2017 Pledge Season

Susan Kieffer shares her thoughts on pledging: "I first experienced the grace and generosity of the Emmanuel community when my mother was dying in a hospice in Cambridge. I visited her there several times each week, and often a member of the Emmanuel Care Commission was there when I arrived-chatting with her, reading to her, or sometimes just knitting as she lay sleeping in the afternoon sun. It was, of course, a very stressful time, and their quiet, kind presence was a great comfort. On Fridays, Pam came to give my mother communion, and as the weeks went by, I came to know and admire the gentle, funny, wise woman at the helm of Emmanuel Church.
The months after my mother's death passed in a blur. That Christmas Eve, I found myself standing outside Emmanuel as church bells rang all over the Back Bay. I could see my breath in the air. I stepped through the door. Inside there were warmth, music, and a reprieve from grief. I came back again, then again. I began attending regularly. As my involvement with the church grew, I learned that Emmanuel's good work in the community doesn't stop with the Care Commission. The beautiful, historic building, now more than 150 years old, houses a lunch for LGBT seniors and multiple 12-step meetings. Emmanuelites and their colleagues provide food and shelter for the homeless. A Jewish congregation worships there. And much more... All these things save lives.
This is why I pledge-out of gratitude for the support Emmanuel gave my mother and myself in our time of need, and a wish to provide the same for others. It is my hope that you will benefit from all Emmanuel has to offer, and that if you are able, I hope that you will contribute financially, however small or large the amount, to help pay it forward."

Connections! We need correct mailing addresses for all. We are now full-swing into our program year and we want to keep everyone in the info-loop. Our Parish Directory is a great way to do this and updates are being finalized. Have you moved? Have a PO Box now? Take a moment to send this updated information to Amanda March @ parishadmin.emmanuel@gmail.com or call 617-536-3355, ext. 10.

The Vestry Nominating Committee has held a preliminary meeting to begin the search for candidates for a number of elected positions. At the Annual Meeting in February, the parish will be asked to vote for Senior and Junior Wardens, Treasurer, Clerk, and at least three Vestry positions, two representatives to the Boston Harbor Deanery, two representatives and an alternate to the Diocesan Convention, two delegates to the Episcopal City Mission, and a delegate to Episcopal Relief and Development. 

If you are interested and willing to serve in one of these positions, or if you can think of people you would recommend for one, please let a member of the Nominating Committee know at your earliest convenience. They are Sharon Ballard, Tom Barber, Barbara Devries, Jutta Friedrichs, Paul Guttry, Peter Johnson, and Barbara Oder.

Wednesday, December 21, 7:30 pm in the Leslie Lindsey Chapel: 

Blue Christmas on the Longest Night

A service of lament with Holy Eucharist and healing prayer

We will be joined by the clergy and congregation of Church of the Covenant.

Saturday, December 24 - Christmas Eve in the Sanctuary

7:00 pm - Carol Sing

7:30 pm - Festival Holy Eucharist, with

BWV 133 - "Ich freue mich in dir"

Sunday, December 25, 10:00 am in the Lindsey Chapel.

Sunday, January 1, 10:00 am in the Lindsey Chapel

Missing the filioque? A note about the Nicene Creed...

In the 6th century CE, a clause referring to the Holy Spirit crept into the Nicene Creed in the Church in the West (Roman) without consultation or agreement from the Church in the East (Orthodox): ...Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. The objections to the addition are both theological and procedural. (Is there any difference for Anglicans?) The gathering of Anglican bishops at Lambeth in 1978 requested that Anglican Churches remove the errant clause. The Episcopal Church meeting in General Convention in 1979 agreed to study the situation, and in 1985, the General Convention expressed its intention to remove the clause. In unfortunate timing, however, the revised Book of Common Prayer (BCP) had been approved in 1979, so in 1994, the General Convention agreed to remove the clause in the next revision of the BCP, whenever that is. In the meantime, since Emmanuel Church prints the creed text in our bulletins, we have removed the clause to put the Episcopal Church's intention into practice. -plw.

Name Tags for All

Emmanuel Church Photography and Social Media

Communicating through social media helps our efforts to build community and expand our reach to people who are new to Emmanuel, as well as to Emmanuelites around the world. Volunteers help spread the Word by taking photos before, during and after services, posting and sharing online. We value the sanctity of our worship and aim to strike a balance between sharing life at Emmanuel and creating a sacred space for all, filled with wonder, love, thanksgiving and praise. No one will be tagged or identified by name in a photo without their permission and other privacy wishes will be respected on request. If you are interested in helping in these efforts or have concerns please see a vestry member after the service. Please check out Emmanuel's online venues and follow us to help grow our global presence!

Website: www.emmanuelboston.org

Facebook page: Emmanuel Church in the City of Boston

Twitter feed: twitter.com/EmmanuelBoston

This Week @ Emmanuel is linked from our website's homepage and Twitter.

Care Commission 

If you can write notes or make visits, we would love to have your help. Do you know someone who is in the hospital, or confined at home? Know someone who needs a ride to or from a medical appointment, or would just appreciate a visit? The Care Commission wants to help. Contact Pauline Ratta (617-469-2232) or Walter Jonas (617-696-8020) and we will see that a pastoral response is provided.

Musings from the Margins...

One part of my internship at Emmanuel Church is with the Art and Spirituality program at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. This program provides women housed at the prison with the time and materials to make cards to send to their friends and loved ones. They are provided with images that they can color in, and I have started drawing my own images for them each week. I have made drawings for specific holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving, images to use for birthday cards, and images for cards that are not for any particular occasion. Last Monday I brought in some drawings of birds with speech bubbles that said "I love you" and "I miss you." The "I miss you" ones were very popular. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in prison, but I can see why the "I miss you" message could be a very important one. It was great to be able to provide the women with a way to express themselves to the people from whom they are separated. It is nice for me to be able to put my drawing skills to use in a way that is meaningful. I am looking forward to making more drawings for them to color in, and learning what they would like me to draw so that they can have more tools to get their messages across. 

Making these drawings also feels like a good way to connect and build trust with the women. Many of them come every week, so I am starting to get to know some of them and they are recognizing me as someone who is there every week. I think it is meaningful that I am taking time to create art specifically for them. I hope that they can see this as a reflection of the fact that I care about them and this program, as opposed to just going there to fulfill a requirement for school. 

- Kate Solow