A week from now we'll be in Lent, the six week period preceding Easter. Some will have smudged ashes on our foreheads, and will have begun "giving up" some of our
favorite delights.
But before Lent begins, we get one last dose of blinding sunshine and delicious sweets. A stunning Wow.
The sweets will be found at our annual Pancake Breakfast, on Sunday, February 26th at the Parish House, between our two services: the 9 AM Morning Light Service in the Little Chapel, and 11 AM Morning Prayer Service at the Stone Chapel. Help yourself to stacks of pancakes, with many different toppings, between 9:30 and 11 AM on the second floor of the Parish House (64 Beacon St).
And the blinding light promised before Lent? That will appear at worship - in the odd but powerful story of Jesus suddenly drenched in shocking white raiment on top of a mountain. The story implies that everything suddenly became clear for Jesus and a few of his followers -- one final epiphany of insight, as we wrap up the Epiphany season.
Wouldn't that be great for all of us? A moment of Wow, where everything becomes clear about life. Klieg lights illuminating answers: what we should do in thorny situations, how we could feel more fulfilled, whether we must intervene in others' problems or stand clear.
In biblical language, the lessons say Jesus was "transfigured" - transformed to be more elevated and beautiful than before. Could that happen to us, too? What would it take? Come feast with us before Lent.
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Happy Birthday to our Bell!
We celebrate the 201st birthday of our unique bell today! Join us in ringing in this special occasion.
In addition to regularly offered Bells & Bones tours on the hour, tours to the bell will be held at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 2:30 PM. Visitors who tour the bell tower will receive a birthday cupcake following the tour! King's Chapel staff will be ringing the bell throughout the week to commemorate this historic event.
Can't make it today? We are open tomorrow and Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM and on Sunday 1 PM - 4 PM
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Prayer Retreat at Glastonbury Abbey
Last weekend, 16 friends and members of King's Chapel stayed together in a private guest house at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, not far from the ocean. The Rev. Joy Fallon led a series of workshops on different forms of prayer, and many of us attended the short sung services held throughout the day by the abbey monks. Reflecting later about the experience, many of us were surprised by the calm and clarity that we gained, stepping away from the hurried pace of life, walking by the ocean, watching the pines, creating new art, or sitting in quiet with a piece of scripture and imaging what it would be like to be in the story with Jesus. Most important, we met new people, got to know each other better over meals, and shared about our experience of sacred time. We learned and we grew.
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Shrove Pancake Breakfast
Sunday February 26 | 9:45 AM
How many pancakes can you eat? We dare you to attend our Shrove Pancake Breakfast and find out! Join us at
9:45 AM at the Parish House to eat your fill before the Lent season begins. This year, we are asking for monetary or canned food donations as part of your buffet fee. All proceeds will go towards the Boston Food Bank.
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Concert Series: Handel and Haydn Society - Beethoven Sonatas | February 26 | 5PM
The next concert in our Sunday series is February 26 at 5pm, when the Handel and Haydn Society will present violinist Susanna Ogata and fortepianist Ian Watson playing three Beethoven Sonatas. As always, advance tickets are available at a $5 discount at the following LINK.
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Lent and Holy Week:
Important Dates to Mark on Your Calendars
A full brochure of all Lent and Holy programs and services can be found on our website at www.kings-chapel.org and in the church vestibule. Please mark your calendars now for upcoming services, concerts, and special presentations on this theme: Discovering the Sacred in Art. Among other activities, we'll hear presentations on our church architecture, the Jesus Window at the front of the church (why is it closed except on Easter?), and the stained glass work Emanuel Genovese has crafted for many sacred spaces in the Boston area.
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Ash Wednesday | March 1
King's Chapel will host two services on Ash Wednesday, at 12:15 and 6 PM. Ash Wednesday is the start of the Season of Lent-40 days of
reflection and
preparation for Easter. Both services will include a time of confession, a short homily, and the imposition of ashes as a sign of our morality. Ashes are made from burnt palm branches from last year's Palm Sunday observances. The Rev. Joy Fallon will preach. King's Chapel will be open from 8 AM to 6 PM with clergy and lay volunteers available for the impositions of ashes.
The first service held in King's Chapel on Ash Wednesday took place on February 26, 1868 under the ministry of the Rev. Henry Wilder Foote. His bust stands behind the pulpit at the front of the church. The Rev. Joseph Barth instituted the imposition of ashes at this service in 1966.
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Godspeed, Rev. Shawn Fiedler | March 5 | 11 AM
Our Assistant Minister, the Rev. Shawn Michael Fiedler, will be leaving King's Chapel in one month's time;
March 5 will be his last Sunday. Shawn will be moving to Chicago, Illinois to join his partner Joshua who took a new job in Chicago last fall. Shawn will be joining the staff at the historic Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago as their worship coordinator. To read Shawn's letter to the congregation and for the letter in which Senior Warden Miguel Gomez-Ibanez and Senior Minister Joy Fallon express their thanks for Shawn, and describe membership of the search committee established for our new Assistant Minister click
here. To see the job description, click
here.
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Farewell Party | March 5 | 12:30 PM
Join us on
March 5 at 11 AM
as Shawn offers his final
se
rmon at King's Chapel. Following the service, we will celebrate Shawn's ministry among us with
a fe
stive reception at the Parish House. We
will toast Shawn, give thanks for his work at King's Chapel, and wish him Godspeed as he embarks on a new journey in Chicago. Shawn has been with us since 2014 and was our first full-time Assistant Minister in recent memory. All are encouraged to attend.
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Lenten Series for 2017: "Imaging the Word"
Many of us associate Lent with giving something up, such as alcohol or red meat. But do these sacrifices really make us more spiritual or merely help us shed a few pounds? This year, instead of focusing on subtraction, the Reverend Joy Fallon is offering a special positive Lenten series called "Imaging the Word." Her series explores visual perceptions that will enhance our understanding of the Bible passages for sermons the following week. Each discussion will draw on artwork, photography, and poetry to deepen the participants' experience of the passage ("the Word.")
Copies of a beautiful coffee-table book called Imaging the Word will be available for participants' use during the discussion sessions and at the Parish House.
Participants need not attend all sessions, and there is no charge, but rsvp'ing to Gretchen Horton at gretchen
@kings-chapel.org
is greatly appreciated.
These sessions will take place at King's Chapel each Wednesday evening beginning March 8th and ending April 5, at 7 PM following the 6PM Worship Service and a light supper.
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common art show at King's Chapel | March 12 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Join us on Sunday March 12 as we host an art show between our two Sunday services.
common art, a program of
common cathedral, is a unique program that provides sp
ace, materials and support to homeless people to help de
velop their artistic abilities. People who live in shelters, rooming houses and on Boston's streets, gather every Wednesday at Emmanuel Church in Boston to draw, paint, sculpt, make crafts and to share with other artists in like circumstances.
For most members, common art is a chance to express their artistic gifts. For some, art is a professional path, interrupted and suspended by calamity and homelessness. For others, it's pure joy, an oasis of form and color in otherwise dry times. For all, it's a simple and welcome relief from daily difficulty.
common art
meets once a week. A typical gathering includes 40 - 75 artists, along with volunteers, interns and staff. Artists are provided with materials and space to draw, write, paint and sculpt, as well as create beautiful crafts.
Meet many of these artists and support their efforts by attending a
common art
show on Sunday, March 12, 9:30- 11:30 AM, at King's Chapel Parish House, located at 64 Beacon St. in Boston. Sponsored by the Community Action Committee, w
e are looking for people to help with the show or to donate food for a light breakfast and lunch. To sign up to help contact Judy Luca at
judyg143@gmail.com
.
Learn more about common art online here.
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Adult Religious Education (ARE) in our Community
In our continuing effort to show solidarity and support for our Muslim friends and neighbors, the ARE is working with the Islamic Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) to visit their Mosque in Roxbury on a Friday evening in March or April. The ISBCC is very thankful and moved by our efforts to show support, and on the evening of our visit, will give us a tour of the mosque, refreshments, and the chance to worship with them. As soon as we have determined the date for the visit, we will update the congregation on the details for the event, including the transportation plans to and from the mosque from the Parish House.
Please contact John Natoli, chair of Adult Religious Education, at jfn777@gmail.com if you have any questions.
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Welcome to New Members:
Kent and Becky Wittenburg
Kent and Becky Wittenburg moved to Charlestown Navy Yard three and a half years ago after raising their two children in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Becky grew up in south Texas and moved to the northeast with Kent and their children 25 years ago. Kent was also born in Texas, but when he was 5, his family moved to New England. he had the benefit of spending lots of time growing up with his mother's family centered in Marblehead. Kent's father grew up in a town next to Becky's in south Texas, which explains how Becky and Kent met. Kent works in an engineering research lab in Cambridge. Both enjoy sailing during the warmer months and are delighted to find a new home at King's Chapel.
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"We Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice, and Weep with Those Who Weep"
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We mourn with Barbara Fay the death last week of her former husband, Charlie.
Barbara and their son Jonathan held vigil with Charlie through his last days. He passed away on February 12.
We join in prayer for Angie Genovese, daughter-in- law of Carol and Emanuel, and wife of their son Tony. Angie is undergoing major abdominal surgery on Friday to remove a large benign tumor.
We rejoice that Leo Johnson has returned to Newbridge Rehabilitation facility in Dedham, after being re-hospitalized last weekend due to respiratory congestion and pain. The best times to visit or telephone Leo are between 1 and 3 pm. We hold in prayer both Leo and his wife Dorothy as Leo continues to recover.
We rejoice with Peter Thomson that his wife Elizabeth is returning today to the Memory Unit at Goddard House in Brookline, after a period of hospitalization. We also continue to hold in prayer and love Peter's daughter Wendy, receiving hospice care at her home in Jamaica Plain.
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Sunday Services
February 26
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Morning Light | 9 AM
Church School | 10 AM
Morning Prayer| 11 AM
The Rev. Joy Fallon will Preach
- Joan Hunt, Lector
- Emily Bieber-Harris & Heather Holland, Soloists
- Anne Sexton & Paul Luca, Head Ushers
- Charles Perry, Usher in Charge
- Marie Wells, Amy Meyer, & David Wheeler, Ushers
- Lia Atanat, Verger
The Readings:
- Psalm 2
- Old Testament:
- New Testament:
At the communion rail following the service,
Marie Wells will greet those interested in learning more about King's Chapel.
After the service, all are invited to Coffee Hour, hosted by
Betsy Peterson and friends of the Hospitality Committee.
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Mid-day Prayer with Sermon | 12:15 pm
The Rev. Shawn Fiedler will Preach
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Evening Service | 6 PM
- Emily Bieber-Harris, Soloist
- Lia Atanat, Verger
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From the Bench:
By Heinrich Christensen
Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee
All things are passing;
God never changeth;
Patient endurance
Attaineth to all things;
Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
Alone God sufficeth.
St. Teresa of Avila
H. W. Longfellow (translator)
These words of comfort will open our service this Sunday, first sung by Emily Bieber in a setting by David Conte from his cycle entitled Songs of Consolation, second in a lovely 6-part choral setting by Edward Tyler.
The motet is Beautiful Savior, arranged by the legendary F. Melius Christiansen, longtime director of the choral program at St. Olaf College, MN. And for some final festivity before we let Lenten somberness overtake us, the choir will sing Herbert Howells' Jubilate, written for King's College, Cambridge.
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Tuesday, February 28
12:15 PM
Emily Bieber, soprano
Denise Konicek, soprano
Heinrich Christensen, organ
Carissimi Duets
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Upcoming Meetings at King's Chapel
* February 28 | 6 PM:
Joint Vestry/Council
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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?
We would like to place flowers 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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A Note from the Chancel Committee
You might have noticed that we have switched to the use of white wine in the celebration of Holy Communion. The decision was made in an attempt to reduce the damage done by red wine on our communion linens. The use of white or amber wine is an increasingly common practice in North American liturgical churches that celebrate Holy Communion with some frequency. White wine was the preferred choice for many protestant reformers. Luther, Calvin, and others hoped that white wine would help their followers see the bread and wine as symbols. For many centuries, white wine was easier to access on the European continent. Some churches use grape juice for Holy Communion. In the 19th century, many protestant denominations were persuaded that the unfermented juice of the grape was an important witness to the grace of God and of the churches resistance to the abuses of alcoholic beverage. Methodist Thomas Bramwell Welch took the lead and invented the pasteurization process for the prevention of the fermentation of grape juice-Welch's Grape Juice. In some parts of the world and in some traditions (including Morm
onism), water is used.
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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
Our enewsletter is sent each Thursday afternoon. Want something in Between Sundays? Feel free to email Brad at
brad@kings-chapel.org with a written piece and/or pictures before Wednesday 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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