virtual hallelujahs: singing and making community online

April 23, 2020 by Paul Vasile in Congregational Song, Church, Leadership, Pandemic

Earlier this month, I was honored to facilitate one of Eden Theological Seminary’s new theological e-forums, which invite faculty to reflect on resources from their academic areas in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic.

It was rich, wide-ranging conversation about music making and community building and I was especially grateful to be joined by talented, insightful colleagues like Dr. Tony McNeil and Sarah Bereza, who helped offer a broader perspective on the gifts and challenges we're seeing.

easter morning improvisations

April 20, 2020 by Paul Vasile in Music, Worship, Easter

I have found improvisation a life-changing spiritual practice - a space of exploration that invites me to trust my intuition and lean into the grace of listening and learning rather than perfection.

So when I woke up before sunrise on Easter morning and felt drawn to the keyboard, I followed my heart and found inspiration in singing birds, rain, and rumbling thunder as a storm passed through. I read a translation of Psalm 46 by Norman Fischer. And Easter hymns found new life for me, not trumpeted out in festive pageantry, but offered in the hushed, sometimes ecstatic improvisations you can hear below.

making music and meaning in a time of separation

March 30, 2020 by Paul Vasile in podcast, News, Leadership

I was excited for an invitation to participate in Radical Love Live in mid-March, an event hosted by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City that creates space for people to talk about spirituality in all its forms. We had a rich planning call and hoped to move forward, while carefully monitoring the movement of Covid-19 in the country. When we knew the live event would need to be cancelled, along with my travel to the city, co-creators Kelly Wilson and Mark Dilcom invited me to be part of online interview which they released as a podcast.