06/09/2026
Dear friends,
God bless all who sing and make melody to the Lord!
God bless all our choirs (Sanctuary, Handbell, Children's, and our new Children's Bells)!
And God bless our music director/organist/choral director, Dr. Pablo Lavandera, and Marci Deakins, a veteran handbell ringer, as she organizes this new handbell choir, organized for children and adults who really want to learn to play beginning songs with the little colored or black and white handbells.
Good things are happening at First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown! Praise the Lord!
Here is a link to message from yesterday on Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday:
https://pastorkaren.org/2026/06/09/the-power-of-music/
Loving and Gracious God, thank you for your gift of music and especially the gift of our singing. Thank you for the hymns and songs that have been composed and sung to your glory that we and other congregations today still enjoy in our worship. May you truly be glorified in our songs of praise. May we be healed, strengthened and filled with your joy. Thank you for setting us free in Christ from whatever binds us—all our fears and sadness, all our worries and anxiety. May we be stirred to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to each other, making melody to you in our hearts. And may we sing to you as long as we live, sing praise to you while we have being. In your Son’s name we pray. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Karen
Meditation on Acts 16:16-34 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday June 7, 2026 Art by Stushie, used with permission Who here likes to…