Dear Beloved of God, 

“Although I have much to write to you, … instead, I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” – 2 John 1:12 

When I left the interview with Ascension’s Vestry last month, and came home, the first thing I said to my husband was, “I think I’m already a little bit in love with them.” Everyone I’ve met at Ascension is faithful, kind, and engaging. I cannot wait to meet the rest of you! 

Sarah Churchill suggested I write a bit about myself by way of an introduction. First, the requisite resume notes: I was born in Boston and raised in Tewksbury. I attended high school at the Emma Willard School, received my BA from the University of Virginia in “Political and Social Thought,” and my MDiv from Yale. I’ve lived around the country and in Europe, serving churches in Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Lithuania. I’ve been ordained nearly 30 years, the last eight of them as a professional Interim Priest. Interim ministry allows me to enjoy a diversity of parishes and people and express my ministry in new ways. 

I am married to Bill Bradbury, also an Episcopal Priest. We each have two children from previous marriages, for a total of four adult children, and together we have four beautiful grandchildren (17, 16, 13, & 11). 

Brad Clark and I got to know each other over 10 years ago when we discovered we share an interest in mysticism and how that impacts our faith. Not surprising to hear that Ascension already has not one, but TWO meditation services a week! Brad is a gifted priest, and you rightly grieve his departure. 

Outside of church, I am very involved with the International Association for Near-Death Studies, have spoken at their conferences on several occasions, and am currently serving on their Religion and Spirituality Committee. Mystical experiences are some of the key ways in which God reaches out to us. I also write a newsletter on Substack called “Jesus and the Enchanted Cosmos,” and was delighted to hear that you are offering a discussion soon on one of the articles entitled, “Jesus and the Gospel of Non-Duality.” 

It's been said that church is where you “Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Church is also, at its best, meant to be an incubator for spiritual awakening, a communal vessel where human beings support one another in following Christ, waking up to live in non-dual love. I am humbled whenever I play a small role in that process, because I too learn from you. I look forward to serving alongside you beginning on October 1. 

In Christ, 

Stephanie+ 

Frank Corbin was appointed Organist and Choirmaster of Ascension Memorial Church in March of 2011. Prior to coming to Ipswich, he was Director of Music Ministry at Assumption College for 21 years, where he taught piano, music theory, and organ, oversaw the college’s liturgical music program, and served as director of Humanarts, the college’s series of concerts, exhibitions, art history lectures, and literary readings.  

Frank Corbin completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree and Performer’s Certificate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. He holds additional degrees from Oberlin College (B. Mus.), University of Cincinnati (M. Mus.), and Concordia University, Montréal (Diploma in Advanced Performance Studies). He has studied organ with Russell Saunders, William Porter, Roberta Gary, and Bernard Lagacé, piano with Sedmara Rutstein and Robert Shannon, and harpsichord with Arthur Haas. A native of Springfield, Tennessee, he attended the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University during high school, where he studied organ with Peter Fyfe and piano with Enid Katahn. He has been a top-prize winner in several national and international contests, and  his recording of works of César Franck, including The Three Chorals, appears on the Centaur label.

An accomplished pianist as well as organist, Dr. Corbin includes works for piano and other instruments in addition to traditional organ repertoire for the services at Ascension Memorial Church. As an educator conversant with numerous teaching methods, he is adept at working with students and singers of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of skill.

Cici Spaulding has been AMC’s Communications Coordinator since December, 2024, responsible for the weekly AMC Happenings newsletter in print and online. She also creates promotional materials for the Community Commons project and AMC web pages, as well as the website for Community Through Music Youth Chorus. Cici served on AMC’s Conceptual Design Committee and currently serves on the Capital Campaign Committee for the Community Commons project.

A graduate of Trinity College and Columbia Business School, Cici has previously held roles in corporate communications and marketing, as well as being the principal of Cici Spaulding Design for over 20 years. She is currently serving on Trinity’s Reunion Gift Committee and is working on her first children’s book.

Meg Liani
Facilities and Buildings and Grounds Manager