Great Fellowship for a great cause.
Author Archives: smcalhoon
Youth Ministry takes off with OUTREACH!
Youth leader Tracy Tichenor organized a volunteer outreach to the Animal Shelter. The kids cleaned animal cages, gave baths, and even did the laundry.
Don’t miss
In Concert
for the People of St. Croix
at
St. Croix Reformed Church
Sunday, Jan 12, 2014
5:30 P. M
Concert Event Features Stradivarius
Sometimes beautiful, little events happen on St. Croix. One of those events may be in the offering again when on Jan. 12 celebrated, violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn arrives at the hilltop church in La Reine to give a free concert. She will be performing at 5:30 p.m. on the 1720 “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius, which is said to have inspired the 1999 film, “The Red Violin.” Barbara Podgurski will accompany her on piano.
Community music events are not new to the St. Croix Reformed Church. The church has regularly hosted Jazz Vespers on certain Sunday evenings throughout the year. Pastor Rod Koopmans says, “We, at the Reformed Church, the home of Jazz Vespers, are excited about being asked to host what could be the classical concert of the year for the Virgin Islands.” He encourages people to come early because seating is limited.
According to Pitcairn’s website, the violin was crafted in 1720 by Antonio Stradivari, who made his instruments in his small shop in Cremona, Italy centuries ago, and remains the most famous violin maker of all time. Not long after its creation, the instrument appeared to vanish from the radar screen; no one knows where or to whom the violin belonged for more than 200 years, spawning any number of historians, writers, journalists, critics as well as Canadian filmmaker, Francois Girard, to speculate on the violin’s mysterious history. Girard’s imaginative speculations became the narrative for his beloved film, “The Red Violin.” Ms. Pitcairn collaborated with Lionsgate Films for “The Red Violin” DVD.
She has given concerts in Sweden, Finland, Brazil and China. She made her New York debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in 2000 with the New York String Orchestra and she appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music.
Podgurski holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance, and a Master of Music in both piano performance and theory from the Mannes College of Music. She has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. She has been featured in numerous television and radio broadcasts.
One can find the Reformed Church when driving down Northside Road towards the Kingshill Post Office, look left up the hill, before getting to the Post Office and for the cross and turbine tower. A church sign is located at the bottom of the road leading up to the church. For more information call 340.778.0520 or email the pastor at StXRevRod@aol.com
Advent Beauty
Advent Beauty
Update from Eileen Skeoch Hill
Re-post from my care page:
The days go by very fast. They were spent going to doctor appointments, working out, caring for sick children, and trying to get settled in our new home. Oh and cooking dinner again which makes me so HAPPY! I feel great and my hair is growing back!
Today we received the results from last week’s pet CT scan. The cancer is gone! I do not have to be scanned for six months! It is hard to believe that we received the news that I had some type of cancer six months ago on Good Friday. What a journey this has been. There have been very dark days and many more bright days. We’ve met so many wonderful people along the way from St. Thomas to New York to Atlanta. St. Thomas Radiology and Dr. Marc Livingston were so helpful in getting my results immediately to New York. (St. Croix friends it is worth the trip over to St. Thomas if you need fast results.) I headed north for Sloan Kettering in NYC and ended up at NY Presbyterian Hospital for various reasons. My cousin Laura did not leave me side the first 36 hours until my Mother and her mother Gwen arrived. What an amazing place. At the time we did not know that their blood cancer team is one of the best in the nation. One of my roommates had the same doctor as Robin Roberts from ABC’s Good Morning America. We also learned that a team of hematology oncologists left Sloan and moved across the street to Presbyterian. Dr. Ruan referred me to Emory and Dr. Flowers. I can’t say enough good things about our Emory experience. That’s why we are doing the Winship 5K on Saturday in support of the Winship Cancer Institute. Our team is “Kick it to the Hill.” And we did kick cancer to the hill!!!! Several Clemson friends are joining Kelly, Lance, the kids, and I for the race on Saturday.
A friend of my Mom’s that is a survivor said, “Have faith because prayer and medicine TOGETHER work miracles.” They do. I can’t begin to thank everyone enough for all of their prayers. My cousin Gwen said, “Eileen you have people praying for you all over the world.” At the time I didn’t realize how amazing our network of family and friends was. I now know just how powerful prayer is. As a hairless cancer patient in the South people stop you in Target, the park, and gas stations to pray and lay their hands on you. It was a little uncomfortable at first but it makes me cry (out of joy) now to think of those experiences. I was also so fortunate to meet a woman during my last round of chemo that had just been diagnosed with the same form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. (My sub type is very rare.) She is thirty four and has a four and seven year old. Her story was very similar to mine. One night Lance and her husband talked for 2 hours in the hall about what we were going through and what to expect. He was blown away that we were on the same hall fighting the same battle for our families. She is now half way through treatment and I only hope I can help give her the courage to finish strong like I did.
We are so grateful for the cards, texts, monetary gifts, e-mails, calls, visits to NYC, care packages, babysitting, meals, and love that everyone gave us. Thank you so very much. I am so blessed.
PS – For those of you wondering… I am cancer free and will be checked and monitored for a few years. In my case the term “remission” is used after I am cancer free for two to three years and the term “cured” is used after five years. I am not sure if the time periods differ for different types of cancers.
Blessing of the Backpacks
The school year is off to a great start thanks to the Blessing of the Backpacks!
St Croix Reformed Church welcomes Michael Clang
Michael Clang’s Ordination
On Tuesday July 2nd, Michael was ordained as a teaching elder (i.e. Minister), in the Presbyterian Church, USA. The service was held at 7:00 in the evening at Michael and Tracie’s home church in Richmond Virginia. Around 80 people were in attendance, including family and many of their close friends. As a new minister, Michael received a Robe, several stoles, a hand-made mahogany cross, and a hand-made communion set. Michael’s road to ordination began in the Fall of 2007 when he entered seminary at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond. After graduation in May of 2012 he completed a chaplain residency in San Diego California at Sharp Memorial Hospital. The road (via American Airlines J) has currently led to St Croix, where Michael and Tracie are excited to be living, working, and serving with the awesome people at St Croix Reformed!
St Croix Reformed Church 
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