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March 15, 2020
10:00am
Holy Eucharist: Live Streamed Eucharist
Missed last Sunday's sermon, or just want to hear it again?
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A
lmighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Please
click here
for this
week's readings.
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CORONAVIRUS: AWARENESS AND RESPONSE
"For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7
Grace to you, sisters and brothers, and peace from God our Creator and our Savior Jesus Christ:
I have some difficult news to share, though news that is not likely to be a surprise.
After consulting with clergy colleagues in the Diocese and in town, perusing the Bishops' several pastoral directives, noting the importance of "social distancing" to "flatten the curve" of the pandemic, I have decided in consultation with our Wardens that we will cease public worship and all in-person gatherings in the Church for the next two weeks, after which we will reevaluate the situation. We will be in regular communication about what comes next as we discern it.
Necessary Church business will be conducted by phone, email, or virtual meeting platforms.
We will try our hand at livestreaming a virtual Eucharist-more on that below. I will be in touch with our "anchor tenants"-Expressions After School, Total Eclipse Dance Studio, and First Bridge Preschool-to work out safe and appropriate usage of their spaces. I will also be in touch with the other outside groups who regularly use our spaces, as they will likely need to find alternative places to meet.
Today, the staff and I will meet to decide how to proceed with work in the office-what tasks need to be done at Church, and what can be done remotely. Lay leadership and I will be planning to make sure that those who most benefit from in-person contact at the Parish remain connected and cared for. While I will still take the vacation that I have long planned for (though those plans have morphed considerably and rapidly) I will be checking in regularly. The Wardens will be the first point of contact in case of pastoral emergencies, you will find their contact information below.
As an experiment, we will offer "virtual worship" from the Chapel this Sunday at 10am. (No 8.15 or 5.30 services) With a few helpers, I will livestream a Eucharist from the Church on the Christ Church Facebook page. The bulletin for the service is here, and the hymns here. More details to come later.
This was a hard decision, and I resisted it. Ultimately, we chose this course of action not only out of an abundance of caution, but an abundance of love. We do this to protect the most vulnerable among us. As St. Paul writes to the Romans, it is out of love that we refrain from actions that may be safe some for but harmful to others. (Romans 14.13-23)
We will also find that the God who makes a way out of no way will gift us with the creativity to remain connected and reach out to others.
I invite leadership and the congregation to join me in pondering how we might do that. In the meantime, pray for one another, write notes, call. Pray especially for those who will bear the burden of this time-those for whom social isolation will be devastating, low wage and service workers, families who can't afford to not have breadwinners earning a paycheck, those in the health care professions. Reach out personally to those in these situations as may be appropriate. For example, you might write your primary care physician to letter her know that you are grateful for her care. Take food to the Community Council. You might thank the checkout clerk at the grocery store for the extra energy needed to face anxious shoppers.
Together, with the Spirit's aid, we will reimagine what it means to be the Church-loving God and neighbor as Jesus teaches- in a time of fear and anxiety.
Together as the Body of Christ, in the power of the Spirit, we will make our way through.
Faithfully yours,
Nick+
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PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT WHILE NICK IS ON VACATION
Nick is on vacation from the afternoon of March 15 through March 28. In case of pastoral emergencies, please call the Wardens (Jeff Murphy 781.956.4960 or Stan Hitron 617.838.0070).
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HOW TO ACCESS THE LIVE STREAMED SERVICE
The 10:00am Sunday service this Sunday will broadcast live on FaceBook.
Click here to link to our FaceBook page on Sunday just before 10:00am. You do
NOT need a FaceBook account to watch. So you can follow along at home,
click here for the bulletin and
here for the hymns.
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NATURAL RESOURCES AND SOLARIZE: CANCELLED
The Natural Resources and Solarize event scheduled for this Sunday, 3/15 is now cancelled. Please c
ontact Donna Vello with questions (
email
or 617.584.2939).
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LIVING COMPASS - Living Well Through Lent
This collection of daily meditations on courage-physical, emotional, spiritual, and social-can help us to live bravely in Christ in our time, a time that calls for courage. There are copies in the Upper Parish Hall on the Welcome Table, as well as in the Narthex
,
or click here
to print your own copy.
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PURSE FOR KEN
As we know, Ken Cook, our facilities manager, is moving to Florida with his wife Nancy. As has been our custom for departing staff, we are taking up a collection for a "purse" as a sign of our gratitude. Checks should be made out to Christ Church, with "Ken Cook purse" in the memo line.
Please bring them by the Church or send by US Mail (please put Attn: Maryann on the envelope) by April 1.
Thank you for
your generosity!
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ORGAN NOTES
The new Meta Virtual Pipe Organ is coming to Christ Church this summer, just in time to cap the celebrations of our 125
th
Anniversary! At the heart of our new virtual pipe organ is the world-renowned Hauptwerk software program, giving us access to nine pipe organs recorded pipe-by-pipe by experts from around the world. (
Click here
to hear Meta Organ builder Dan Lemieux discussing the nuances of the virtual sound with a local church's music director). Watch this space for more information over the coming weeks about the historic and modern organs accessible from our one console!
And SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, March 29th following the 10:00 a.m. service, we're hosting an all-parish lunch to launch the campaign for our 125
th Anniversary Fund! Our goal is to raise at least $125,000 to pay for the removal of the old organ, the installation of the new organ, a fund for future maintenance and any necessary repairs and updates to the Chancel area. We'll make sure you have all the information you need to make a generous and lasting contribution to our communal worship space for generations to come!
Donations in any amount payable to Christ Church and earmarked for the
"125th
Anniversary Fund" can be dropped in the office, in the plate or in the mail. Be on the lookout for a parish-wide mailing with pictures and more information, along with a remittance envelope for your convenience. We'll keep you posted on our progress!
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Meta Organ installed in St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Taunton, MA
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Your Organ Committee
(click on the committee members name to email them directly)
When in our music God is glorified,
And adoration leaves no room for pride,
It is as though the whole creation cried
Alleluia!
F. Pratt Green
By Linnea Wren
In its basic form, the organ is a big box of whistles (pipes). Each pipe is designed to make only one sound, which is created when air blows through it. Pipes as small as a pencil can produce the highest of notes. Pipes the size of ship masts can produce some of the lowest sounds ever created by human means.
Organs were invented in the 3
rd
century BC in the Mediterranean world and are one of the most ancient musical instruments. The organs produced loud and penetrating sounds which made them ideal for public outdoor spaces including amphitheaters and circuses.
The adoption of organs by Christian churches began in the 6th century. While the early organs of the Greeks and Romans used water to pressurize air through the pipes, medieval church organs used bellows to provide wind. By 1100 large organs requiring one or more bellow-pumpers were being built for churches.
Constant mechanical and technological innovations have been applied to the organ since its very invention. Yet today the pipe organ is still a wind instrument controlled by one or more keyboards. When a key is pressed, it opens a valve under a pipe or pipes. The wind enters the pipe causing a tone that is constant in pitch and volume until the key is released.
The history of the organ has always been about an ongoing attempt to create and control wind. The Disney animators of the movie, The Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, understood this. The villainous organ, named Forte, tries to destroy the virtuous Belle by releasing notes that vibrate so powerfully they shake castle foundations, crack walls, and collapse vaults. While Forte is ultimately defeated, many of us might have experienced the thunderous excitement of great organs ourselves and felt the vibrations of their notes in the air around us. In Christ Church, we look forward to the installation of a virtual organ-a contemporary organ technology that will allow us to enter the distinctive musical world of eight majestic pipe organs across Europe and the Americas.
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MEN AND WOMEN'S FELLOWSHIP DINNERS
Men's Fellowship Dinner:
The next Men's Fellowship Dinner is Wednesday, March 25th at 7pm at Echo Bridge. Please email Bill Eichhold to RSVP.
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LENTEN PREACHING SERIES - Put Down Your Sword
We live in an age of widespread violence - physical, verbal, and spiritual. How are people of faith called to respond to, resist, and reverse the scourge of violence in our times? What does Christ call us to do and be, individually and together as the church?
This Lent, we will hear from pastors, clinicians, and scholars who are prayerfully engaging these questions. Join us for a brief worship service at 12 pm, followed by a light lunch and conversation with the preacher. Signup is not required.
The preacher this Thursday, March 12 is
The Rev. Mark V. Scott, Director of the Trauma Response and Recovery Program, Boston Public Health.
Click here
to view the PDF of the speaker schedule.
Cathedral
Church of St. Paul
138 Tremont Street Boston
(map)
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THE RIVERS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: CANCELLED
The Rivers Symphony Orchestra that was schedule for this Sunday, March 15 is cancelled.
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 YOUTH GROUP FUNDRAISER - Sunday, 4/5
Following the 8:15am and 10am service on Sunday, April 5, the youth group will hold a fundraiser to benefit their service work over April vacation.
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WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO SAY?
Needham community training on supporting survivors of domestic violence
Join Reach and Needham Domestic Violence Action Committee for a free discussion on understanding the dynamics of domestic violence, and learn howto support a friend or family member. Please email
Lauren Montanaro for registration or questions.
March 10th 7:00pm-8:30pm
OR
March 25th 2:00pm-3:30pm
Center at the Heights
(map)
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EASTER MEMORIAL FLOWERS
Envelopes are available in Upper Parish Hall and outside the Chapel and the Sanctuary to leave names and donations in memory of your loved ones for Easter Sunday lilies on the altar. Please clearly print names on the envelopes, enclose your donation, and drop it basket outside the parish office by Friday, April 3.
Suggested donation is $25.
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NEXT WEEK'S GUEST PREACHER: THE REV. ELISE FEYERHERM, Ph.D.
The Rev. Elise Feyerherm, Ph.D. is Associate Rector at St. Paul's in Brookline and an old friend and colleague of Nick's; they were confirmed as adults together many years ago. Her ministries have taken her from New England to the Mid-West and back, and have included high school, college, and seminary teaching, as well as parish ministry. Currently, in addition to her work at St. Paul's, Elise serves as professor and mentor to the Anglican/ Episcopal Community at the Boston University School of Theology
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Please click on the organization's name to link to their website.
GUN SAFETY
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
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THE WEEK AHEAD
Click here to view the online calendar that lists this week's events and all upcoming events.
MONDAY, MARCH 16
11:00am Staff Meeting
4:00pm Youth Choir
TUESDAY, MARCH 17
8:00am Men's Prayer Group (Memorial Room)
9:30am PRM (Memorial Room)
7:15pm Vestry
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
10:00am Morning Bible Study (Memorial Room)
12:00pm Noon Prayer (Chapel)
7:00pm Evening Bible Study (Memorial Room)
SATURDAY, MARCH 21
5:00pm AA Meeting - Big Book Step (Memorial Room)
SUNDAY, MARCH 22: with guest preacher The Rev. Elise Feyerherm, Ph.D. at the 8:15am and 10:00am services
8:15am Holy Eucharist Rite I (Chapel)
No Child Care.
9:45am Church School
10:00am Holy Eucharist Rite II with Choir (Sanctuary)
5:30pm
Evening Prayer led by Myra Anderson (Chapel)
Please note communion is not offered.
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