Outside in our Parish House garden is this statue of St Francis, so I see it often coming to and from the parsonage next door. 35 years ago, when Bob and I married, we used the Prayer of St. Francis at our wedding, hoping, as young people do, that we might be instruments of God's peace. It's a tall, tall order, we now know. We've much more still to learn about Francis' way.
This week I'm reading Richard Rohr's recent book
, Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi
. As a Franciscan friar himself, Rohr knows well the overly romanticized Francis, of birds and flowers. But Rohr also has explored and experienced the power of what Francis, and his friend Clare taught: that all of us can learn from nature, from meditation, from what is all around us on earth, in the here and now. In the Franciscan world, everything is a revelation of the divine. All the world is sacred, and we are part of it. All that we need is right here and right now, in this world.
Our job as humans, Rohr says, is to deliberately choose to remain in the beauty, to admire others, to adore God. To give thanks.
That's hardly the tone of our current political debate - admiring everyone. It's unlikely to be the way most of us go about our days. What can we learn from Francis that is applicable today?
+Joy
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You're Invited to an Afternoon Tea.
The staff of King's Chapel is hosting an afternoon tea for our members and friends. Please join us at the Parish House on Wednesday, October 12, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM.
RSVP to gretchen@kings-chapel.org if you can come!
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Sermon Series on Parables: Stories Jesus Told | September 18 - October 30
This fall, Shawn and Joy will offer a sermon series on the parables, as told in Luke. Has "church" missed what Jesus wanted to convey? What's relevant now? Catch the series at all worship services,
September 18-October 30. Can't come some day? Sermons also are posted on our web site and on YouTube. |
Lecture Series: Islam Beyond the Stereotypes | 13 and 27
The Adult Religious Education Committee is pleased to sponsor three lectures in October called "Islam: Beyond the Stereotypes." Our first session was held last night, with a fascinating, academic discussion by Prof. Jim Morris on the "Visible and Invisible Islam".
The goal of this series is to present an informed view of Islam tha
t avoids stereotypes and acknowledges the wide variety of cultural, social and political contexts that chara
cterize the world's second largest faith.
The remaining evening lectures are as follows:
*Thursday, October 13, 2016: "Contemporary Muslim Women: Challenges and Opportunities" by Natana J. Delong-Bas, Professor of Theology, Boston College. Professor Delong-Bas is a recognized expert on contemporary Islamic thought and practice and the editor-in-chief of the
Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women
. She will speak on issues facing Muslim women and the differing roles women assume in Muslim societies worldwide.
Thursday, October 27, 2016: "The Challenges of Young Mu
slims in America" by Imam Taymullah Abdur-Rahman, Muslim Chaplain at Harvard University. He is a colleague of Shaykr Yasir Fahmy, Imam of the Society of the Boston Cultural Center and a regular speaker at the ISBCC. He will speak on issues facing young Muslims and a vision of Islam in America that reflects the tradition as wel
l as the cultural realities of life in Boston and the US.
Each talk will take p
lace from 7:00 and 8:30 pm at King's Chapel Parish House, 64 Beacon Street, Boston. Light refreshments will be provided at 6:30. Space is limited, so please RSVP to Gretc
hen Horton, Parish Administrator at
indicating the dates of the lecture(s) selected.
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Volunteers Needed: Sandwich Making |Sunday October 16, 9:30 AM
On
October 16th
we will be partnering with common cathedral to provide lunch and fellowship. common is an outdoor congregation, housed and unhoused, that worships each
Sunday
at
1 pm
on Boston Common. King's Chapel members will be gathering at
9:30
at the Parish House to make sandwiches that we will be sharing with the common cathedral community at
12:30
.
Amanda Grant-Rose, the Execut
ive Director, of common cathedral will be joining us on
October 16th
for worship at both the
9 and 11 AM
services, and for sandwich making. Daughter of a Presbyterian minister and a social worker, Amanda has long been drawn to working,on behalf of others. Come and meet her, and stay if you can to walk over with us to serve lunch.
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Concert Series: Requiem Concert, October 30
The next concert in our Sunday series will take place on October 30 at 5 PM. Join us for a unique concert experience as the King's Chapel Choir performs two stunning a cappella Requiem Masses by Palestrina and Pizzetti, Italian masters separated by 400 years. Interspersed between the mass movements will be reflections on mortality from scripture, Mary Oliver, Maya Angelou, and more. Following the concert, parishioners and friends are invited to greet the performers and each other a wine and cheese reception at the Parish House. |
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Habitat for Humanity Fall
"Build Out" | Saturday,
November 5
Join us at a local area HFH home, place to be determined in the Roxbury or Roslindale area. We would like to gather ten generous people who enjoy using their hands at a variety of tasks. There is room for every level of skills...fear not!! This will be a full day, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, with a one hour lunch break.
A donation to HFH of $40.00 per volunteer is welcome, and is optional. Please feel free to adjust amount up or down according to your situation. Make contribution out to King's Chapel with a notation "HFH Build". The Community Action Committee will match and assure that HFH Greater Boston receives a minimum of $750.00 , and ,of course, the volunteers handiwor. To register, and for more information contact Emanuel Genovese at
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Fall 2016 Minns Lectures: Sources of a Global Faith | November 11, 12 and 13
Register at www.MinnsLectures.com for this unique opportunity to hear and learn from three prominent Unitarian ministers from Kolozsvár, Transylvania who serve the Transylvanian partner churches of King's Chapel and First Church Boston. Lectures, panel presentations, and concluding sermons will explain the ideals and core practices that Transylvanian Unitarians hold dear, and explore how they may help to shape a compelling Unitarian faith for the future that has true global appeal.
Specific speakers, topics and times are as follows: "Transcendentalism in Transylvania" by the Rev. Csaba Mezei, Friday, November 11, King's Chapel, 6 pm; "The Future of Transylvanian Unitarian Liturgy" by the Rev. Norbert Rácz, Saturday, November 12, First Church Boston, 12 Noon; and "What Will Be the Sources of a Global Unitarian Faith?", a panel discussion with Revs. Norbert Rácz, Mária Racz, Czaba Mezei, and Roger Bertschausen from the UU Partner Church Council, Saturday, November 12, First Church Boston, 3 pm. In between the two Saturday events a free lunch will be served, and there will be time to visit information tables on UU partner church activities and the July 2016 Habitat for Humanity build in Transylvania being organized by King's Chapel member Peter Sexton.
On Sunday, November 13, the Rev. Norbert Rácz will preach at the 11 am service at King's Chapel and the Rev. Czaba Mezei will preach at the 11 am service at First Church Boston. Additional opportunities to meet and greet our guests from Transylvania during their stay will be announced soon. |
Sunday, November 13: A Day to be Experienced and Remembered
On Sunday, November 13, at King's Chapel, the morning service will honor our Unitarian Partner Church in Kolozsvár, Transylvania. Its minister, the Reverend Norbert Rácz, will preach the sermon. We are expecting a delegation of UUA leaders to participate in the service, and the partner church ministers,
Reverend Rácz and Reverend Fallon, will celebrate communion in the Transylvanian tradition.
As sixteen parishioners who've been to Transylvania well know, the relationship between our congregations is deep and transformative. Since the 1920s, there have been numerous visits between
Boston and Kolozsvár. Transylvania is considered the birthplace of Unitarianism as we know it.
Reverend Rácz and his wife Mária will be in Boston to deliver the Minns Lectures (see above). During their week-long visit, we will have opportunity to visit with this young couple and share our cultures and our faith. More information about opportunities to meet and greet our guests from Transylvania will be announced soon. |
"We Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice, and Weep with Those Who Weep" (Romans 12:15)
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This week we hold Shawn's grandmother, Regina Noell, in our prayers. Regina has taken ill with pneumonia in both lungs, and at age 98 is struggling to recover. Shawn is with her now. Our prayers go to Shawn and his family.
This week we also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Joseph Basset's ordination. Joe and his wife Nancy are members of King's Chapel; Joe was a student here, learning under the Rev. Joseph Barth; and Joe served for many years as the Minister at our sister church, First Parish in Chestnut Hill, which also uses a version of our prayer book to this day. Joe is an expert in church history, theology and liturgy, and has often helped me, as I try to learn the ropes of ministry here at King's Chapel.
+ Joy |
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To see last Sunday's Parable Series sermon by the Rev. Fiedler, "Increase Our Faith!" click:
HERE
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Wednesday Service
October 5
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Holy Communion | 6 PM
The Rev. Shawn Fiedler will Preach
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- Amy Meyer, Hospitality
- Lia Atanat,Verger
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Sunday Services
October 9
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Morning Light | 9 AM
Church School | 10 AM
Morning Prayer | 11 AM
The Rev. Joy Fallon will Preach
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The Rev. Dr. Joseph Bassett
, Lector
- Anne Sexton and Paul Luca, Head Ushers
- Gregg Sorensen, Usher in Charge
- Julie Hyde, Jim Carroll, and Judy Luca, Ushers
- Lia Atanat, Verger
The Readings:
- Psalm 66
- Old Testament:
- New Testament:
The flowers on the Communion table are given by Richard and Cynthia Perkins in loving memory of their parents and in celebration of their 12th wedding anniversary.
At the communion rail following the service,
Jim Power
will greet those interested in learning more about King's Chapel.
After the service, all are invited to Coffee Hour hosted by
Amy Meyer and friends of the Hospitality Committee.
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From the Bench:
By Heinrich Christensen
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The featured composer this Sunday is German Max Reger who died 100 years ago. Although raised Catholic, Reger developed an affinity for Lutheran chorale tunes, and his most famous works tend to be extended and fiendishly difficult chorale fantasias for organ. However, we will focus on his gentler side, in a chorale prelude on Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, the hymn tune inspired by Psalm 130 (Out of the deep I cry to you), and a charming Siciliano from his opus 46, Six Trios. Much of Reger's writing was inspired by Baroque forms, with his own brand of late romantic expressionism superimposed. The choir will sing three of Reger's pieces, Morgengesang (Morning Song),
Unser lieben Frauen Traum (The Dream of Our Sweet Lady), and Der Mensch lebt, a setting of this somewhat somber text by Matthias Claudius (1740-1815):
Man lives but for a short while,
and all the world's glory shall pass away.
Only one is eternal,
and we are in His hands.
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Tuesday October 11 |
12:15 PM
Jean Danton, soprano
Dolores August, flute
Louise Mundinger, organ
Bach, Handel, Mundinger
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News From the Parish House...
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New Vergers!
We are delighted to have two regular vergers to assist with our services and events.
You may have met Lia Atanat during our Freedom Trail Visitor hours, or covering during the summer as our outdoor verger during the Morning Prayer service. Lia has agreed to take over the full verging of the Morning Prayer service, and other events at the church, and we are thrilled to have her!
Lia is thrilled to share and explore Boston's history with the King's Chapel team. After a few years of academic and non-academic soul-searching (including five years living in Alaska), she graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in anthropology and archaeology and an M.A. in U.S. History from Boston College. In her free time Lia likes making art, cooking, and spending time outside.
Carol Sentenne, whom many of you met last spring at the church when she was verging there, has returned to verge at our Morning Light service. More on Carol to follow next week.
Thank you to the many members and friends who stepped in to assist during the summer when we were without regular vergers. Thanks especially go to Anne Sexton, Carol Genovese, Amy Meyer, Sylvia Soderberg, Todd Lee and Karen Dalton. This committed group of people helped to assure that our services would continue without a hitch, and did a superb job! We are so grateful for your assistance!
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Refreshed Website Coming Soon
Church websites are now considered to be the "front door" of the church for visitors. Many looking for a new spiritual community will first explore a church website before ever sitting foot in the sanctuary. Our website is currently being cleaned up and refreshed. Look for updates and more information soon.
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Leadership Opportunities with King's Chapel
The KC Nominating Committee (Carol Genovese, Lee Glenn and Allen Speight, Chair) is currently seeking suggestions for candidates for leadership positions for new terms starting in 2017. These include Senior and Junior Wardens, Vestry and At-Large Parish Council representatives, as well as Committee Chairs not appointed at the last Annual Meeting. Please forward any suggestions to one of the Nominating Committee members.
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Stewardship Campaign Update
Thanks to all who continue to pledge to the life of King's Chapel. We are grateful for our most recent donors:
Julie Sprague,
Michael and Pamela Bergeron,
Sharon Clark,
and to all who commit their time, talent, and treasure to helping us grow and serve.
We have made 85% of our financial goal of $195,000, and have many people volunteering to bring our meaningful programs to all. Thank you!
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October Meetings
Tuesday October 11:
*Vestry Mtg., 6:00 pm
Tuesday October 18:
*Buildings and Grounds Mtg., 7:30 am
*ARE Mtg., 7:15 pm
Thursday October 20:
*CAC Mtg., 6:30 pm
Is your committee planning to meet in the next month? Please contact our Parish Administrator, Gretchen Horton, to add to our calendar.
admin@kings-chapel.org
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From the Chancel Committee
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Have you ever thought you would like to donate flowers for the Sunday Service but are unsure what one needs to do?
Flowers are placed on the chancel table every Sunday of the year with the exception of the 6 week Lenten period.
Flowers can be donated for a variety of reasons. They can be in memory of a loved one who has died, in thanksgiving for a special occurrence, or in celebration of a new birth or anniversary. They may also be donated as living prayers and symbols for peace and hope.
Please confirm with Anne Sexton if you have a regular Sunday that you would like to continue. Anne can be reached at the following email:
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Anyone can help!
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Enter your email and select a spot to fill. New volunteers may choose to co-host with a buddy. Questions? Email
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Interested in Membership?
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Contributing to Between Sundays
Want something in Between Sundays? Feel free to email Brad at
brad@kings-chapel.org with a written piece and/or pictures before Tuesday at noon!
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Accessibility Assists
Our beautiful Georgian sanctuary designed by Peter Harrison and completed in 1754, has been lovingly maintained by the congregation since its completion. One of the box pews has been made wheel-chair accessible. Ushers are available to assist those who are wheelchair-bound to that pew.
A sound system has been installed in the sanctuary of The Chapel to amplify the sound during worship services. Hearing assistance devices are available for your use. Please see an Usher for assistance.
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