Our Staff & Leaders

Rev’d Dr. C. Lynn Bailey – Pastor

The Rev’d Dr. C. Lynn Bailey has been pastor of Immanuel
Lutheran Church since October 2006.  He previously served parishes
in Charlotte, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, and
Charleston, South Carolina.  He was ordained in 1984.  Prior to
ordination he was a church musician, having studied organ in Europe
and received a Master of Sacred Music degree from Union Theological
Seminary, New York.  He has a close relationship with the Taize’
community in France.  In 2003 he and is wife, Martha, walked a 348
mile pilgrimage of the Santiago de Compostella in northern Spain.
He is dedicated to the liturgical tradition of liturgy and is committed
to encouraging spiritual growth in the community of faith.  He
continues to enjoy playing the organ and has recently begun study
on the Celtic Harp.  His earliest musical experiences were playing
electric bass with Buddy Holly’s Crickets.

Janet Curnutt, Administrative Assistant

 

Brian Swager, Director of Music Ministries

Brian hails from Canton, Ohio, where he began his music studies with Trudy Brittain who taught him to play all manner of pop songs on the family’s Conn spinet organ.  The majesty of the pipe organ won him over, and he took an undergraduate degree in organ at the University of Akron, studying with Richard Shirey.  His first church position was at a Church of Christ in his hometown.

While a master’s degree student at Indiana University, he discovered the carillon, applied for a Fulbright grant, and spent two years in Belgium studying at the Royal Belgian Carillon School.  Flor Peeters, who dedicated the Immanuel Church organ, played at the Cathedral in Mechelen and lived just down the street, so Brian was able to study organ with Peeters as well as participate in his summer session of master classes.  Next, Brian received a scholarship from the French government and spent a year in Paris studying organ with Marie-Claire Alain.  While there he was assistant organist/director at St. Michael’s Anglican Church.

Brian returned to Indiana University to pursue the Doctor of Music degree in organ performance, studying with Larry Smith.  He became an Assistant Professor and was the University Carillonneur at Indiana University where for nine years he taught carillon, piano, organ, and played weekly recitals on the Metz Memorial Carillon.

In 1996, Brian was awarded a research fellowship in the Anton Brees Carillon Library at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, where he was in residence as a Carillon Scholar.  Following a three-month recital tour in Europe, he took up residence in San Francisco where he has served various churches, most recently, Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist.

 

Martha Bailey, Harpist

Martha Bailey is a graduate of the University of Michigan.  At age 36 she began pursuing her desire to play the harp, having been influenced by Harpo Marx and the spirituality of the harp in the Psalms.  She studied harp with Lucien Thomson in New York.  In 1996 she founded the Liturgical Harp Conference for harpists who desired to play harp in the worship of the church.  Liturgical Harp Conferences have been held in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, South Carolina, and Georgia.  She is  Vice President of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Harp Society.  She plays harp each Sunday for liturgy at Immanuel and once a year she and her husband,  Pastor Lynn Bailey, perform on organ and harp.