Lu Tax
I am a "cradle Episcopalian". I was baptized confirmed, and married at The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault, MN--THE Cathedral (though most think of St. Mark's in Minneapolis as the Cathedral for our diocese). Being an Episcopalian all my life, is it any wonder that I'm called to be Liturgist? The liturgy of the Episcopal Church has been such an important part of my whole life, I can't imagine being anything else. For those who may not know what liturgy is, the word liturgy means "the work of the people". In the church, it refers to our system of public worship. A Liturgist is one who plans and crafts our worship services, and the Book of Common Prayer is used as the primary, though not the only resource.
Almost as far back as I can remember, I was part of our worship services through music. After coming to Church of Our Saviour in Little Falls (twenty + years ago), I began serving in other ways as well. I am a lector, LEM (Lay Eucharistic Minister, or chalice bearer), and Lay Reader, and have served as Sr. and Jr. Wardens and vestry member.
Before coming to Little Falls, I graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris with a degree in music, and I also studied biology. Music has always been an important part of my life, and continues to be. I was a member of the Minnesota Center Chorale (MCC), and MCC Chamber Choir. At present I'm a member of Bella Voce Consort, an eight person "a cappella" vocal group which sings at various churches in the area.
My husband, Joe, and I live in the country outside of Pierz. We have a business in Pierz, and have lived in the area for about 22 years. We have a son, Peter, who just finished his third year of college as an architecture student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. Next year he will be studying in Copenhagen, Denmark.
About six years ago, I enrolled in a two-year course sponsored by the diocese called Leadership Program for Musicians in Small Parishes, or LPM. It was a great course, and really sparked my interest in liturgy, and how/why all the elements of our services go together as they do. Soon after completing the course, I began to work with Charlie Preble (our priest at the time) in the capacity of Liturgist for our church in Little Falls. Now that Spirit of the Heartland Churches are working together, I can learn from more experiences, more reading, more doing. (I only wish there would be more time between Christmas and Easter!) Soon I will have a mentor to work with in the field of liturgy, and all of the team ministers have mentors in their fields as well. The studying I have done in the past, and the training we are receiving as the Spirit of the Heartland Total Ministry Team, have deepened my understanding of the church year, our liturgies, and most importantly my own faith.