May: Music Directors and Choirs Through the Years

Music has been an integral part of our spiritual community – even before it had its first gathering as the Arthur Manor Union Sunday School. On November 1, 1895 the founding members purchased an organ for $13 – nine days before the first meeting of the Sunday School in the Fire House on November 10. The first record of a choir for our congregation is in the minutes of April 11, 1897. Five sopranos, two altos, three tenors – no basses – were reported.

Records of church activity in The Little Stone Church make little reference to music – except for a June 1908 notation that Mrs. Stirling will “preside at the organ for $2 a Sunday.”

With the move to worshipping in what is now Dyckman Hall, musical references increased. In 1932 the choir had 22 members “but needed two additional altos and basses, respectively.” Irene Hecker Sincerbox became choir director in 1934, serving in that role for 13 years. At the January 1935 annual meeting it was reported Mrs. Sincerbox was “directing a choir of men and women, a women’s chorus, mixed ensembles and a vested choir of 25 girls 12-16.”

The next long-serving organist and choir director was Claire v. g. Thomas who served from September 1952 until June 1972. In 1966 she was directing four choirs totaling 200 voices – Carol, Chorister, Chapel and Chancel choirs. In 1971 she directed an “ecumenical first” – the combined choirs of five congregations in Durufle’s “Requiem”.

During our 75th Anniversary Celebration in 1999, Jan Pingel described how she convinced John Frederick Schuder to come to Scarsdale in 1972 for $5,000 instead of going to an Episcopal Church for more money. “Think of the Congregational Church as a place to meet and network in the New York area while serving the friendliest church in Christendom; we’ll take you into the family.” John retired 34 years later on December 31, 2006. The Chancel Choir he directed not only sang in Sunday worship, but also gave concerts in a Music Series that lasted twenty-five years, concluding its seventieth concert on Sunday afternoon, February 11, 2001. In 1985 the SCC choir with the choir of St. James the Less gave concerts in England and Scotland.

In his tenure from 2010 to 2015, Music Director Brett Terry resumed Music Series. He also moved choir rehearsals from Thursday night to after church on Sunday to better accommodate the schedules of participants.

Sandro Russo first appeared as our “Organist and Music Director” playing the piano for the July 5, 2015 service in Dyckman Hall. Anne Cavaliere Conneely joined us as Children’s Music Associate in September 2019. Thus both were poised to bring musical joy to our congregation when Covid locked us out of in-person worship on March 11, 2020. Sandro has encouraged volunteers to sing with the talented section leaders, and Anne has nurtured children to sing in lively groups and as soloists. Music Series have continued with outstanding talent.

And though the congregation may not be an “official choir,” it is clear from the voices lifted in hymn singing that music remains an integral part of our spiritual community. SING PRAISES!

April: Electing Our Leaders Through The Years

On April 28 we will hold our annual corporate meeting to elect officers, trustees and deacons. As a Congregational, self-governing church, we’ve always had lay leadership, but the numbers, responsibilities and gender have varied over the years. Pictured below is the General Board elected in 2009 – featuring many people still serving our congregation.

When our Sunday School was formed in 1895, women had no right to vote in US elections, yet there were two women among the nine persons who decided to form our Sunday School.

The first bylaws in our archives are those of January 1912 when our congregation was part of the Westchester Congregational Church. The governing organization was called the Church Council and was headed by the Pastor who was called “Moderator”. Other members of the Council were the Clerk, Treasurer, Deacons, Trustees and the Superintendents of each congregation’s Sunday School. The bylaws all referred to “he” and “him”.

Our first bylaws as an independent congregation, October 1924, described a Board of Officers with the Minister, Deacons, Trustees, Clerk, Treasurer, Superintendent of the Church School, and representatives of church organizations.

The concept of a Board of Officers lasted until November 1951 when a Church Council of 17 members replaced the Board of Officers of 35 members with the principal lay officer changed to Moderator – a position first held by Carleton Everett whose son Robert would be Moderator fifty years later. In this historic reorganization, the Board of nine male Deacons was expanded to include nine women.

It took 19 more years for a woman to be Moderator. She was June Lumby, elected in 1970. Although it was proposed in 1978 to “de-sex” the bylaws to eliminate masculine references, this didn’t happen until 1988.

The last major review of the bylaws occurred in 2015 when responsibilities were clarified and the terms for Deacons and members of their committees were changed from three years to two. Terms for Trustees remained at three years, as required by the New York State Religious Corporation Law.

Opportunities to serve this church abound – one need not be elected to help. Just say “Yes” when opportunities are announced. That’s what we do in this CONGREGATIONAL church.

March: Palm Sunday and Easter Through the Years

Palm Sunday and Easter have always been memorable days in Christian churches. One of the most memorable for the Scarsdale Congregational Church was Easter Sunday, March 25, 1951, when the first service was held in our current sanctuary, Rev. Ned Boynton retired after 21 years as senior pastor, and Rev. Howard Stone Anderson began his ministry. 924 attended the two services at 9:30 and 11:05 AM.

The 11:05 hour was also observed on Easter Sunday, April 8, 1928. At a 4:30 PM Vesper Communion service 17 persons were welcomed into membership.

Rev. Boynton was well into his ministry on Easter Sunday, March 28, 1937. At the 11:05 service the Girls’ Choir sang two anthems, and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus was the postlude. An 8:00 PM service included a religious drama entitled “The Portal.”

The Order of Worship for Palm Sunday, April 6, 1952 reported Dr. Anderson introduced congregational singing of “The Palms”. “The Palms” was also part of Palm Sunday, March 23, 1975, when Rev. Johnson was Senior Minister.

Easter Sunday, April 15, 1979, the Senior Youth Fellowship left at 3:30 AM for a Sunrise Service at Pound Ridge.

On March 10, 1991 Rev. Washburn announced that instead of two identical Easter services, there would be a 9:30 AM service with parents and children telling the Easter story and an 11:00 AM service “following the standard pattern”. On Palm Sunday, April 9, 1995, Rev. Washburn led talented young singers in presenting “The Singing Bishop”.

Palm Sunday, April 16, 2000 included an Easter Egg Hunt, and Palm Sunday, March 20, 2005 included “Bringing In Easter Family Craft Time”.

Then UCC President Geoffrey Black preached on Palm Sunday, March 29, 2015.

Remember Palm Sunday (April 5) and Easter (April 12) 2020? We saw on our screens Rev. Joya preaching on Palm Sunday, Rev. Kelly preaching on Easter, and Music Director Sandro playing beautiful music, each bringing us joy and hope from our empty sanctuary. This year let us fill our sanctuary with joy and hope on Palm Sunday, March 24 and Easter, March 31, 2024.

February: Lent and Holy Week Through the Years

It was six years before Ash Wednesday 2024 that we participated in the February 14, 2018 Ash Wednesday service with Kelly and Joya, just a few hours after 17 persons were shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland FL.

Earlier observances of Lent and Holy Week probably began when we worshipped in the Fire House, but the first mentions in existing documents are a special 1910 service on Good Friday and Lenten services on Sunday afternoons in 1912. These would be services in The Little Stone Church.

Fast forward to 1932 when the Deacons voted to serve communion on Maundy Thursday. In 1944 on another February 29, Rev. Norman Vincent Peale was the guest preacher at Union Lenten Services held at Hitchcock Memorial Church.

Years later a storm with gusts up to 84 mph hit the East Coast on Ash Wednesday, March 7, 1962, but things had calmed down by March 29 when Jackie Robinson spoke at a Lenten program. On Good Friday 1962 the Men’s Fellowship gathered for luncheon and devotions at the Commodore Hotel. 47 men attended.

On Good Friday 1963, there was a special service for children in Cunningham Chapel. The Good Friday 1964 service included Holy Communion and the Chancel Choir singing Lenten portions of Handel’s Messiah.

Within the memory of many congregants were the 1985 Lenten Adult Education Series led by Phil Washburn. In Lent 2009 Fran Grenley hosted a traditional Seder as an interfaith dinner with the rabbi and members of the congregation of Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El assisting in leading the liturgy.

Even more congregants will remember the Church School Lent Rotations. The 2014 Rotations included learning about the Peace Corps in Namibia, participating in the Pajama Program, and personalizing Easter baskets for the children of the Thorpe Family Residences.

Meditations were an integral part of the 2016 Lenten observance. In 2017 Fran Grenley hosted a pasta and pancake Shrove Tuesday Dinner. On Maundy Thursday she led a service of Tenebrae in Dyckman Hall.

Many will remember the dawn of Zooming in 2020 and the Lenten book group that began meeting on March 20.

Now we enter Lent 2024 with an Ash Sunday Service on February 18 and Joya leading contemplative prayer via Zoom on Fridays and in person on Sundays. May this be a season of meaningful reflection.

January in the Life of the Scarsdale Congregational Church, UCC 

Kelly Hough Rogers, our eleventh senior minister, began to serve this congregation in January 2018.  Theodore Shipherd, our third senior minister, came in January 1924, and Edward Boynton came in January 1930.  Thus January is a good month to learn a little about these eleven senior ministers .  Note that Pritchard and Dyckman, our first two senior ministers, served before we were an independent congregation.  Shipherd was senior minister when we incorporated.  Also note that Boynton (1930-1951) and Washburn (1983-2007) together served 45 of our 100 years as an independent congregation.  In the coming months we’ll learn more about these leaders and those who served with them.