We welcome you to St. Philip the Deacon and are delighted that you have found our faith community. Generally, the process for joining St. Philip the Deacon is to attend a New Member Orientation and complete our membership form: spdlc.org/im-new. We frequently offer New Member Orientation sessions. You can register for these at spdlc.org/register-for-events/. Any questions can be directed to Cindy Carlson at ccarlson@spdlc.org or Pastor Tim Westermeyer at twestermeyer@spdlc.org.
We are excited to be part of a cohort of twelve churches from across the country for a series on Tuesday evenings this fall led by Dr. Allen Hilton. Dr. Hilton, a professor and pastor who has taught at Yale, is the founder of a non-profit called House United, committed to helping to bring people together from different perspectives for the common good.
During a contentious and polarizing election cycle, Dr. Hilton will help us to celebrate our unity amid differences with other Christians from around the country, reminding us that these differences should be an asset, not a threat. He will lead and guide us as we move toward our neighbors to help us flourish with our families, our churches and our communities.
Dr. Hilton was a speaker from last year’s Faith & Life Series with his talk on “Faith & Polarization: Surviving and Thriving in a House Divided.” We commend this talk to you if you are interested in getting a sense of Dr. Hilton’s approach and tone, and encourage you to join us for the kick-off event for this series on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.
With you, we celebrate all of the opportunities we have to learn and grow together this fall, and we look forward to seeing you at these and other events as we begin the program year.
Dear Friends,
I am delighted to announce that Jen Galley will be joining the St. Philip the Deacon team as our first Director of Adult Education. In this role, Jen will be responsible for curating and overseeing in-person and online learning opportunities for adults that build faith and deepen community. She will begin her ministry with us on Sept. 8.
Jen comes to St. Philip the Deacon with rich teaching experience in both church and college settings, and holds degrees and certificates in ministry and spiritual direction from Luther Seminary, Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and North Central University. Look for more information later this summer about new learning opportunities for the fall.
I am also delighted to announce that JoBeth Ranfranz will join our team as Director of the SPD Ringers. With more than 25 years of experience leading handbell choirs, JoBeth has served as a regular substitute director for us, so is already well-known to our handbell choir. We are glad to have her continue to build on and expand the work of this ensemble.
In addition to these staff additions, I am pleased to announce some changes to roles and responsibilities for existing staff, as follows:
Kathy Hagedorn will now be focusing her energy on programming for our Pre-K children, including oversight of our Childcare Center.
Norah Long, who worked with our Sunday School children approximately once a month last year, will expand her presence in K-4 Sunday School to multiple weekends a month. She and Pastor Makayla Dahleen are already at work to refresh the curriculum for this important ministry.
Charlie Olson, who joined us last year as our Middle School intern, has accepted our offer to lead our Middle School and Confirmation Ministries.
Renee Putnam has moved into a role focused on Service and Engagement, where she will help plan and oversee opportunities for members to give back and build community.
Please join me in celebrating all of these new additions and changes, and keep all of these individuals in your prayers as we prepare for an exciting fall!
Grace and Peace,
Tim Westermeyer
Senior Pastor
UPDATE: Be sure to enjoy Celina’s recital at the final event in our Summer Organ Concert Series, Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 12:15 p.m. in the sanctuary. Celina will play selections from Bach, Duruflé, and her own arrangements and preludes. Enjoy a reception following the program to meet and welcome Celina to SPD!
Dear Friends of St. Philip the Deacon,
I am delighted to announce that, following a nationwide search, Celina Kobetitsch will join the St. Philip the Deacon family as our next organist. She will officially begin her role in mid-July, and will play for her first worship services in August.
A native of the Chicago area, Kobetitsch has been studying piano since she was three years old. She has received multiple prestigious honors, including awards from the U.S. Fulbright program and the DAAD postgraduate music program. In 2022, she was awarded first prize at the Fugato Organ Competition in Bad Homburg, as well as the Ruth and Paul Manz Organ Scholarship from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. A gifted teacher, she received the Carol Nott Prize for Excellence in Piano Pedagogy at age 21.
Kobetitsch is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studied piano and organ. She completed an artist diploma at the Conservatoire de Toulouse, and earned her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Leipzig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, where she studied organ performance and improvisation. In addition to organ and piano performance, Kobetitsch is a talented composer who writes her own hymn reharmonizations, introductions, and chorale preludes. You can hear one example of this on her YouTube channel, where you can also find many other recordings.
Most recently, Kobetitsch has served as the Associate Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has also served as organist for Bethany English Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio and as interim organist at Bay Presbyterian Church.
“I am thrilled to be joining the SPD family,” said Celina. “This congregation has a well-deserved reputation for outstanding music, and I am delighted to be partnering with Sam Grace and all of the other musicians here to ensure that this strong tradition continues.”
In addition to announcing Celina Kobetitsch as our new organist, I am also delighted to announce that Steve Griffiths, our long-time substitute organist, will officially become our Associate Organist. A gifted and talented organist and pianist, Steve’s long and deep ties to St. Philip the Deacon have made him an important strategic thought partner as we continue to envision the future of music here at the church. We are thrilled to have him serve once again as a formal part of our music team.
“Music is an essential part of who we are,” said Sam Grace, our Director of Music. “That is true for us both as Lutherans in general, and more specifically as members of St. Philip the Deacon. We have been blessed with a long and lasting legacy of exceptional music here, and I have every confidence that Celina and Steve will not only continue this tradition, but will help us to expand and build on it. I am delighted to welcome both of them to our team of outstanding musicians.”
I join in Sam’s excitement, and look forward to welcoming Celina to the St. Philip the Deacon family. Stay tuned for more news about when you can hear her for the first time, and please join us in giving her a warm welcome when you do meet her.
Blessings,
Tim Westermeyer
Senior Pastor
We’ve got plenty of summer events planned, from Vacation Bible School to art classes, Minnesota Twins games to garden tours. Learn more about these events by visiting our online registration site, and sign up for summer events full of fun, faith and fellowship! You can pick up a Summer Preview brochure at church, or download a PDF here.
Holy Week
March 23—Saturday, 5 p.m.
March 24—Palm Sunday Worship at 8:15, 9:30 [L] and 10:45 a.m.
March 28—Maundy Thursday, 7 p.m. [L]
March 29—Good Friday Worship:
- Children’s Service 5:30 p.m. [L]
- Veneration of the Cross, 7 p.m. [L]
March 30—First Light of Easter, 5 p.m.
Easter Sunday, March 31
8 a.m.*—Easter Worship
9:30 a.m.—Easter Worship [L]
11 a.m.*—Easter Worship
[L] Livestreamed services can be watched in real time at spdlc.org/livestream, and later at YouTube.com/@SPDLC.
* Note Sunday worship time alteration
