Welcome and Worship

This Sunday we're pleased to welcome Jon Guerra as Artist-in-Residence at COTC. As a way for us to better know Jon I asked him to answer the four questions below.

What should we know about you? 

Hi everyone. My name is Jon Guerra. I’m married to Valerie, and we have a three year old daughter. On Mar 1, 2020, we moved from Chicago, IL where we lived for 15 years. Valerie and I are both from the Midwest, but absolutely love it in Texas. I’ve been leading worship since I was in high school, and Valerie and I have been singer-songwriters professionally since 2013. We’ve also contributed to film scores with a director here in Austin for the past 6 years. In addition to music work, Valerie is a clinical social worker and has been a practicing therapist for over a decade. When we’re not busy with music or social work, our family loves to bike, swim, and travel. 

What are you excited about as you enter into this role at COTC? 

I’m most excited to discover how music can further aid the liturgy at COTC. The combination of earnest music with traditional liturgy is what attracted us to the church in the first place. I’m also excited to continue working with Krista Vossler, who has been diligently serving as the interim director the past eight months. Our families are becoming friends, and Krista and her family have been a huge support to us.

What's your desire for the church's worship? 

Just this morning I read this: “Our soul is like a castle created out of a precious jewel. There are many interesting rooms in this beautiful castle of the soul. How do we enter? … The doorway into the castle is genuine prayer and meditation. Mechanical repetitions of prayers are insufficient. They will leave you like the paralytic who waited beside the pool of Bethesda: He stayed there helplessly for thirty-eight years until the Lord himself came along to help him.” (Teresa of Avila)

My desire is that genuine prayer and genuine worship would flourish. Music has a way of turning something mechanical into a living organism, and I’m looking forward to seeing how “the Lord comes along” and helps us as we continue to figure out how music, prayer, and worship all interact. 

How can we be praying for you? 

Pray that my learning curve into Anglican worship is short – I’ve led worship for years, but in less liturgical contexts. I want to get the liturgy “in my body” as soon as possible. Pray that the transition community-wise is a smooth one for our family. It’s already been quite sweet. Also, pray that the twin vocations of artist/songwriter and worship-leader are as mutually beneficial as I’m predicting they’ll be. 

Mostly, I’m so grateful for the opportunity and very much looking forward to worship with you all! 

Thanks for reading! Please welcome Jon and his family this Sunday and keep them in prayer. This collect from the Book of Common Prayer is appropriate:

O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants on earth who seek through their art and music to perfect the praises of your people. Grant them even now true glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Grace and peace,
Peter+