Ariel Nathanson Bolinja will accompany the choir and congregation on Sundays this spring as we look for a permanent music director. Ariel graduated from University of Hartford's The Hartt School in 2018 with a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance with a Pedagogy Emphasis and was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society.

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Western friends,

On behalf of the session, we appreciate all who turned out for our congregational conversation last week. You heard and discussed around tables aspects of our financial situation and some of the session’s thinking and decisions about moving forward.

Part of this process involves making changes to our congregational staffing model; you will be hearing more about this in the days to come. The most difficult aspect of these changes is the decision not to have a full-time administrative assistant. As a result, Shenella McGaskey will be leaving this role at the end of March.

With a heavy heart, I share with you the news that our interim music director Patrick Merrill shared officially with me, the Personnel chair, clerk of session and choir this past week: that he is leaving Western to pursue an opportunity to work at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church, where his wife Grace has served as a cantor for over a decade. (click to read more)