Celebration of the Arts      

Each May St. David’s Church opens its doors to the community in a different way: as the host of the Celebration of the Arts, a gift to our neighbors and friends of the visual and performing arts. We hold this party in every inch of church space, with the parish rooms and hallways converted to gallery space. On Sunday May 13, the musical centerpiece of our 10:00 a.m. service is a performance of Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein, with the choir accompanied by harp, percussion and organ. This event, from May 8 through 13, is a spectacular way to celebrate the Great Fifty Days of Easter, the long and joyful season when we live in the joyful reality of Christ’s resurrection.

In these days of polarized discourse, no doubt some would look askance at a church turning its space into an art gallery and performing hall, and inviting the whole community in for the party. Dogmatics on the right would find our building not “church like” in that our sacred space contains no gothic arches or stained glass, and from the left, some would perhaps be suspicious that art in sacred space is compromised by doctrine. Others would deny that anything as secular as art can ever be contained in this sacred building.

We here at St. David’s take a proudly orthodox stand: we hold these two expressions of beauty – that inspired by the Holy Spirit and that informed by the human spirit – together in this place. Just as orthodoxy affirms the mystery of the Word made flesh, it requires human imagination to help us glimpse the meaning of that paradox. Indeed, the truly spiritual person always explores the height and depth of human experience. It is at the connection of the Holy Spirit and the human spirit that true creativity is unleashed, offering beauty and compassion to as a means to bring hope and healing to the world.

We welcome you to this house of God. We hope you will find us hospitable, and that you will come away from your visit here refreshed and renewed. We hope you will return, to find bread for your journey and companionship with us here, and in the community we serve.

Jacqueline Schmitt, Rector