Audrey came to SUMC at the invitation of a neighbor, who mentioned their organist had left and asked if she could fill in. It was six weeks before Christmas. She agreed to do it through the holidays. That was 1974, and she stayed until Christmas of 1993 and retired. She had a full piano teaching schedule and was finishing up at Westminster Choir College, but it was hard to stay away from church music, so she played at Mendham Hills Chapel and then Hillside Lutheran, three years each. Then in the summer of ‘99 she ran into Rev. Mary Lou Ballentine, Pastor of SUMC at that time, at Shop-Rite. She was offered to come back. It’s hard to stay away from SUMC!
Her double major was Sacred Music and Bible (BSM) from Northeastern Bible College, now The King’s College, NYC; Church History (MA) from Newburgh Theological Seminary, IN; and Piano Pedagogy certification from Westminster Choir College, NJ.
She retired from teaching in 2007 to have more family time with her four children, eleven grandchildren and two greats. Audrey loves singing with Morris Choral Society, Unity Choir in Newton, and the Ocean Grove Choir Festival. Since her teen years she has loved making music with others and doing group Bible study, the best sources of growth and friendship.
