Summer forum this Sunday

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, August 3, when Amy Alexander and Raj Ray will present “In Our Own Voice”, their stories of living with mental illness. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room.

Amy Alexander is a mental health consumer and trained speaker for the statewide In Our Own Voice Program under the aegis of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She has advocated at the State House in Boston and local venues to campaign for better treatment for people living with mental illness, and has spoken to local churches, colleges, and civic organizations in hopes of eradicating the stigma surrounding mental illness.

In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action. The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Violinist Alicia Choi (Williams '09)

Our Summer Noontime Concert Series continues this Wednesday, July 30 with a performance by violinist Alicia Choi and pianist Scott Bailey in music of Bach (Solo Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV1003) and Beethoven (Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Major). The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch and St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free; donations to help offset expenses are accepted.

Children are especially welcome!

Alicia Choi began studying the violin at the age of four. She was a scholarship student at the Aspen Music Festival in 2001 and 2006. From 2001-2005, Alicia attended the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School of Music, studying with Won-Bim Yim and Masao Kawasaki. She has performed in master classes of Aaron Rosand, Philip Setzer, the Daedalus Quartet, Donald Weilerstein, James Buswell, and Wonji Kim Ozim.
She currently attends Williams College, where she plays in the Berkshire Symphony, Symphonic Winds and various chamber ensembles, and studies with Joanna Kurkowicz.

Pianist Scott Bailey is currently an adjunct professor of music at Westfield State College and private instructor of piano and accompanist at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He has served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and works as a freelance accompanist and teacher throughout the Pioneer Valley as well as Berkshire County. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, United Church of Christ, and is coordinator of their North County Music Series, a concert series featuring local and emerging musicians from Berkshire County and beyond.

"Mixed" marriage forum this Sunday

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, July 27, when parishioners Debbie Monahan and Jimmy Bergin will present their own story of a middle-aged romance between two very different believers, one an agnostic and the other an evangelical Christian, and how they found common ground in a church community. Monahan serves on the Vestry and Bergin leads a special events ministry at St. John's Church in Williamstown, where they have made their spiritual home since 2002.

The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room. In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action.

Music for Flute

St. John's free Summer Noontime concert series continues this Wednesday, July 16 with a recital by flutist Lucy Bergin and pianist Scott Bailey, who will perform works of Bach, Faure and Mozart. The concert will begin at noon and conclude by 12:.45.

Audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to eat during the concert. St. John's will provide drinks and cookies.

Children are especially welcome at these concerts; parents, please view this as a great way for kids to see live music up close and personal!

Trio Cafe Budapest at the movies!

Sunday, July 20 at 7:30, bring your family to the Morgan lawn at the top of Spring St. in Williamstown to hear the Trio Cafe Budapest in concert, as a prelude to the outdoor screening of "Ghostbusters", presented by the Images Cinema http://www.imagescinema.org/

The band will play from 7:30 until the movie begins. Their brand new CD "Meridian" will be available for sale!

Jim Kolesar - Summer Forum July 20

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, July 20, when parishioner Jim Kolesar will speak about China, often called the country of the future. Kolesar recently spent two weeks with a Williams College group meeting education, business, and government leaders in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. He will share his impressions of the country’s rapidly changing culture, economics, and politics, and of the situation there for faith communities. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the church’s upper room.

In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action. The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Crazy trombone!

St. John's Noontime Concert series continues this Wednesday, July 16 with a concert by trombone virtuoso Will Lang. Will can do things on a trombone that are not generally regarded as possible! If your child is considering taking up an instrument, or is playing one now, this will blow their minds!

Will Lang is making a career in new music. An active musician in both New York and Boston, he performs new music by established as well as emerging composers.

He has performed new music in such venues as Carnegie's Zankel Hall, the Winter Garden, the Cathedral of St. Paul in Boston, the Flea, the Gershwin Hotel, and the Stone.

During this last year Lang has been involved in the premiere of over 25 new works, playing with such ensembles as the TACTUS Ensemble, Zero Gravity, the SEM Ensemble, NotaRiotous (directed by Jimmy Bergin), and Loadbang, a new music group of which he is a founding member. Lang and trumpeter Andrew Kozar founded the Tuesday Night Power Concert Series at the Manhattan School of Music, each concert featuring a different guest artist or composer. The pair produced fourteen concerts this year, and plans to expand the series next year.

Lang has also toured across New York State with the SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble as soloist, performing Richard Peaslee's Arrows of Time. He is currently finishing a Masters in Music degree in Contemporary Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studies with Benjamin Herrington.

Admission is free (donations are accepted) and audience members are invited to bring a bag lunch to eat during the concert. St. John's will provide drinks and cookies after the concert.

Youth Band Concert!

Our Summer Noontime Concert Series continues on Wednesday, July 9 with a program of contemporary gospel music presented by the St. John’s Youth Band. The concert will begin at noon and end by 12:45. Audience members are welcome to bring a bag lunch and St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free, but donations to help offset expenses are accepted. Children are especially welcome!

Members of the band are all students at Mt. Greylock and include Dylan Sikelianos, lead guitar; John Kolesar, bass guitar; Evie Mahan and Tyra Nurmi, vocals; St. John’s Special Events coordinator Jimmy Bergin directs the band and plays keyboard. The program will feature selections from the musical Godspell and other high-energy contemporary gospel songs. The Youth Band was formed last year, rehearses weekly and has played regularly at the bi-weekly “Worship Outside the Box” services held at St. John’s on Sunday mornings, as well as at other church functions.

The concert series will continue on Wednesdays from July 16 - August 20. Featured performers include trombonist Will Lang; flutist Lucy Bergin; violinist Emily Kalish; the Trio Café Budapest; pianist Igor Lovchinski; baritone Avery Griffin; Molly and the Mackins.

Transgender Forum this Sunday

St. John’s summer forums continue this Sunday, July 6, when Justin Adkins, a transgender person in the parish community, will share his journey in becoming a man. He will also share basic information about transgender people and how to be an ally to this diverse group of people. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the parish’s upper room. In these summer forums, St. John’s welcomes the public to a respectful and appreciative hearing of the experiences of people who have taken bold steps in faith and put their conviction and passion into action.

The church is located at 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, and is accessible to the physically challenged. The upper room is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.