by Jill Fandrich
The verse in Matthew says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” At Westminster, we’ve flipped that around to say, “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be.” In other words, we devote our time, energy, and resources toward the things about which we are passionate. If something is important to us, as a church or as individuals, we invest in it.
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There are mission and service projects which we as a church support. But as we look around at our members, we see that they are active in the community in a wide variety of ways as well. Some work with children; others with the elderly. Some can balance a budget, some can write, some can sing, some can cook or bake, some can teach, some can knit or sew. But they all are doing God’s work.

To support and empower members to live out their faith in creative ways, my church established a mini-grant program called “Where Your Heart Is” grants. Members can apply for financial support for ministries which do God’s work in the community.

A great example of this new initiative is the revival of the children’s musical “The March of the Big-Eared Nasties.” Bob and Beverly Miller are long-time members of Westminster who, in addition to full-time careers, have been active in community theater. Bob is a singer and actor who has appeared in Auburn Players and Merry-Go-Round productions, and Bev is a writer who authored and produced the “Palpitations” fundraisers for Auburn Hospital. Together they wrote a number of children’s productions, including “The March of the Big-Eared Nasties.”

“Nasties” was written in 1994 in response to a planned neo-Nazi rally in downtown Auburn. As word spread of the rally, Auburnians planned how to respond, holding assemblies and vigils to celebrate diversity. On the day of the rally, 25 out-of-town neo-Nazis arrived to find they were vastly out-numbered by a large crowd of counter-demonstrators, and the neo-Nazis made a hasty retreat without holding their march. The Millers wrote "Nasties" to help Auburn’s families remember the lessons that were learned from this event, that love is stronger than hate. 

Their play takes place in the mythical village of Friendlytown, where big-eared and small-eared people live together in peace. Some “big-eared nasties,” who believe in Big-Ear Supremacy, plan a march in Friendlytown. The main character of the play is Earnest, a boy with one small ear and one big ear. He and the Friendlytown villagers bring the conflict to peaceful resolution by holding a Parade of Love, inviting the Nasties to join them. 
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A poem by Edwin Markham inspired Beverly to include this imagery in the play: "He drew a circle that shut me out- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him in!" 
 
The challenge for Bob and Bev was to write a children’s show about a serious topic in a way that was not frightening to children. By making the conflict between big-eared people and small-eared people, they could show the absurdity of bigotry in a non-scary way. “Can you imagine anything as silly as judging someone by the size of their ears?” Bev said, and included this line in the play by the town Wise Woman Minerva Lou:  "Next thing you know, they'll be judging people by the shape of their eyes, or the color of their skin!"
 
The Millers decided to revive the play as they watched last fall’s news of the violent neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, VA.  Bev said, “The attempt by neo-Nazis to spread a hate-filled message in a peaceful college community was uncannily similar to the abortive Nazi march in Auburn in 1993. Sadly, it seems that lessons learned in the past need to be re-learned in today’s world.”
 
That’s where Westminster came in. Bev and Bob recruited some other church members, and asked the church to sponsor the production. Because its message fits so perfectly with Westminster’s inclusive Welcome Statement, it was enthusiastically approved. A “Where Your Heart Is” grant underwrote the financial costs, and rehearsals took place at the church. In order to take the play out into the community, the actual performances are January 28 at Euterpe Hall in Auburn and February 3 at the Morgan Opera House in Aurora.

God’s work takes many forms, including teaching children, through musical theater, how to love others.

by Audrey McNally

​I have always been a singer, and my earliest memories of singing are connected with the church. When I was a preschooler, my mother taught me to belt out popular 1950s songs such as “A: You’re Adorable,” which I would unabashedly perform for everyone at church suppers.
Growing up as a member of “old” Westminster Presbyterian Church on Delevan Street and later the “new” Westminster at its present location, I graduated from children’s choir to junior choir and eventually to “senior” choir (which, ironically, was open for anyone who was at least in the seventh grade). I have had more choral directors than I can easily name, but each and every one has contributed to my understanding and appreciation of the choral experience, as well as to my faith development.
Choral singing provides many benefits to the individual, both physically and psychologically. Various medical studies have shown that choral singing can strengthen feelings of togetherness, regulate heart rate, reduce stress levels and depression, improve symptoms of Parkinson’s and lung disease, enhance feelings of social well-being and even increase life expectancy. Stacy Horn, author of the singer’s memoir “Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing With Others,” stated: “As long as I’m singing, it’s as if I’m inhabiting another reality. I become temporarily suspended in a world where everything bad is bearable, and everything good feels possible."
Many experts acknowledge the existence of an even more spiritual element. Robert Shaw, a renowned choral conductor, wrote: “The basic premise of music-making is unity — and unanimity — and, in its nonliturgical sense, communion.” Most of the music I perform (or, in church-speak, we prefer the phrase “offer to the glory of God” rather than “perform”) is of the sacred, as opposed to the secular, variety. This genre includes hymns, anthems, gospel tunes, choral introits and responses, and Latin Masses (including requiems).
Sacred music is an important part of every church service, and members of the choir are worship leaders as they proclaim the gospel of Christ through song. At Westminster Church, our very talented organist/music director, Lori Rhodes-Pettit, chooses every choral selection with great care in accordance with the lectionary readings of the day. Therefore, singing music related to the theme of the day helps one to internalize it, often with profound feeling, and to share God’s message of hope and salvation.
Through my membership in the MasterWorks Chorale of Central New York, I am afforded the opportunity to sing great choral masterpieces such as Handel’s "Messiah," Mozart’s "Requiem" or Mendelssohn’s "Elijah." There is great satisfaction in singing these often challenging works, as well as a feeling of awe for the sheer power of the music to inspire both singers and listeners. Although I enjoy singing secular music, such as Broadway tunes or movie soundtrack hits, it is the sacred music that touches my heart and feeds my soul. Ephesians 5:18-19 tells us to “be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts."
Regardless of your religion or belief system, singing with others can elevate your spirit, boost your confidence and widen your circle of friends. If you are considering joining a choral group, the new year is an opportune time to take on a new, self-enhancing activity. Westminster Church (and most churches) welcomes new choir members almost anytime, and MasterWorks Chorale holds two “open rehearsals” for prospective singers in January (this year on Jan. 2 and 9). For more information regarding these choral groups, visit westminsterauburn.org or masterworkscny.org.
Audrey McNally is a lifelong member and current ruling elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn, where she moderates the worship committee. She sings in the Westminster Choir and MasterWorks Chorale.