11/11/2025
An undeniable calling to music
By Karin Lavoie
For Paul Schmalz, the trajectory of his career path beginning in his pr***en years, through his youth, and into adulthood has clearly pointed towards serving as a church musician.
As a multi-faceted musician with extensive experience in churches, Paul has studied piano, voice, reed and wind instruments, and guitar; and has served as a choir accompanist, choir director, and worship team leader. He is probably most easily recognized as the organist at St. James, a position he has held for over 25 years.
Paul’s formation in music began at the age of six with piano lessons alongside his spiritual formation which he says “started with my mom singing children’s hymns like ‘Precious jewels’ or hearing ‘I wish we’d all been ready’ at summer Bible camp when I became a follower of Christ.”
During his pr***en years, he was mesmerized by the church pianists he heard at Parkdale Missionary Church & Foothills Alliance Church. This inspired him to memorize solo piano hymn arrangements by Dino Kartsonakis and perform concerts at various churches in Calgary. By 1984 he was teaching piano full time and at one point had 70 students.
Sensing God’s hand guiding him to serve in leading worship, Paul first began leading worship teams at First Church of the Nazarene, the church of his youth, in the early 1990s. It was during these years that he was impacted by the music of Graham Kendrick and the songs deriving from the Vineyard movement, especially those of Brian Doerksen. Paul concludes, “I believe God put the desire in my heart to emulate those who had spiritual impact in my life as leaders in worship music.” By the late 1990s, Paul and his wife and infant son were attending St. James and he was leading a worship team. Along with fellow parishioner, Barb Banman, they provided music not only for the Sunday services but also for the children’s ministry and for the Holy Spirit session of the Alpha course.
To prepare music for a worship service, Paul begins by praying over the readings in the Anglican Lectionary for the corresponding Sunday. He shares “often there are obvious songs but sometimes the Holy Spirit leads me to go to a particular song.” About three weeks before his team is scheduled to serve, he confirms the availability of each team member. Then, two weeks beforehand, he compiles a list of quite a few possibilities based on the Scriptures and tries “to find a balance between quite new, fairly new and maybe a favourite from many decades ago.”
Paul shares “it is very heartwarming to hear from people who have been blessed from the music. Often they ask titles and where to find certain songs so they can try them out at home. Sometimes it’s an easy way to ask if they’re interested in joining our worship ministry.” Ministering on a worship team is special in that it facilitates “a very special way of uniting our minds, emotions and spirits in praising and worshiping our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” says Paul.
Paul shares that the greatest joy in leading worship is “hearing and seeing joyful and sometimes tearful connection for myself, my team members and also the congregation; and to see young people participating in leading and leading original music [composed by fellow St. James musicians] Tony Ware and Tyler Peacock.”
Paul expresses gratitude for the “St. James clergy over the last thirty years, those who have been part of my team and those in the congregation who have been so supportive. I feel very blessed to belong to such a supportive Christian community.”
St. James in turn is very blessed to have Paul and his team leading worship that has been prayerfully prepared and worshipfully presented.
