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"The smiles on people's faces have been priceless," said Peg Anderton, pastoral associate for parish and urban ministry at St. Luke's parish in Schenectady.

Dr. Anderton was referring to attendance at "Summer Nights at SPAC," a program funded by the Wright Family Foundation that's treating some Schenectady residents to performances at Saratoga Performing Arts Center this summer.

People from St. Luke's, St. Joseph's, St. Paul the Apostle, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Adalbert's parishes in Schenectady -- all part of the same parish cluster -- are being provided with transportation, show tickets and meal vouchers.

Families have the opportunity this season to have dinner at SPAC and see the New York City Ballet, the Argentinian dance company Che Malambo and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The orchestra is teaming up with Cirque de la Symphonie one weekend and providing a live soundtrack to the movies "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" at other performances.

The SPAC program, which will run for three years, came about thanks to a private family foundation established in 1997. The foundation also supports neighborhood revitalization, jobs and career support, education and social needs.

Gerry Golub, a board member at SPAC and involved Schen­ectady resident, recommended that the foundation extend the program to St. Luke's. Dr. Anderton invited representatives from surrounding parishes to participate, as well. Other individuals signed up for the SPAC nights through family and youth organizations in Schenectady.

Dr. Anderton said that St. Luke's makes an effort to bring together people from different branches of the community.

"We reach out not only through the parishes, but also through our food pantry and our summer lunch program, so that we have a really nice diversity of folks coming," she said. "You'd like to invite folks who might not usually get up [to SPAC] to have some of those seats -- but, also, [it's] a general invitation to get people together who might not usually socialize."

Because of high interest, St. Luke's has a waiting list for those who are hoping spots will open up.

"People just think it's an absolutely wonderful gift of generosity," Dr. Anderton told The Evangelist.

Going forward, she said, St. Luke's staff will look for similar programming and relationships that bring together parishioners and patrons of parish ministries.

"There's such a connection between arts and faith and expressions of faith," Dr. Anderton noted. "This is just such a fun gift. We help people through the church a lot. We help through the food pantry. But this is fun and exciting and [involves] the arts and fellowship. It's just so many things molded into one."[[In-content Ad]]

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