The Arts at First Presbyterian 
Concert Series began in 2001 as an opportunity for church members to invite their friends and neighbors to quality artistic events. Over the years the series has featured professional choirs such as the Lyric Consort and Robert Dale Chorale, Simple Gifts folk duo, violinist Sophie Till, pianist Ron Stabinsky, Mock Turtle Marionette Theater, Presbybop Jazz Quartet, organist Mark Laubach, and many others.
All concerts are held at First Presbyterian Church, 300 School Street, Clarks Summit. Concerts are open to the public and are free of charge, but a free-will offering is taken to help defray the costs of the event.
2022-2023 Arts at First Presbyterian concert series
Considering Matthew Shepard
On April 15th, at 7:00 pm, the Arts at First Presbyterian will present a very special oratorio, CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD, is a 2016 oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson. The work tells the perhaps forgotten story of the 1988 hate-crime murder (25 years ago now) of a gay college student in Wyoming, an “ordinary boy” who “never could imagine his life could be this story” yet became a modern-day martyr with federal hate-crime legislation named for him.
This oratorio is perhaps better described as an “experience” or a “secular sermon,” perhaps even “life-changing.
Please join us because CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD is ultimately less about Matthew Shepard than it is about you, me, and us.
This presentation is intended as a part of our larger Lent and post-Lent exploration of how we view and treat “others.” Please make this piece part of your personal Lenten discipline. Learn more at the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
The series is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts , a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and administered by NEIU-19, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The season is also generously supported by a Lackawanna County Community Arts and Culture Grant a programs of Lackawanna County Commissioners Jerry Notarianni, Debbie Domenick, Esq., and Chris Chermak; the members and staff of the First Presbyterian Church; and by individual contributions.
*The Bloomsburg University Choirs are generously supported by funding from the Community Government Association.
We thank them for their support.
There is no admission charge for these events, but free-will offerings are generally taken. For more information, call the church office at 570-586-6306.
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