St. Francis Church Personnel Biographies
The Reverend Sarah Phelps, Priest in Charge
As of August 1, 2006, I begin my work as the St. Francis Church Associate Rector. On June 3, 2006, I was ordained as a transitional Deacon in the Diocese of Los Angeles and I was ordained to the priesthood in January, 2007.
For the past 2 1/2 years I had been an Organizer than the Associate Director of LA Voice, a coalition of churches in Los Angeles that is part of the PICO National Network. PICO brings congregations together in urban communities to advocate for systemic changes to improve their communities. I helped lead an effort to bring permanent supportive housing to Hollywood for homeless people.
Previously, I served as a pastor of United Methodist congregations in the San Francisco Bay area and Fresno. I moved to Southern California when my husband, Mike, and I were married in 2003. It is here in Los Angeles where I began my ministry in the Episcopal Church.
Dr. Ray Urwin, Director of Music/Composer in Residence
Dr.
Ray Urwin, Director of Music at St. Francis, is recognized as one of the
most distinguished church musicians in the United States. He is the composer
of two of the most popular hymns in the church's 1982 Hymnal (Hymn 679,
"Surely It is God Who Saves Me, and Hymn S169, "My Flesh is
Food Indeed"). He was recently commissioned to compose a new hymn
for the 300th anniversary celebration of Christ's Church in Dover, Delaware,
and an anthem for Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento, California. His most
recent commission, a choral setting of "God Be in My Head,”
had its world premiere in December 2004 by the Cantori Domino Choir. In
2000 he was commissioned to compose a Mass setting for the 50th anniversary
of St. Francis Church. He is nationally recognized for his other compositions
which are published by Oxford University Press, Boosey and Hawkes and
others.
Director of Music at St. Francis since 1989, Dr. Urwin is a graduate of
Oberlin Conservatory, received his master's degree in conducting from
SUNY Stony Brook, and earned his doctorate from Yale University. He
is in demand not only as a composer but also as a solo performer and accompanist.
