Every Wednesday morning nearby King's Chapel, artists
enter a large room filled with tables of art supplies and
bring to life their dreams and concerns with
paintbrushes and yarn, markers and canvas: colorful
expressions of life, as we humans try to understand it.
Some of the artists are homeless. Others are now housed. Each has precious gifts. This is common art, a program of common cathedral. This Sunday, the artists will display their creations for us, and works will be available for purchase.
One of the artists well known at common art was
Frank Brescia, often a "welcoming presence to the others gathered in the space, making sure each felt they
belonged". That is what was said of Frank last week at his memorial service. Tears flowed, because Frank had been murdered in his new apartment. He'd turned his life around, was no longer homeless and, as the Boston
Globe reported in a long article three years ago, his art
had helped him heal. Others were appreciating his talent, and Frank was selling his paintings.
The piece shown here is an example; Frank explained that it shows a yellow building with only one wall: the feeling of being homeless. Frank's community is our community, because for many years we have been engaging with common cathedral, our sister church that worships outdoors on Boston Common, a congregation of the housed and unhoused.
This Sunday, we can offer support to those who mourn. It's what church does: we weep with those who weep. Come and give strength and consolation by your
presence.
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This past
Sunday, we sent assistant minister Shawn Fiedler off to his new ministry at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago in a blaze of glory. It was a day of much emotion, beginning with 30 people celebrating Communion at Morning Light.
It
continued
with a festive
11 AM service, including a Te Deum in thanksgiving for Shawn's ministry, and for communion a Missa Nunc Dimittis written
by Heinrich especially for the occasion. Shawn's final sermon admonished us not to be led into the temptation of thinking church life and value can be measured in numbers, but rather to make a difference as we touch lives with the beauty of our worship
and the beauty of lives lived in compassion
A high tea with finger sandwiches, hearty soup, madeleines, and Konditor Meister pastries followed at the Parish House, hosted by the hospitality committee and many helpers. Guests of honor included Shawn's parents and of course his partner Josh. Heinrich emceed the roasts and toasts offered by Joy Fallon, Joei Perry, Anne Sexton, Cathy Price, Amanda Pickett, and a royal succession of no less than four senior wardens (an historic event in itself!): Sylvia Soderberg, Dean Denniston, Cliff Allen, and Miguel Gomez-Ibanez. Shawn was presented with a champagne toast and a silver engraved Revere bowl for the grand finale: "Pastor, Preacher, Liturgist and Friend." It is safe to say there was not a dry eye in the house. We wish Shawn every happiness in his bright future in Chicago! |
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A Note From Hospitality Chair Gregg Sorenson
Dear friends:
I want to thank everyone who generously assisted and contributed items to Shawn Fiedler's Goodbye Tea last
Sunday. It was a grand affair, and I've been hearing positive comments from members who were in attendance. Although we ran out of food, we can say that we exceeded projected capacity with joy and aplomb. (85+ joined us. That's a record for my time at King's Chapel.)
I greatly enjoyed working with everyone as we chopped, boiled, peeled, beat, whisked, stirred, and mixed. KC has such a warm and inviting community and the kitchen is one of our treasured gathering places.
I want to give a special "shout out" to Dean Lynch who made the wonderful barley vegetable soup, artistic garnishes, and served as our culinary guru and guiding light. I also want to mention Gretchen Horton, our Parish Administrator, who helped with the planning, set up
on Saturday and clean up
on Sunday.
Once again, thank you. Here's to our next adventure.
Cheers,
Gregg Sorensen
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Lent and Holy Week:
Important Dates to Mark on Your Calendars
As part of our Lenten theme, Discovering the Sacred in Art, we are hosting the following talks, Sundays after our Morning Prayer service:
Sunday March 19th - Bill Kuttner will talk about the Jesus Window and Its History
Sunday March 26th - Todd Lee will talk about King's Chapel as a Sacred Space: The architecture of Peter Harrison
Sunday March 26th - Emanuel Genovese will discuss Touching the Sacred: Creating Contemporary Stained Glass Windows.
A full brochure of all Lent and Holy Week programs and services can be found on our website at www.kings-chapel.org and in the church vestibule.
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Lenten Series for 2017: "Imaging the Word"| Beginning Wednesday March 8 | 7 PM
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 please RSVP to gretchen@kings-chapel.
Please note, these sessions will take place at King's Chapel Parish House at 64 Beacon Street, each Wednesday evening beginning March 8th and ending April 5, at 7 PM. A light supper will be provided at the beginning of each gathering.
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common art show at the Parish House |This Sunday | 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Join us this Sunday March 12 as we host an art show between our two Sunday services.
We expect about 20 artists to set up, offering their paintings, textiles, jewelry and more. Meet some of these artists and support their efforts by attending a
common art
show at the Parish House, located at 64 Beacon St.
Sponsored by the Community Action Committee, you can
sign up to help by contacting Judy Luca at
judyg143@gmail.com
.
Learn more about common art online here.
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Concert Series: Bach Family Reunion
March 26 | 5PM
Please join us for the season finale of this year's concert series, as we focus on the Bach family on
Sunday, March 26, at
5 pm.
This concert is presented in memory of Jay R. Schochet, a longtime member of the church and faithful supporter of the Concert Series. Jay and his wife Suzette went on one of their first dates at one of the very first concerts given in our series almost 60 years ago. They heard, among other things, J.S. Bach's Cantata 78, so that cantata will also be on this program, along with the motet Lobet den Herrn, and works by cousins Johann Ludwig and Johann Michael Bach.
Tickets are now on sale, click HERE to purchase. As always, you save $5 by getting your tickets in advance.
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Last Sunday, after wishing Rev. Shawn a fond farewell during his last Morning Light service, the children made a melodic, joyful noise using musical instruments called orffs. Orffs are giant wooden blocks arranged in order akin to a xylophone.
Join us this Sunday at our 9AM service
in the Little Chapel to hear the comforting sounds of orffs performed by the Church School. After the service, the children will take a look at the common art show before following Emanuel up to the 4th floor to make some art of their own. If you have any questions about our Church School program, please contact Ryan at
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Our 11 AM Worship | The Small Order of Service
For the last four years, the church staff has produced each week two orders of service for the 11 AM Sunday services. For years, the Large Order of Service format had been used during major Christian worship periods when many newcomers join us, such as on Palm Sunday and Easter. The church understood that for newcomers and less frequent worshipers, it can be difficult to participate fully in our 11 AM worship, when they must move between multiple worship resources: the small order of service, the prayer book, our pew hymnal, and inserts including those hymns not found in either our 1936 Unitarian pew hymnal or in our prayerbook.
As a result, upon the Rev. Fallon's arrival, we extended the use of the Large Order of Service throughout the year, as a way to welcome newcomers to the church each Sunday. The majority of worshipers at King's Chapel now use this Large Order of Service.
However, other worshipers find it most meaningful to read prayers and responses directly from their prayer books, relying on the prior Small Order of Service. We have continued to provide the small Order also, with the appropriate hymn inserts. The process for creating two Order of Service each week requires staff to fully complete one Order accurately each week, and then to create a second parallel Order which includes all the same components. With all the weekly details of 3-4 changing hymns, 3 changing scriptures, 3 changing chants, and weekly new lectors, lay readers, ushers, flower donors, and announcements, this has been a challenge to accomplish accurately.
With the departure of the Rev. Fiedler last Sunday, our full-time staff engaged in preparation for the Sunday
11 AM worship is reduce from 4 to 3 (senior minister, music director, parish administrator). Each of these staff, and our part-time front desk administrative assistant also have many other duties.
After much consideration, we have concluded that we are unable to continue to provide the second, small Order of Service at Morning Prayer. We regret this. It was a difficult choice, because we understand that some of our members prefer to read our prayers directly from our prayer book, rather than from the text in a printed order of service. As a result, we have made every effort to include in the Large Order of Worship all of the prayer book page numbers for every worship component, so that members can continue to have an Order of Service that fully allows them to use the Prayer Book for worship. It is our hope that the Larger Order of Service will continue to enable members to worship directly from their prayer books, for those wished to do so.
We shared this information about the needed change with the Vestry and Parish Council last week. We hope that church members understand. For those who have previously relied upon the Small Order of Service, we urge you to try to use the Large Order of Service on upcoming occasions, and share with us your thoughts.
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Building Homes in Transylvania, Romania | Summer, 2017
King's Chapel member Peter Sexton is leading a trip to Transylvania, Romania, in the summer of 2017, where participants will help build homes, in conjunction with Habitat Cluj. The trip, from June 29-July 14, will be sponsored by Youth Build International, and will include 8 days of building plus additional days of touring. The group plans to worship with King's Chapel's Partner Church on their Confirmation Sunday, July 2, and to visit a number of important churches and historic sites relevant to the roots of Transylvanian Unitarianism. A comprehensive tour of Budapest is also planned. The cost per participant is $1,900, which covers everything except airfare to Budapest and personal items, e.g. alcoholic beverages, souvenirs, etc. This will include a contribution of $400 per person to Habitat Cluj. Scholarships may be available. For more information, please contact Peter Sexton, build organizer, at 781.383.9028 or
petersexton@alum.mit.edu
.
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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 arrange a visit to their mosque in Roxbury on Thursday afternoon, May 4. The King's Chapel group will plan to leave the Parish House at 3:45 pm on May 4 and arrive at the ISBCC at 4:30 pm for a two hour tour - which will include the opportunity to witness the Muslim form of worship. Please contact John Natoli, chair of Adult Religious Education, at jfn777@gmail.com if you would like to attend or have any questions. John will assist in arranging transportation to the ISBCC for those who need it. |
Pilgrimage to Transylvania on Unitarian Roots Summer, 2018
Another trip to Transylvania, in July 2018 is in the initial stages of planning. King's Chapel has learned from the Reverend Roger Bertschausen of an imminent announcement about the "Unitarian Roots Pilgrimage to Transylvania," probably in the first week of July, 2018. The event will celebrate the year of religious freedom (450th anniversary of the Edict of Torda) and the dedication of the former Bishop's House in Kolozsvár as the Transylvanian Center for Unitarianism to be coupled with special programs and tours to historic sites. The pilgrimage will be jointly sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), the International Council of Unitarian Universalists (ICUU), and the UU Partner Church Council. Discussions between American Unitarian and Hungarian Unitarian churches regarding Christian Unitarian roots are anticipated. The trip is expected to be both a ministerial and partner church visit opportunity for King's Chapel, and parishioners will be invited. For more information, please contact Denton Crews, committee chair, at 617.227.0363 or dentoncrews@rcn.com
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"We Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice, and Weep with Those Who Weep"
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We rejoice with Joei Perry, her husband Dan, and their two sons David and Joseph, that Joei's doctors have declared her "cancer free"! With this news, Joei says we can remove her name from our Sunday "Bede list" of prayers, but she and her family will always be near in our hearts. Many thanks to all of those who have supported the Perry family in many ways through this difficult time.
We continue to hold in prayer Leo Johnson, whose health is improving despite more discouraging setbacks. Last week Leo was belatedly diagnosed with double pneumonia. Leo would welcome notes and short phone calls to his rehabilitation facility, Newbridge on the Charles in Dedham (781-234- 9700).
We mourn with the common cathedral community, as they grieve the death of artist Frank Brescia, a weekly participant in the common art program offered each Wednesday morning at Emmanuel Church on Newbury St. Police indicate that Frank, who was formerly homeless, was murdered in his apartment. More information about ways to support the community of common art are mentioned in this week's "From the Minister" by Rev. Fallon.
We hold in our prayers today John Appleton, his children, and his grandchildren on the second anniversary of the death of Sarah, John's wife. She suffered from early onset Alzheimer's. Sarah had a gift for interior design, and John has graciously shared with King's Chapel several of her pieces of furniture, seen throughout our Parish House.
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Morning Light | 9 AM
Church School | 10 AM
Holy Communion | 11 AM
The Rev. Joy Fallon will Preach
- Lee Glenn, Lay Reader
- Jim Power, Lector
- Anne Sexton & Paul Luca, Head Ushers
- Paul Luca, Usher in Charge
- Julie Hyde, Anne Sexton, & Sylvia Soderberg, Ushers
- Lia Atanat, Verger
The Readings:
- Psalm 121
- Old Testament:
- New Testament:
Our Second Sunday collection will be taken today.
All collection not designated for Stewardship will go to common cathedral.
The Flowers on the chancel table are given in memory of
Linda and Palfrey Perkins with grateful hearts by their children and grandchildren.
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
Julie Hyde and friends of the Hospitality Committee.
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Wednesday Service
March 15
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Evening Service | 6 PM
- Madeline Studt, soloist
- Carson Cooman, organist
- Lia Atanat, Verger
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From the Bench:
By Heinrich Christensen
Our Psalm this week is Psalm 121, which in turn inspired us to sing Mendelssohn's beloved He, Watching Over Israel from the oratorio Elijah.
The organ voluntaries will be movements from Mendelssohn's second Organ Sonata.
The choir will reflect our gospel reading in the introit, God So Loved the World from John Stainer's The Crucifixion.
And finally we will complete our reading of Steven Stucky's
Three New Motets
with the Lenten
O vos omnes
for double choir.
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Tuesday, March 14
12:15 PM
Cedar Falls Concert Choir
Eliott Kranz, director
Works by Duruflé, Runestad, and more
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Sunday, March 12
Daylight Savings Time:
Daylight Saving Time 2017 in Massachusetts will start at
2 AM. At this time, clocks are turned forward 1 hour to 3 AM.
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Upcoming Meetings at King's Chapel
* March 21 | 8:30 AM:
Building and Grounds
conference call meeting
* March 28 | 6 PM:
Vestry Meeting
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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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