Five years ago a small group from the First Presbyterian Church considered recreating the popular Sunday evening service which had been broadcast over WPEL. It had been discontinued a dozen years ago due to a dwindling attendance.

Montrose is a small town, a church town, with seven congregations within the borough. People in Montrose know each other, know their families and have gone to school together. But on Sunday morning, the friends typically split into denominations.

A Sunday evening service, a community-wide service, would provide a worship opportunity to draw together a larger faith community into an ecumenical congregation. Laypersons from all the churches would lead the services in prayer, scripture readings and special music. A monthly schedule on the second Sunday was proposed, at 5:00 p.m. using St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the center of town.

Father Charles Cesaretti, the interim priest at St. Paul’s, suggested adding a fellowship meal following the service and welcomed the project with enthusiasm. He officiated at its inaugural service on September 14, 2008.

In the intervening years, the monthly vespers service has welcomed an array of participants including Father Jerry Safko, priest at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, Dr. Ellis Rucker, active participant in the Church of Latter Day Saints, the Reverend Chase Page, the Reverend Jane Pykus from the United Methodist Church, the Reverend Doug Sivers, Larry Souder, Duane Hinds, Ann Stone, George Shafer, Jim Kessler, Mary Lee Fitzgerald, and Alisoun Bertsch. Special music has been provided by Bud Wilcox, Joe Welden, the Music Camp singers, the Women’s Choir, Amanda Rucker, Maybelle Golis, Tom Welch, Holly Andre, Todd Robinson, Amy Rood, and The Lathrop Street Chorus with organist Sarah Bertsch and pianist Mary Ann DeWitt.

On September 9th, this ecumenical vesper service begins its 5th year at St. Paul’s. Since its beginning, the only two months it did not provide a service were the two years in which Easter Sunday fell on the 2nd Sunday in April. This service will again be officiated by Father Charles Cesaretti and will use the hymns, the readings and prayers from the inaugural service in 2008. Dr. Paul Carlson will be the reader and special music will be provided by Ms. Terry Tyler, flutist, accompanied by RaeBelle Albeck. Sarah Bertsch serves as organist and Mary Ann DeWitt is piano accompanist.

Vespers is a traditional evening service in the Christian Church first mentioned in the Rule of St. Benedict in the 6th century. It continues to be used today in Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches and increasingly into the liturgical life of Protestant churches in America. The service typically uses the Psalms, both spoken and sung, to consecrate the evening to God and is generally led by laypersons.