I am proud to be a member of King's Chapel, where we explore issues relevant to our world today. Last Sunday, we had a large turnout for the presentation on Islam by Celene Ibrahim, nationally recognized scholar, held at the Parish House at 10 AM. In this difficult time, when a national figure has called for the exclusion of whole groups, based solely on their religion, we are obligated to learn more, to seek the truth, to stand with our brothers and sisters. We'll follow up with more presentations in the future.
This Sunday we'll be hearing from Amanda Grant-Rose, the Executive Director of Common Cathedral, which serves homeless men and women in the Boston Common area. As the weather has turned cold, and the number of women, men and children seeking shelter continues to rise, we'll have a preacher who cares deeply, and serves on the front lines.
On Sunday I preached from my favorite passage, Isaiah 43: "Be Not Afraid...For you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." Imagine, if refugees fleeing war and hunger, and those unable to find shelter in the cold, could trust that they are precious and honored and loved. How could that happen? If we make it so. Our actions show our beliefs.
Many blessings to you all,
Joy
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Editor's Note: For those of you that missed this fascinating lecture, you can see it on YouTube. Click here.
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King's Chapel Retreat at Glastonbury Abbey, This Weekend
There are only a few day spaces left! Shawn Fiedler and Heinrich Christensen will lead a stimulating program focusing on hymns. It's also a very special opportunity to get to know other parishioners. The retreat house on the Abbey grounds offers a peaceful, relaxed setting that encourages both rich conversation and quiet contemplation. Call the Parish House at 617-227-2155 for more information.
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This Sunday, January 17th, we welcome as our preacher the Executive Director of Common Cathedral, the outdoor church on Boston Common. We've partnered with this congregation several times recently, including our Christmas backpacks project. Amanda Grant-Rose is a frequent preacher at other churches, sharing about the work of her organization with those in Boston without homes -- times of worship and adult education, meals and spiritual reflection, artwork and conversation. Come and learn more about this important work and how we can continue to deepen our relationships.
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Theology on Tap | January 20 7PM
We love the Christmas story. We love to hear the message of the angels and sing with hearts uplifted. We love our nativity pageants and Christmas cards. Have you ever wondered about the annunciation-the biblical scene in which the angel tells Mary (a virgin) that she is going to give birth? Was she really a virgin? Does it matter? For centuries, it mattered so greatly that some were willing to die for their belief. Join us for Theology on Tap as we discuss "The Virgin Birth: Fact or Fable." No homework required. No previous knowledge needed. Curious and confident minds welcomed. Anyone 21 and over is welcome to join. We will gather at The Kinsale located at 2 Center Plz, across from City Hall. R.S.V.P encouraged and appreciated; please contact
shawn@kings-chapel.org.
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Budget and Committee Hearing | January 24
The meeting to hear committee reports and the proposed budget for 2016 will be held
Sunday January 24 at the Parish House. A luncheon will be provided at
12:30PM, with the meeting to start immediately after. Come and hear of all the work that was done in the past year, while looking to the future at King's Chapel! RSVP to Parish Administrator Gretchen Horton at
gretchen@kings-chapel.org if you would like to join us for lunch.
The Annual Meeting will be held
Sunday
February 28, immediately following the Morning Prayer service.
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Concert Series | January 24
William Shakespeare's status as arguably the preeminent writer of the English language has ensured that composers have set his words to music through the generations from his own time to 2016. In this program, you will hear this demonstrated in part songs from the Elizabethan era, gorgeous Romantic sonorities by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and a Swingle Singers version of It Was a Lover and his Lass from As You Like It. You will also meet the Finnish Macbeth as imagined by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, and witness Ophelia's tragic demise in Ingolf Gabold's Your Sister's Drowned. Written especially for the occasion, the world premiere of Gems and Tempests by Cambridge composer Graham Gordon Ramsay provides a fresh take on three of the bard's beloved sonnets.
Doors open at 4:30 PM, open seating. Validated discount parking is available at One Beacon Garage, across the street from the chapel.
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It's time for another Mosaic! | January 31
Once again, the very talented Emanuel Genovese, the Mosaic Maestro, will be guiding our children as they create another masterpiece to add to the Little Chapel in the Parish House. Our first session will be
Sunday, January 31st at 10AM
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Mardi Gras Party |February 5
Mardi Gras party at the Parsonage, 63 Beacon Street,
Friday
night
February 5
-- will include a talent show! Show us your talent, or watch others. Fun for all.
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Shrove Pancake Breakfast | Save the Date, February 7 10AM
Who can say No to the aroma of pancakes and waffles wafting through the Parish House on a cold February Sunday morning? We welcome you to stop by the Parish House at
10AM
for a savory breakfast treat before attending the
11AM
Morning Prayer at King's Chapel. Your pancake and waffle options include blueberries, chocolate chips, and cinnamon and brown sugar. Your chefs and servers will be none other than the Church School Staff and participants.
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Reasons to Mark Your Calendar for February 21
The preacher on Sunday, February 21, will be Dr. William Schulz, ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, executive director of Amnesty International 1994-2006, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association 1985-1993, retiring CEO of the UU Service Committee, champion of human rights, eloquent speaker and writer, and friend of King's Chapel. Stay tuned for more information about a Sunday not to be missed ... February 21, 2016.
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2015 Appeal Has Strong Finish!
As a good sign of our church's strength and commitment, it is great to be able to report that with gifts totaling $176,000 (rounded), the 2015 Annual Appeal finished ahead of last year's remarkable effort. The goalsAppeal's goals always have a degree of aspiration in them, so making 90% of the 2015 target of $195,000 is cause for joy and pride.
We had a total of 130 donors. Of these, 29 gave more than $3,000 each. Plate collections, if not otherwise designated (Second Sunday, etc.), are included in the Annual Appeal. These totaled about $2,500, or more than 1% of the total.
A more detailed analysis of our pattern of giving, a summary of the initiatives undertaken by the
Annual Appeal during 2015, and thoughts for this year's 2016 campaign, including earlier and more focused pledging, will appear in our committee's report for the Hearing and Annual Meeting.
We are grateful for your generosity in support of King's Chapel and its many programs and spiritual leadership over the past year.
Blessings,
Todd Lee and Orian Welling, Co-chairs, 2015 Annual Appeal
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Great News: 11 New Members Join King's Chapel!
On Sunday, January 10, King's Chapel welcomed 11 new members, whom we feted after the service with delicious cake in the vestibule. Together we all said our covenant, and the choir sang a beautiful version of the Covenant composed by David Carney. In the upcoming weeks, we'll provide photos and biographies of all the new members, so all of us can greet them warmly:
John Appleton,
Joei Perry, James Carroll, Gregg Sorensen, Jacqui Fahey Sandell, Daniel Sullivan, Dean Lynch, Eleanor VanAlen, John Natoli, Cynthia Corb Wellington, and Mason Sandell.
Special thanks to Cathy Price and Ray Hardin, co-chairs of the Membership Committee, for graciously meeting with all the new members, offering a class regarding our history and governance structure, and hosting a welcome lunch last fall. The next time we will welcome new members will be on our 330th Birthday -
Sunday, June 12th
. Congratulations and Welcome to all!
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Wednesday, January 13, 6PM
The Rev.Joy Fallon,
Preacher
- Dan Perry, Soloist
- Micah Niemy, Hospitality
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Sunday, January 17, 9AM
Matthew Weinstein,
Preacher
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Sunday, January 17, 11AM
Amanda Grant-Rose,
Preacher
- Cliff Allen, Lector
- Anne Sexton, Head Usher
- Sylvia Soderberg, Usher in Charge
- Todd Lee and KC Dalton, Ushers
- Carolyn Conley, Verger
The Readings:
- Psalm 36: 5-10
- Old Testament: Isaiah 62: 1-5
- New Testament: John 2: 1-11
The flowers on the communion table are given in loving memory of Ralph Gordon Soderberg
by Sylvia Soderberg and Amy and Mark Nichols.
After the service, all are invited to
Coffee Hour,
hosted by Caroline and Orian Welling and friends of the hospitality committee.
At the communion rail following the service,
Todd Lee will greet those interested in learning more about King's Chapel.
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From the Bench
By Heinrich Christensen
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This Sunday, former choir member (and Shakespeare concert guest soprano) Mary Sullivan will offer a "Spiritual Prelude" consisting of Deep River, By and By, and At the Feet of Jesus, the latter with a text by Langston Hughes set to music by Florence Price, the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra.
The choir will sing a rather elaborate arrangement of Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, entitled simply 'Zekiel! And for our offertory, you will hear Robert Sirota's new Spiritual for Mother Emanuel, written in honor of the victims of the June 2015 Charleston shooting, and premiered at St. John the Divine in New York City just two weeks ago. Read more about the work
here.
Some of you may remember that Robert Sirota visited us in 2014 for a concert and offered a sermon on spirituality in hymnody - as it happens, also the theme of our Glastonbury retreat this weekend.
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Tuesday, January 19, 12:15 PM
Sudie Marcuse, soprano
M. Patrick Kane, tenor
Mary Jodice, organ
Bach and Mendelssohn
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Interested in Membership?
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More News from
The Parish
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King's Chapel Needs Your Help!
After our Morning Light service, we offer refreshments and coffee as we catch up with each other about the past week's events. We need volunteers to help supply the refreshments (the Parish House will supply the coffee). There is a sign up sheet available every Sunday after the service. The Morning Light service needs readers and offering collectors! Next to the refreshment sign up sheet, there is another sheet for children, youth, and adults who would like to volunteer to read the passage for the service and/or collect the offering. If you would like to sign up in advance of Sunday morning, send an email to church.school@kings-chapel.org.
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Reasons to Mark Your Calendar for February 21
The preacher on Sunday, February 21, will be Dr. William Schulz, ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, executive director of Amnesty International 1994-2006, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association 1985-1993, retiring CEO of the UU Service Committee, champion of human rights, eloquent speaker and writer, and friend of King's Chapel. Stay tuned for more information about a Sunday not to be missed ... February 21, 2016.
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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.
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Contributing to Between Sundays
Want something in Between Sundays? Feel free to email Simon at
simon@kings-chapel.org with a written piece and/or pictures before Wednesday at 12 PM!
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