When Nolan Staples graduated from Newberg High School, he strongly considered attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, but found the right choice for him happened to be in his own back yard.Photo Credit: SUBMITTED PHOTO - Close to home - After graduating from George Fox University with a degree in music, Newberg native Nolan Staples has elected to delay his career as a professional musician to serve as interim worship director at Newberg Friends Church, where he has attended his whole life.
Photo Credit: SUBMITTED PHOTO - Close to home - After graduating from George Fox University with a degree in music, Newberg native Nolan Staples has elected to delay his career as a professional musician to serve as interim worship director at Newberg Friends Church, where he has attended his whole life.

Originally intending to attend George Fox University for just a year, Staples realized within a few months that although it didn’t offer the full-time immersive musical education that he once craved, it was the best place for him to develop as a person.

After graduating with a degree in music last spring, Staples faced a similar choice again and once more found the answer was right under his nose.

Instead of pursuing a professional music career full time, Staples has accepted the position as interim worship director at Newberg Friends Church, where he’s been attending his entire life.

“It’s really amazing how that’s worked out,” Staples said. “I’m really glad that I had a really good reason to stay in Newberg and continued to be rooted in this community doing really good things.”

Staples said his choice to become worship director at Newberg Friends did feel similar to the decision to attend Fox, except that this time there wasn’t a clear-cut alternative like Berklee. Instead, he says he likely would have become a professional performer, most likely in Portland.

Years earlier, it took Staples just a semester to decide that he would stay at Fox for the long haul, in part because it would allow him to continue playing competitive tennis and enjoy the benefits of a more well-rounded education.

“Looking back, it really does seem easy to see how important it was to be at Fox because of the people I got to live with and interact with and learn from,” Staples said. “I’m sure I would have had an amazing experience at Berklee, it just would have been entirely different being so far away from everything and everyone I knew, focusing completely on music. But staying here was really good people wise and it didn’t take me long to figure that out.”

Staples said he never really considered a career as a ministry leader before he learned that Mauri Macy would be retiring and several people encouraged him to apply for the position.

Newberg Friends does not have a dedicated worship team, rather Macy chose to rotate various small ensembles from week to week, allowing for numerous people to participate and expose the multi-generational congregation to a wide variety of musical styles.

Staples plays several instruments, primarily upright bass, and played in several church ensembles throughout high school and college.

Macy said he not only believes Staples’ natural ability and wide musical experience will be assets, but that he has a good heart for encouraging a life of worship in the community.

Pastor Gregg Koskela said the church originally intended to find a long-term replacement for Macy, but realized that it would be wiser to fill the position on an interim basis. That would allow the church to take more time to consider the direction it would like to take after being under Macy’s leadership for so long and Staples was in a unique position to provide some continuity.

“We needed to find someone who could really be a bridge between what has been and whatever is going to come in the future,” Koskela said. “I think what stood out to us was that we knew his musical gifts and the clincher was this sense that being a pastor was a new idea for him that was intriguing. We could give him that opportunity and kind of discern what the rest of his life will look like. So it’s felt great that he’s helping us, but we’re also hoping to help him figure out what his life direction is going to be.”

Taking the job has also allowed Staples to take a break from performing, which has been physically taxing, explore a different part of the world of music and gain some experience as a leader.

He said he is also glad to help his church in what could have been a difficult time of transition and likes the fact that position is temporary.

“It was really cool the way it happened because I felt very much led into this position,” Staples said. “I’m glad I get to do this and not worry what happens after this year, but just be present in this year and see how we’re doing as a church community and how God might lead us after this.”

Written by: Seth Gordon