Feeding the hungry

St. John’s Baptist Church at 300 Hawthorne Lane in Elizabeth held a farmers’ market on July 19 to raise money for the hungry.
The sale included vegetables from backyard gardens and plants. Rumor has it that some of the veggies came from Caldwell Memorial Church’s garden as well.
The sale raised a whopping $661.46, said organizer Betty Harkey. The church is considering another sale in mid-August.
A representative from the Society of St.Andrew Gleaning Network was impressed with the results and is planning to suggest the idea to other churches, according to the church’s Family News newsletter.
Want to contribute or help? Call Peggy at the church office at (704) 333-5428.
The best part for me in addition to the money raised: Amazing soup made by my daughter from the plentiful butternut squash. She combined the best of about three recipes. Here’s one.
Tip: Try it with nutmeg instead of rosemary and thyme, and don’t leave out the apple.

Free classical music in a beautiful space

Mark your calendars: Maureen Howell gives an organ music concert at the refurbished St. John's Baptist church at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 18.
She'll play Bach, Franck, Howells, Halley and a special piece commissioned for the event, written by Dan Locklair.
If you're awake in time for morning services, music includes Roewer, Rutter, and a special commissioned piece by Paul Halley.
The event marks church renovations and the organ installation. The renovations improved acoustics and added flexibility for music performances, giving musicians and the community another venue option to share beautiful music.
More details on the organ here. The church's website is here.

New pipe organ for Elizabeth

The Elizabeth neighborhood is getting a new pipe organ, made in Quebec.
The parts arrive at St. Johns Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 27, and church members will help unload the pieces from a truck and bring them into the sanctuary after the 10:30 a.m. service.

The church, at the corner of Hawthorne Lane and Fifth Street, is providing lunch for helpers. See more pictures of the organ being built here.

Through February and March, the organ, called Opus 113, will be assembled in the renovated sanctuary, and the organ pipes will get their new "voices" with testing. Organ builders will work six days a week, giving a "voice" to each of the more-than 2,500 pipes. It makes its debut in Easter services on March 23.

The organ is from the Sainte-Hyacinthe, Quebec, factory of highly respected Letourneau Organs. (Hint: You really want to click on the company link to see and listen to other organs the company has built.)

Letourneau Organs has built organs for Christ Church in Vienna, Austria, and the chapel at Selwyn College at Cambridge, England. Its new magnum opus is at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Divine in Houston.

Questions? Contact Minister of Music Warren Howell through the church office at (704) 333-5428.
Photo courtesy of Warren and Maureen Howell, taken in summer 2007, showing some of the wooden pipes of the church's organ being crafted at the Sainte-Hyacinthe factory.

Free woodwinds classic concert

Music for Woodwinds in a New Space

Sunday, November 18, 7:30 pm, in the newly renovated sanctuary at St. John's Baptist Church on Hawthorne Lane.
Andrew Howell, Daniel Clark and friends, accompanied by Maureen Howell, will perform a variety of solos, duets, and quintets, from the chamber music of Telemann, Mendelssohn, Strauss, Saint-Saens, Ibert and others.
(Refreshments to follow.)

Aging in place
A new Wednesday night series on aging in place and school design alternatives is planned at St. John's Baptist on Hawthorne Lane at Fifth Street. Program at 6:45 p.m. Details by calling church office, 704.333.5428.

Schedule:

March 7 - PREPARING FOR THE AGE WAVE
Fostering a senior-friendly community that values dignity and independence for all older adults

Speaker
Gayla Woody, Director, Area Agency on Aging
Rhonda Deitch, Associate State Director, AARP
Marsha Ghent, Caregiver Specialist, Services For Adults Division, DSS


March 14 - AGING IN PLACE
Physical Environment Implementation Workshop
Development principles to support “aging in place” for seniors and baby boomers (our future seniors).

Information:
--Maps showing neighborhoods with projected high concentrations of seniors and how they are useful to private and public decision makers.
* Recommendations, although directed toward the senior populations, serve to also preserve and enhance the quality of life for all citizens.
--Recommendations may serve the goal of bringing about changes to residential, commercial and infrastructure construction by educating the broader community about development that is more "senior-friendly" - for seniors and baby boomers.

Speakers:
Dr. Bill McCoy, Retired Director of UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
John Highfilll, Steering Committee Member
The Status of Seniors Initiative (SOSI)


March 21 - SCHOOL DESIGN
Inspiration from Katrina
Learn about the pilot program being launched by Charlotte-Mecklenburg School (CMS) system to test the Hurricane Katrina-inspired Learning Cottage as an alternative to the mobile trailer-style classroom and a new approach to school campus design.

Speaker
Tom Low, Director
DPZ Architects and Town Planners