Bill Albright, Minister

Park Avenue Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Arlington Heights, Massachusetts, called me as its current settled pastor in August of 1996. I am the Rev. Dr. William A. Albright.

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Since my father was a career Army surgeon, I grew up an "Army brat," living in five states, Alaska (before it was a state), and Germany. I graduated from high school in North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, as well as a Master of Science degree in Counseling and Guidance from Indiana University Southeast. In the late 1970s, I worked as a probation officer in southern Indiana, then attended the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where I earned the Master of Divinity degree. I also hold a Doctor of Ministry degree from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

Before coming to Massachusetts, I served churches in Louisville, Kentucky; Daytona Beach, Florida; and St. Louis, Missouri.

I have two grown sons, Nicholas and Jeremy, who are currently living in Daytona Beach. My brother is a Presbyterian minister in Pennsylvania and my two sisters live in Florida.

I like to be called Bill, although some people prefer to call me Pastor Bill or Dr. Albright.

I enjoy "the great outdoors" (whenever I can get there), traveling to exotic places (most recently to Honduras, Central America, on a mission trip), and writing poetry and fiction. I am a voracious reader, mostly non-fiction these days. Currently, I am reading widely in the areas of world religions, the historical Jesus, and the diversity of early Christian faith and practice. I also enjoy a wide range of visual art, music (especially jazz, classic rock, and world music), and film.

I encourage others to be creative and expressive in their personal spiritual growth. I work to make the church a more inclusive and welcoming community where the compassionate love of God is honored in word and deed. My vision of the local church is that it may become a holistic healing center where peace and justice flow "like an everflowing stream," while the beauty and mystery of God are celebrated in a variety of artistic expressions.

I have a passion for life with all its beauty, energy, and goodness. I invite honest dialogue about the many ways our Creator God is manifested in the world and in our everyday lives. And I encourage people to stretch their imaginations when they pray, think about God, or want a deeper experience of God's presence.

Personally, I am awed by the realization that, as Thoreau put it, "the universe is wider than our views of it." I am also profoundly certain, with the apostle Paul, "that neither death, nor life … nor things present, nor things to come … nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" [Romans 8:38-39]. That belief has changed my life.

I am persuaded that the highest expressions of humanity come from seeking to love God and neighbor with as much of our being as possible. It simply doesn't get any better than that! I try to relate to others with the awareness that the spirit of God dwells at the center of every human soul. I believe that we encounter that divine spirit, not so much through institutional connections as through relationships. So, from that perspective, I am currently challenging the people of Park Avenue Church "go deeper" in their experience of God-in-Christ.

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Kate Lindheim, Christian Education Director

As Christian Education Director, Kate works with the Christian Education Committee to provide a variety of educational opportunities for children and adults. Kate is actively involved in the planning and leadership of Sunday School and Adult Education. Before being installed as Director, she was a member of the Christian Education Committee.

Kate lives in Arlington, along with her husband and two children. They have attended PACC as a family since 1999.

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Photo by Christian Steiner

Jeffrey Brody, Music Director and Organist

Jeffrey Brody assumed the position of Music Director and Organist on Easter 2007.  He is the Music Director of Longwood Opera and Principal Accompanist of the Paul Madore Chorale, and pursues an active musical career as composer, conductor, vocal coach, collaborative pianist and organist. Appointed to the musical staff of Seattle Opera in 1986, he has done the musical preparation of that company's critically acclaimed production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. He has also done musical preparation for Sarah Caldwell's Opera Company of Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera New England, MIT Chamber Opera, and the Princeton June Opera Festival. Some of the international singers he has worked with include Richard Cassilly, David Cangelosi, Patricia Craig,Warren Ellsworth, Eva Marton, Magda Olivero, Leonie Rysanek, and Giorgio Tozzi. Mr. Brody has been Music Director of Longwood Opera since 1998 and was appointed Musical Advisor of the Boston Wagner Society in 2005.

He made his orchestral conducting debut with the Richmond Festival Orchestra in a program of all original works. Most recently, he guest conducted the Salem Philharmonic Orchestra at the invitation of Music Director Alan Hawryluk. His compositions include works for orchestra, chorus, chamber music, and organ. They have been performed in Boston's Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, the Washington National Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Altenburg and Münster Cathedrals, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Waterfront International Music and Arts festival, the prestigiousd festival "La città, la musica, e il sacro" in Venice, and on National Public Radio.

Recent commissions include Beowulf, a musical Legend for double chorus and large orchestra, written for performance in the Vienna Musikvereinsaal, as well as Planetarium, written for the Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus.

Mr. Brody is a member of the International Siegfried Wagner Society; the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; the National Association of Teachers of Singing; the American Guild of Organists, and is a founding member of the Boston Singers resource, for which he has served as audition adjudicator. In honor of the many years of his artistic collaboration with the late Boston Symphony Orchestra Organist, Berj Zamkochian, the Gomidas Organ Fund presented Mr. Brody with the baton used by Charles Munch, Music Director of the Boston Symphony orchestra from 1949-1962.

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For the past seven years she has been the person who answers phones, opens mail, prepares newsletters and bulletins, manages building use, etc. Mostly "etc." As part of the ministry team that includes everyone in the congregation, her mission is to help maintain connections among individuals, the church, and various groups within the church and to help things run smoothly. According to Kathy, she was "initially attracted by the variety of challenges presented by this position, but I soon learned that the best part about being at PACC is the opportunity to work with many wonderful, caring people."

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