Church donates choir robes to Africa

Friday, 11 March 2011 15:22

The parish of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church recently made a donation half way around the world. When Bernadette Aubin Allan, organist at St. Paul’s, heard that a church in Africa needed choir robes, she went into action.

The call came when Alfred Mwalwanda, of Malawi, Mzuzu, Africa, and a senior at the University of Bridgeport, heard his hometown church needed choir robes.

Since coming to Connecticut to attend the university, he has made the First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield his church home. His wife, who is still home in Africa, informed him of the need for new choir vestments for her choir, Joyful Melodies, one of the choir groups at Mzuzu Church of Central African Presbyterian.

Mwalwanda contacted Laurie Birch, the organist at First Presbyterian, to see if some could be found. When a plea then went out through the American Guild of Organists network, Allan heard the news.

St. Paul’s had just purchased new vestments, but still had their old ones. The transfer of the robes was made with shipping costs contributed by David Hill, also of First Presbyterian.