Join us this Sunday at 10 am for
Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuary

Bach Cantata Series continues with:
 BWV 109 - "Ich glaube, lieber Herr, hilf meinem Unglauben!"                
       
SUNDAY PARKING - the Back Bay Garage on Clarendon Street – address: 500 Boylston St., Boston 02116. Tickets are available during coffee hour. Your ticket is good for a 3 hour period on Sunday beginning at 8:00am. The price for 3 hours is $5. Beyond that the regular rate applies. 
Tomorrow evening! Emmanuel Center hosts: The Lindsey Legacy: A Celebration in Music - October 19, 7 pm,
Lindsey Chapel
Emmanuel’s Pledge Stewardship Season Underway 
By the end of October, pledge cards for 2018 will have been mailed to those on our mailing list. We hope that you will return them via the mail or the offering plate in early November so that the vestry can plan next year’s operating budget.
A pledge stewardship message from Joy Howard (October 15, 2017)
I stand before you today the descendant of immigrants, refugees, and natives; slaves and slaveholders; hobos and historians; artists and addicts; writers and whiners; soldiers and deserters; liars and lovers; fighters and forgivers; grievers and givers; queers and questioners; founders and newcomers. In other words, I hold at least one thing in common with everyone who has ever crossed the thresholds of Emmanuel Church in the City of Boston.

Like many of you, I would not exist without the many Generosities on the Journey showed to and shared by my ancestors. Many of these generosities are from people I have known and loved. Most are from people I never knew and will likely never know anything about.

For most of my 58 years, I’ve been a regular pledging member of church congregations across three different denominations. What I have learned over the years is that each congregation has its own unique DNA. And in our 10 years here at Emmanuel Church, one of the things I’ve noticed about Emmanuel’s DNA is its fierce, extravagant, even irrational commitment to beauty. Maybe beauty is the electrical current that keeps the heart of Emmanuel Church beating.

Doctors and scientists will tell you that the normal heart has four chambers. They have the pictures to prove it. And while I am by no means in any position to contradict the experts, in my experience as a churchgoer, when I think about pledging, I think of a fifth chamber of the heart: my wallet.

Just as my heart’s ventricles and atria have to open and close and open and close and open to keep my blood flowing, to keep me alive, my wallet has to open and close and open and close and open to help sustain Emmanuel’s long-held commitment to extravagant beauty. For me, pledging is a way of keeping Emmanuel’s heart beating, so we can continue to be a beacon of Generosity on the Journey for people we know and love, people we know and whom we struggle to love, and the countless people we will never know.

I hope you will join me in pledging generously to Emmanuel Church for 2018, to help keep our quirky community’s heart beating for the next year. And if I haven’t made a case for that yet, perhaps this poem will. It’s a poem about the heart and it’s called “Heart,” by Maggie Smith, from the book Good Bones .

A child of, say, six knows you’re not the shape
she’s learned to make by drawing half along a fold,
cutting, then opening. Where do you open?
Where do you carry your dead? There’s no locket
for that—hinged, hanging on a chain that greens
your throat. And the dead inside you, don’t you
hear them breathing? You must have a hole
they can press their gray lips to. If you open—
when you open—will we find them folded inside?
In what shape? I mean what shape is made
whole by opening? I mean besides the heart? 
Newcomer's Brunch soon!
Join us on Sunday, October 29th!  If you been coming to Emmanuel Church since last fall, we would love to invite you to a Brunch following the 10 a.m. Eucharist in the Music Room on the second floor of the parish house (above the Parish Hall). Whether you first came last fall or just this past Sunday, let’s share a simple meal and get to know each other better. Perhaps you may have questions? There’s nothing to bring. Please let me know by Wednesday, October 25th. I’m Deacon Bob and so you can let me know at church or if more convenient you can call my cell phone (617-429-1545) or email me (rgreiner210@gmail.com). We’re looking forward to seeing you!
Rector's Bible Study resumes in November
Tuesday morning Bible Study meets from 7:30-8:30 a.m. in the Emmanuel Room during in odd-numbered months. Come whenever you are able to join us for this lively conversation with the Rector.
Morning Prayer in the Lindsey Chapel
At 8:00 am on Tuesdays during even numbered months, gather with us in the Lindsey Chapel for Morning Prayer Rite II. Services will begin in October and will continue throughout the year on even numbered months. Join us in deepening our connection to God and one another through common prayer.
An invitation - event is next week!
Emmanuel Center
Virtual Field Trip: Hidden Sacred Spaces

Emmanuel Center is pleased to present a photograph exhibit called, “Hidden Sacred Spaces” in our Music Room on the second floor of the parish house. The project, which explores the sacred spaces of everyday life in and around greater Boston, is a collaboration between photographer  Randall Armor , historian  Alice Friedman , and sociologist  Wendy Cadge

In addition to the historic churches, temples and mosques that dot the Boston skyline, sacred spaces are hidden around the edges of the city, just out of view. These chapels, meditation spaces and prayer rooms serve a spiritual mission within otherwise secular institutions. Some were designed by well-known architects while others were created informally by people desiring a small retreat. They may be familiar and accessible or truly hidden from public view, but they all invite passers-by to pause, sit for a moment, and reflect. Sites include municipal buildings, shopping malls, military installations, schools and universities, health care organizations, prisons, mental health centers, cemeteries, senior living communities and rehabilitation centers. This remarkable project provides a glimpse into the life and history of the city from a sacred edge and an appreciation for what these spaces offer.

Through Thursday, November 2, the exhibit is best accessed after church on Sundays in October.
Ecclesia Ministries
Support Ecclesia Ministries and common cathedral’s programs : Click on the link below that will take you to a new way to support the programs. Please consider checking out our wish list by clicking the green button below. Click on an item and help out! 
Thank you!
Amanda Grant-Rose
Universal Worship
All are invited to a Universal Worship Service in the Lindsey Chapel on Saturday, October 21st at 3:00 PM. Universal Worship celebrates the one human family of which we are all a part.  Readings, chants, and prayers from the world’s major religions are offered for learning about and developing tolerance for our brothers and sisters of different faiths, and perhaps to discover one Wisdom behind them all. The service will be conducted by Pauline Medice and Hermione Garland, Cherags of the Sufi Order International of Boston. Information about the service and local Meditation classes can be found at  www.gardenlight.org .

Emmanuel Music News
A message from the Episcopal Relief & Development -
Hurricane Relief Fund -  

Please give to our Hurricane Relief Fund and help our partners reach vulnerable communities devastated after Hurricane Irma and other major storms. In the face of what is a record-breaking hurricane season, please donate to provide relief to devastated communities in the Caribbean and the US. by clicking on the link below.
Central Reform Temple
  Central Reform Temple has a monthly e-newsletter, Kol Nefesh (Every Voice). To keep abreast of their upcoming events you can read it by clicking the button below to visit their website . If you are interested in receiving CRT's monthly bulletin, Kol Nefesh, please send an email request to: info@centralreformtemple.org 
Becoming Beloved Community: the
Episcopal Church’s Long-Term Commitment
Becoming Beloved Community : the Episcopal Church’s Long-Term Commitment to Racial Healing, Reconciliation and Justice. Churchwide discussion and webinars have begun. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings and officers of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies are inviting Episcopalians to study and commit to using Becoming Beloved Community: The Episcopal Church’s Long-term Commitment to Racial Healing, Reconciliation and Justice. Leaders say Becoming Beloved Community is designed as a strategic path through distinct phases that lead to personal and structural change.

  • Telling the Truth about the Church and Race, via a census to determine church demographics and a Racial Justice Audit to study the impact of racism on the Church’s leadership, organizations and bodies
  • Proclaiming the Dream of Beloved Community, via a series of regional public listening and learning engagements, starting with a partnership at Washington National Cathedral
  • Practicing the Way of Love, via a churchwide Beloved Community story-sharing campaign, multilingual and multigenerational formation and training, pilgrimages and liturgical resources
  • Repairing the Breach in Institutions and Society, via advocacy for criminal justice reform, re-entry collaboratives shaped by people moving from prison back to community, and partnership with Saint Augustine’s University and Voorhees College (the historically black university and college associated with the Episcopal Church)

For more information go to www.episcopalchurch.org.  
At Emmanuel - 

Name Tags for All - Because it's always nice to be able to attach a name to a face, we encourage you to wear a name tag. You may find them along the wall in the Parish Hall, alphabetized by FIRST name. We encourage you to put your pronouns (he/him, she/her, etc.) on your name tag. By doing this, we help make Emmanuel Church a more welcoming place for transgender worshippers. If you don't see a name tag along the wall in the Parish Hall, and would like to have one, please find Penny Lane at church or email her at penelopelane77@gmail.com with your name and pronouns.


Small Wonders ! This is our program for young children and meets the 1st Sunday of each month during the sermon and prayers of the 10:00 service. We are using the Godly Play curriculum, based on Montessori principles. Children have an innate sense of the presence of God. The Godly Play approach helps them to explore their faith through story, gain religious language and enhance their spiritual experience though wonder and play. A simple seasonal/ lectionary appropriate story will be told. Curiosity and imagination will be encouraged as the children experience the mystery, joy, and love of God! The program is led by Jaime Bonney and Linnea Massie. Please escort children to the back of the chapel during the end of the Gospel hymn. From there they will follow Jaime and Linnea into the Sanctuary for Small Wonders.

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.

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.
Reminder of Sanctuary
In a typical week, Emmanuel Church provides sanctuary and hospitality for as many as 1500 people who are living on the various margins of our society because of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, addiction, immigration status, religion, and so on. Coming together to help lift heavy hearts and carry heavy burdens is what we do, and many hands make light work. Every single one of us has some capacity to join in this vital mission, thanks to Love. – plw

Emmanuel Church supports the mission of religious, social service, and artistic organizations by providing space and some staff support for meetings, concerts, events and functions. As our mission states, Emmanuel Church strives for justice and peace. Your financial contributions help us continue to support these organizations vital to the health and spiritual wellness of the City of Boston. We are proud to support the mission of: 

  • AA and Al-Anon Meetings
  • Artists-in-Residence: Sara Peattie, Puppeteer & Ted Southwick, Woodcarver
  • Back Alley Puppet Theater & Free Lending Library
  • Back Bay Chorale: weekly rehearsals
  • Boston Gay Men’s Chorus: weekly rehearsals
  • Boston Early Music Festival
  • BostonWarm (see Ecclesia Ministries below)
  • Calliope: weekly rehearsals
  • Central Reform Temple
  • Ecclesia Ministries: BostonWarm day center for people without shelter; and the common art studio program for unhoused and marginally housed people
  • Eliot Center: Safe Haven, a shelter for women
  • Emmanuel Music, Inc.
  • Ethos: weekly GLBT Senior luncheon
  • Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
  • Onnuri I:um Chapel Korean Presbyterian Campus Ministry
  • Universal Worship in Boston: A Celebration of One Human Family
  The Episcopal Church welcomes you! Come and see...
watch the video below and learn more.   

Contact: The Rev. Amanda March,
Parish Operations Manager
at parishadmin.emmanuel@gmail.com
Learn more by clicking the links below.

Website    Worship    Mission    Community     Action    About
15 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116