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Spotlight On:
Upcoming History Program Series on Uncovering and Confronting Our History
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As both a historical organization and an active faith community, King's Chapel is committed to uncovering and confronting the institution's history history with slavery and racism. King's Chapel is not alone in this endeavor, as the institution of slavery played an integral role in the foundation, growth, and wealth of not only Boston but the American colonies and the United States. Join us in our upcoming program series Uncovering and Confronting Our History this fall and winter as we explore and address the history and legacy of enslavement and the slave trade on this historic institution. This series will span several centuries and challenge preconceived notions in our history as we work to understand the roots of racial inequality in the United States and the lasting impacts of slavery within and outside the walls of King's Chapel.
On Thursday October 22, King's Chapel History Program Director Faye Charpentier will share an overview of the history of enslavement at colonial King's Chapel and discuss the research process that lead to uncovering the names of at least 219 individuals who were either enslaved by a member of the church community or subjected to a religious rite at King's Chapel. Please contact [email protected] for registration information.
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My Dear Friends--
As we near the end of our journey with Moses and the Israelites, I've been thinking anew of journey itself--of how we, like our forebearers in faith, are really engaged in three journeys at once: a journey toward our fullest selves; a journey toward each other; and a journey with God. And this week, as early voting has begun in various places around the country, I've been reminded of how central the Exodus story is to my understanding of my own history and heritage as a black American. This summer and fall, as we've followed first Elijah, then Moses to Mt. Horeb, we've also spoken of latter-day prophets such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Lewis, C. T. Vivian and Maya Angelou. We've heard in the Civil Rights Movement the echo of that movement from bondage to freedom undertaken by Moses and the Israelites. Perhaps we've had ears to hear those echoes more keenly as we ourselves have struggled through the deserts of pandemic, racial injustice, and economic hardship.
Perhaps we've wondered where we might look for hope in a time like this. I'll tell you, I've found it in the hundreds of thousands of Americans who've already gone to the polls as early voting has begun. As an African American whose ancestors had to battle for the right to vote, there's a special poignancy to those long lines in Georgia, where my family lives today.
This week, our Voter Action Initiative offers us three concrete ways to make a difference this election:
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"Vote Tripling": ask a friend to name three specific friends whom they'll mobilize to vote, then send your friend reminders with the names of those three friends before election day.
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Phone Banking: participate in a two-hour phone banking or texting event to contact voters. Don't worry if you've never done it before: short trainings are usually offered at the beginning of these events.
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Election Protection: sign up as a nonpartisan Election Protection volunteer to help with monitoring polling places, watchdogging social media for disinformation, or reaching out to voters to make sure they know their rights.
For more ideas, visit the Voter Action Initiative page on our website. We're less than 300 voters away from our goal of contacting 10,000 voters this election. Join us. Join us as we answer the call to prophetic action here, today, in this moment.
In faith and love,
David |
Morning Light Service
Sundays from 9:00-9:30 AM on Zoom
Come join us for an intimate service of contemporary music and prayer as we gather to listen to the Word, share our joys and concerns, and abide with one another in fellowship. The music is led by Roland Skip Lewan from the piano, incorporating elements of jazz and improvisation. Contact Laura Zeugner Administrative Assistant, for login information.
Morning Prayer Service
New virtual services posted by 11 AM on Sundays on YouTube
Each week we film the elements of our traditional Morning Prayer service, featuring beautiful music, stately prayers, and our ministers' reflections on the week's lessons. Our choir members and music director Heinrich Christensen provide newly recorded material as well as occasional pieces from our past recordings and CDs, as we explore the virtual new frontiers of making music.
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Join Us for Our Special All Saints, All Souls Service on November 1
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Dear Friends,
Every year the King's Chapel service for All Saints and All Souls Sunday is a meaningful worship service for those remembering a loved one who has died, either this year or in the past. Traditionally, worshippers have come forward to the Communion Table to light a candle in memory of the ones who have "gone on before us" to be with God. This year, because King's Chapel will not be physically open, we offer two different services so you can choose the most meaningful way for your remembrance.
At 9 AM, we will host a live service via Zoom, where congregants will be invited to light a candle from home and personally name the person being remembered. The liturgy will be used each Sunday for the Morning Light Zoom service (see below), and music will be provided by our pianist Skip Lewan. A short coffee hour takes place after the service.
Morning Light: A small, inclusive gathering that weekly supports each other with prayer, scripture, and song. A Celtic prayer welcomes us, a brief homily is heard, and gospel songs are sung.
At 11 AM, Music Director Heinrich Christensen and the King's Chapel choir will sing selections from the Faure Requiem; our clergy will light candles and offer the names of those shared with them in advance of the service; and holy communion will be celebrated virtually. At approximately 12 noon, a separate Zoom coffee hour will be opened.
Holy Communion: Celebrated according to the King's Chapel Prayerbook, Accompanied by Full Choir singing the Faure Requiem. Pre-recorded Video. Live Zoom Coffee Hour at noon, following the service.
If you'd like for us to include the name of a lost loved one in our worship video, please email Laura by Tuesday, October 27th. |
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King's Chapel Voter Initiative!
Members of KC have reached 9770 voters this fall, urging them to vote. That's fabulous! For more information about additional things we can do to ensure that every voter has the right to vote their values, see here on our website.
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Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council News
Click here to read the latest UUPCC newsletter. |
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First Church Roxbury and the Neighborhood: A History
Tuesday, October 20 | 6:00-7:30 PM | Webinar
Join our community partner, the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry for a community conversation about the "First Church Roxbury and the Neighborhood: A History", presented by historian and former State Representative Byron Rushing. More information here. |
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Theology on Tap
Tuesday, October 20 | 6:15-7:45 PM | Zoom
Next week's topic is on the poetry of Joy Harjo, an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She was named the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States in 2019. Email Laura for the Zoom link. |
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UUSC's Virtual 80th Anniversary Celebration
Wednesday October 21 | 7 PM | Zoom
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Dear King's Chapel,
I'm writing to invite you to join me in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. We don't quite know what this will be like. We were originally planning to celebrate at the Kennedy Library with a lovely dinner and Sweet Honey and the Rock performing. Alas, that was to be early May. So now we are joining the throngs of organizations making it virtual. Join us, Wednesday, October 21st at 7:00 pm for this celebratory event. There in no charge to attend. I look forward to a conversation with Ambassador Samantha Power and to sharing stories from UUSC's partners around the world.
I want to thank Kathe for encouraging me to personally invite my King's Chapel family to join this event. As Kathe says, "The UUSC story is absolutely fascinating and the work incredible! Mary Katherine follows in the footsteps of luminaries such as Bill Schulz, a friend and neighbor who has preached at King's Chapel and engaged members of our parish in supporting the UUSC. Tune in to the celebration to learn more - you won't regret it!"
Please register to attend here.
In faith,
Mary Katherine
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Uncovering and Confronting Our History: Slavery and Race at Colonial King's Chapel
Thursday, October 22 | 12:00 & 5:30 PM | Zoom
For more info, check out this issue's "Spotlight On" Section. |
Book Talk on Black Sampson at the Boston Atheneum
Thursday, October 22 | 6 PM
Our own David Waters will moderate a Boston Athanæum virtual Book Talk, Thursday, Oct. 22, 6-7pm, with Nyasha Junior and Jeremy Schipper about their provocative new book, Black Samson: The Untold Story of an American Icon. Before Harriet Tubman or Martin Luther King was identified with Moses, African Americans identified those who challenged racial oppression in America with Samson. Join David as he talks with Junior and Schipper about how this biblical character became an icon of African American literature. Register for free here.
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Ongoing Events and Activities
All events below held via Zoom. Click HERE to find more information.
Tuesdays at 3:00PM: Voter/Environmental Action Initiative Meeting
Tuesdays at noon: Talk about Music! - a weekly conversation with Heinrich Christens on musical topics
Wednesdays at 6:15 PM: Bible Study- weekly discussions on the lectionary readings
Thursdays at 10 AM: Coffee with the Clergy - Join Joy and David for an informal coffee hour
Thursdays at Noon & 5:30PM: Conversations with the History Program - presentations by the history staff and guest lecturers. Times and topics vary.
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From the Voter Action Initiative
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At our meeting this week, we reviewed a fresh list of get-out-the-vote opportunities for three remaining countdown weeks before Nov. 3rd. (Visit our webpage to access the Voter Campaign Updates document.) Many of us are pivoting from letter writing to other activities such as post carding, text banking and phone banking. We also discussed election protection volunteer opportunities and expect to continue that discussion in the weeks to come. Contact Dorie for more information.
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Our Faith and the Environment - From Joy
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Last Sunday I preached about our faith and the climate crisis. Spiritual growth always requires that we give up some part of our way of living which separates us from God, even though we've heavily invested in it, even sacrificed for it. Only then can we go further on the journey with our God. Before the Hebrews could continue on with God towards the promised land, they had to give up the Golden Calf they'd built, that they'd invested their own gold jewelry in, and that they convinced themselves was God,
In our own spiritual journeys, what limits us? What might we need to give up that we have convinced ourselves is godly? We might need to give up an attitude toward ourselves or others, a standard of success, or a certainty of our correctness or "right" to something. When it comes to the environment, the data show we must give up this glittering golden calf we Americans worship: a lifestyle reliant on fossil fuels, heavy on meat, and treasuring ease travel and convenience. We have heavy financial and emotional investments in these "rights." But we can only go deeper on our spiritual journeys if we recognize how these choices separate us from God, who cares for the very poorest who suffer most from our indifference to climate change, and for all earth's creatures. Kent Wittenburg crafted an Environmental Confession, and the choir led us in songs of thanks for God and creation. The service can be accessed here.
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How To Be An AntiRacist Book Group Reflections - from Amanda Pickett
Thank you to all who participated in the
How to Be an AntiRacist book group for the dynamic conversation and meaningful community building.
The learning and processing of how to be antiracist is ongoing. Please know that David and I already have in the works a few offerings to create space for that learning. In the next few weeks we will hold an encore book discussion session. Thereafter, we will potentially offer space to learn about the interrelation of racism and the prison industrial complex as well as connecting our learning with the work of some of our Community Action Partners.
Please email me and David if you have any feedback or ideas related to advancing antiracism at King's Chapel -in spiritual practice, in policy, or otherwise. Again, thank you all for the authentic giving of yourselves in showing up for "your humanity, human difference, and our shared humanity" (paraphrase from page 236).
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We rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ~Romans 12:15
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 Congratulations to Sudeep Agarwala and Paul Kosmin on the October 10 birth of Baby Girl Kosmin-Agarwala! |
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Sunday Services
October 18th Morning Light via Zoom
- The Rev. Joy Fallon, Senior Minister
- David Waters, Minister for Education and Membership
- Skip Lewan, Piano
- Emanuel Genovese, Lector
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October 18th Morning Prayer | 11 AM on YouTube
- The Rev. Joy Fallon, Senior Minister
- David Waters, Minister for Education and Membership
- Heinrich Christensen, Music Director
- Julie Hyde, Lector
- Timothy Nelson-Hoy, KC Dalton, and Carol Kemp, Lay Readers
Scripture: Exodus 33: 12-23
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Did you miss last Sunday's Holy Communion service? If so, click here to see the full service. |
A Sermon Series on Moses and the Exodus: God's Transformation of a Person and a Nation
Each Sunday through October 25
This fall, join us to journey with Moses and the Israelite people, a journey not so different from ours today. Discover when you have been freed from old ways to become a new person, how to cross long barren stretches, and how a nation slowly grows into who it is meant to be. Will we dare to make demands of God, as our forebears did? The old stories - from the Odyssey to Exodus -- still speak truth. Listen in whenever you want, through the King's Chapel YouTube Channel. |
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Our musical leitmotif this Sunday is Beethoven's beloved "Ode to Joy." You will hear it both as prelude and postlude, we'll sing "Joyful, Joyful" and it may even make an appearance in the sermon!
The anthem returns to our thread of aleatoric music, pieces that are intentionally designed to weave together a musical tapestry where the individual singers contribute their part without fully knowing what the other performers might be doing at the same time. William Albright's "An Alleluia Super-Round" consists of 23 different Alleluias; the singers enter one at a time and are free to repeat or skip variations as they go through the piece, until they all (hopefully) end on the final resounding Alleluia.
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This week's Monday Meditation was Bach's gentle chorale prelude on the Lutheran hymn version of The Lord's Prayer. It is accompanied by photography of Boston Common fall foliage, for those of you who may not have the chance to see it in person this year.
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Talk About Music!
Next Tuesday's Talk About Music features Anne Lyman. Anne sang in the King's Chapel Choir back at the beginning of the millennium. Since then, her career as a choral director and scholar has taken her from coast to coast, and on several international jaunts, so we will talk about her journey and catch up on all her amazing achievements as she has forged her own unique musical path.
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Giving to King's Chapel
During this difficult time of COVID-19, King's Chapel continues to offer weekly worship services online, provide spiritual guidance, host zoom gatherings on various topics, and support our community partners. The statement "the more things change, the more they stay the same" is strangely true.
What this message does not state is that while most of the normal costs of operating our church continue-- salaries, overhead expenses, physical maintenance, etc.-- our income streams do not. Significant income from visitors to our History Program, rentals, and our Sunday offering are gone right now. Your support now is more essential than ever.
Please consider a stewardship offering in a spirit of thanksgiving to help us through this challenging time. Every single gift in any amount is equally valued and helps enormously.
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Staying Connected with King's Chapel
While we are physically closed we are spiritually open and are working to find ways to continue our connection with you, our beloved members and friends.
Worship Morning Light Worship via Zoom, 9-9:30 AM each Sunday. Contact Laura Zeugner at [email protected] for login information.
Prayer Connection King's Chapel is a praying church and we have added a new link to our website page to make easy any request you may have: [email protected] . Requests sent here will be received by Joy Fallon, David Waters, and Cynthia Perkins, Prayer Circle Chair. If you prefer, also know that you can always reach out to any of us individually.
Coffee with Clergy Join Joy and David each week at 10 AM on Thursdays for an informal coffee hour via Zoom. See old friends and meet new ones! Contact [email protected] for login access.
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CAC Office Hours | Mondays 5 PM
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What does the King's Chapel Community Action Committee do? Who are our CAC partners? What can I do to help? For answers to these questions and more, come to CAC Office Hours! Starting this week, CAC chair Amanda Pickett will be piloting CAC Office Hours every Monday 5:00-5:30 PM via Zoom. Drop in and discuss community action at King's Chapel. Contact Amanda Pickett for login access.
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Internet Fraud - Protect Yourself
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, churches across the nation have seen a steep rise in incidents of internet fraud and scams, especially using ministers' names and targeting church members. So far in the last two months, we've had twenty or more. Please watch out for these. I promise, we will never ask you to send us gift cards. We will never ask for your personal identifying information or bank account info. If we ever purport to say that we can't be reached by phone, be suspicious.
Some other hints to protect yourselves: Double check the "from" address to see who really has sent it, and double check the email of the person to whom you're supposedly replying. Verify suspicious emails by phone, especially if the email says not to call. Click the link below for more information on how to protect yourself and your family from internet crime.
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Contributing to Between Sundays
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