By Town Crier Report
Christ Episcopal Church in Los Altos will celebrate the arrival of its new music minister Peter Stoltzfus and new youth minister Holly Hem at its third annual Country Dance and Potluck Lunch Sunday, following the 10:15 a.m. worship service.
Stoltzfus holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Yale University schools of music. His primary choral experience has been with choirs involving children as sopranos. He served as assistant organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Detroit, Mich.; Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven, Conn.; and Saint Thomas Church, New York City. From 1995 to 2002, Stoltzfus served as minister of music and organist at the historic Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn Heights, New York.
Stoltzfus is an established composer, concert and recording artist, digital audio editor and recording producer. He has written major organ works and numerous anthems. He has recorded five compact discs (distributed by JAV Recordings at www.pipeorgancds.com). As an editor, he has over two dozen CDs to his credit. He concertizes several times a year out of the local area and has played at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, several British cathedrals and many of the major concert venues on the East Coast.
In addition to his work leading the Christ Church adult choir, Stoltzfus hopes to launch a Royal School of Church Music program for the parish children and to lead a process for improving and augmenting the church organ.
Hem, a 2002 graduate of Santa Clara University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in religious studies, is a Mountain View native with recent experience as youth director at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Sunnyvale. Her youth ministry background includes work with at-risk youth in Kentucky and Hawaii. Hem will offer middle-school and senior-high youth groups fresh opportunities for social activity, worship and spiritual exploration.
On Sept. 8, following a music-filled celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 10:15 a.m. in the church’s main sanctuary, everyone is invited to join in the potluck lunch and country dancing. Sign-ups will be available for all service organizations, children’s Sunday School classes, and middle-school and senior-high youth groups.
Christ Episcopal Church is located at 1040 Border Road. For more information, call 948-2151.
