopal tradition, but with the help of David Marshall, Dent Davidson, and others, I’ve learned a lot about how things are typically done here.

One of the wonderful things about church music is that one is able to be involved in so many different aspects of music. I get to play the piano, direct the choir, sing, play drums, flutes and other instruments, lead congregational worship, compose, arrange, plan liturgy, as well as hundreds of other things. It is also a great joy and privilege to watch people express their love of God. When we participate in music, we engage our entire being. We forget our worries and our cares and are caught up in the present moment. In this space we feel the unity of our being and the wonder or being children of God. We are experiencing the incredible reality of what it means to be saved and, at the same time, we are being saved. Truly, in creating music together, we experience the kingdom of heaven on earth.