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Keeping King's Chapel's members and friends connected each week while we're "Physically Closed, and Spiritually Open."
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Spotlight On:
King's Chapel celebrates our 334th Birthday and the 50th Anniversary of Pride!
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This coming Sunday, June 14, King's Chapel will celebrate its three hundred and thirty-fourth birthday! This weekend we also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Pride parade. While the parade itself has been postponed until next year, there are many virtual events you can attend, including our Friday Zoom Block Party (contact
[email protected] for the zoom login) where we will join together in our pride gear to celebrate. Then on Sunday watch for our Morning Prayer worship video, where we'll continue to celebrate both Pride and our special birthday.
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In Response to the Black Lives Matter Movement
Did you see the video this week? In a New Jersey community southeast of Philadelphia, 75 marchers in a diverse group, including many young children and teens, walked peacefully to the local police station and proclaimed, "Black Lives Matter." Four white counter-protesters mocked them, one man leaning on the neck of another, as if re-enacting George Floyd's death. When the marchers said, "Black Lives Matter," the white men retorted, "To no one." "Black lives matter
to no one."
The men were wrong
. Black lives matter to God. To King's Chapel. To you and me.
We are saying so with a sign outside the church (see below). We proclaim it on our website and want to proclaim it loudly with our voices, our actions, and the policies we citizens insist on from our governments. Christians stand with those who suffer. Our colleague, the Rev. Mariama White-Hammond , who preached at King's Chapel in March, spoke the Christian imperative in her sermon at the Boston memorial for George Floyd, Breeona Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery
. Watch here (Rev. Mariama's eulogy begins at minute 34).
How can you engage? To begin, we started putting together a list of resources
on our website with the help of David Waters, Amanda Pickett, and the History Program. B
y marching outside with the millions of international demonstrators, or by taking other actions while remaining sheltered at home because of COVID, God is now calling you. Please join us. Black lives matter.
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A New Black Lives Matter Banner at the Chapel
A message from our Warden Kathe German and Chair of the Community Action Committee Amanda Pickett:
BLACK LIVES MATTER!
We live in a society that violates this sentiment at every turn. Over the past three years, the King's Chapel community and History staff has sponsored programming to address the issue of systemic racial injustice through extensive discussion, research, program support and ongoing partnerships. Now, this week, we are taking a stand for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Amaud Arbery, and all Black lives by affixing a Black Lives Matter banner on the fence surrounding the sanctuary. Approving and installing the banner was a collaborative process with input and action from the clergy, wardens, Vestry and Parish Council. In the days, weeks and months ahead, this banner will speak volumes with its visibility in the heart of Boston amidst many of the protests taking place at City Hall Plaza and on the Boston Common.
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Wanted: Elders, Angels, and Those Who've Travelled Far (With Little Yet to Show for It)
What are your Top Ten Stories from the Bible? David and I agree that this week's reading definitely makes the list: how the old, worn-out Abram and Sarai entertained angels unawares, and found themselves parents of the whole Hebrew people. God kept God's promises, although God
didn't
come through when Abram and Sarah wanted. They'd risked a lot, on a wing and a promise, and for years had nothing to show for it. They were alone, hunkered down on an oasis patch in the desert, prey to passersby who might do them harm. But when strangers approached, the elderly Abram and Sarai summoned the will to offer those unfamiliar people a lavish feast and water for their thirst. The strangers promised Sarai a baby, and she could only laugh. But it was true.
Who are you in this rich, ancient story: elders who can't fathom still being useful; people wondering if you've been hoodwinked; the vulnerable who want to help passersby, but wonder about the risk; strangers seeking an oasis: or one for whom an unbelievable promise did come true?
On the 334
th
birthday of King's Chapel, what promise to our church
has
come true and what are we still waiting to receive? Who is walking past our doors whom we wonder if we should engage? What new, unbelievable thing might we birth, seed for the future?
Let me know.....See you Sunday.
Joy
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Join the King's Chapel Zoom "Block Party" | Friday, June 5, 5-6 PM
Reminder: Celebrate with us wearing your best Pride and/or Birthday accessories!
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Weekly Bible Study Wednesdays
6:15 PM |
Zoom
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Coffee with the Clergy Weekly on Thursdays 10-11 AM | Zoom
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Conversation with the
Educators: Topic TBD
Thursday,
June 11
Noon |
Zoom
Join the History Program staff at noon on Thursday June 18 for their weekly program, Conversations with the Educators. Next week's program topic is to be determined, and will be revealed early next week. Attendees should RSVP to Faye by Wednesday evening to receive the Zoom invite. Please contact [email protected] if there is a topic you'd like to learn more about! We hope to see you there.
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Sunday Services
June 14th Morning Light
9 AM via Zoom
- The Rev. Joy Fallon, Senior Minister
- David Waters, Minister for Education and Membership
- Skip Lewan, piano
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| June 14th Morning Prayer 11 AM via YouTube |
- The Rev. Joy Fallon, Senior Minister
- David Waters, Minister for Education and Membership
- Heinrich Christensen, Music Director
- Members of King's Chapel Choir, Soloists
- Dan Taylor, Kathe German, and Lee Glenn, Lectors
Scripture:
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Did you miss last week's sermon or want to hear it again? Listen
HERE
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King's Chapel's birthday celebration this Sunday would under normal circumstances have been the last Sunday of the choir season. So it seems fitting that we reach further into the virtual realm this week with two musical projects: an octet of choir members singing Heinrich's arrangement of "How Can I Keep from Singing," and a quartet singing Daniel Pinkham's "Forman Benediction," set to the words of Affiliate Minister Charles Forman who served with us from 1980-1998.
Our hymns are beloved chestnuts "God of Grace and God of Glory," and "Forward Through the Ages," as we reflect on this most unusual year in our long history.
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Staying Connected
with King's Chapel
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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.
Ways in which you can reach us are:
Worship
Morning Light Worship via Zoom, 9-9:30 AM each Sunday. Contact David Waters at
[email protected] for login information.
Prayer Connection
For those in need of a prayer, or a virtual pastoral call, please reach out to Joy
at 617-227-2155 x109 or email
[email protected]
, or you can reach David at 617-227-2155 x 105 or email
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Contemplative Communion Service
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f you have been yearning for the quiet, intimate candlelit service of Wednesday nights, you can find the video HERE
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We have nearly reached our stewardship goal of $206,000, less than $5,000 to go!
Help us go over the top by sending in your pledge or gift today. You can
donate online, or f
orward a check to the Parish House. Every gift matters, every gift is an outward example of our commitment to King's Chapel. Thank you.
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While we do not gather weekly for worship, we continue to offer you this newsletter, virtual services, and more. Bringing online content to you comes at a cost, and we no longer have the collection plate to pass each Sunday.
Additionally,
10% of the plate collection is designated for our Community Action partners.
Please consider a weekly donation to the plate, and donate
HERE.
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Contributing to Between Sundays
Our e-newsletter is sent each Thursday afternoon. Want something in Between Sundays? Feel free to email
[email protected] with a written piece and/or pictures before Wednesday at 5 PM.
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Conversation with the Educators: Native American Enslavement
Thursday, June 11
5:30 PM | Zoom
Join History Program Educator Angela Cooper at 5:30pm as she discusses the long and complex history of Native American enslavement. Angela holds a PHD in Anthropology from the University of Tulsa, where she researched portrayals of Native Americans in museums and what visitors learned. Her areas of specialization include North
American archaeology, public outreach that incorporates community empowerment, building inclusive programs to better engage underrepresented groups, and dispelling racial stereotypes in U.S. culture through museum exhibitions. We are delighted to have Angela as a member of the History Program team, and look forward to learning more about her area of expertise next Thursday evening. Please RSVP to
[email protected] before Wednesday to receive the Zoom invite.
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Theology on Tap Wednesday, June 17
6 PM | Zoom
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Organ Recital
Wednesday, June 17
7:30 PM | Livestreamed from the Methuen Memorial Music Hall
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Mass Poor People's Assembly & Moral March on Washington| Saturday, June 20
As we search for ways to get involved and work for justice, one way to demonstrate solidarity is to attend the Poor People's Campaign Digital Assembly and March on Washington, June 20, 2020. The assembly will center the voices of poor and low-income people and include the stories, solutions, and songs of movement leaders and artists. Visit
www.June2020.org for more details and to RSVP.
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Father's Day Sunday | Sunday, June 21
Join us on Sunday, June 21 for a virtual worship service celebrating fathers, of all stripes.
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Music and Meditation Mondays | A New YouTube & Social Media Series
Check out the first installment of our new series of musical meditations, with pretty pictures of the church and featuring
Skip Lewan on piano.
We are planning to add a new one of these every Monday on our social media channels with the hashtag #MusicAndMeditationMonday. Eventually, they'll add up to a YouTube playlist of organ, piano, and choir along with visuals as we look forward to the time when we can all gather safely in our sacred spaces again.
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Update from the Parish Council
Last week the newly constituted Parish Council met with the Wardens to share their personal connection with the church and their enthusiasm for their respective leadership roles resulting in a strong feeling for the prospects and possibilities of the year ahead, including the identification of a new Parish Council Chair. Underscored with an update from the Wardens on our response to the pandemic, the discussion turned to our response to the protests, both in terms of the statement that has been posted and in terms of the moving
video tribute posted on the Day of Mourning. Given the tenor of the conversation, our Community Action Committee Chair, Amanda Pickett, suggested that we consider posting a Black Lives Matter Banner beside the Pride Banner on the fence surrounding the sanctuary, an idea that was well received by the participating Parish Council members. As a result, since the meeting a banner was designed and, with the approval of both the Parish Council membership and the Vestry membership, will be produced and installed this week.
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ith an invitation to participate in a leadership retreat in September and a concluding prayer, everyone went off for the summer filled with hope for our collective future.
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You're Invited to Walk the LABYRINTH
Cynthia and Dick Perkins invite King's Chapel members and friends, who may be seeking a safe, out-of-town activity in nature, to come and enjoy a contemplative walk in their labyrinth. Set in a field, surrounded by tall pines and oaks, the labyrinth is a simple circular turning path, and unlike a maze you cannot get lost. Walking mindfully along the path, which always leads to the center, one may find an answer, offer a prayer, or leave a worry behind. You are welcome to enjoy this meditative setting, as well as a woodland walk, any time. A
s an outdoor site, with ample space for social distancing, any individual, couple or small group coming will be able to remain safe, consistent with COVID precautions. Dick and Cynthia assume you will enjoy the labyrinth walk on your own, and ask only that you contact them in advance to schedule your visit.
Stow is 27 miles from Boston, just west of Concord.
Contact Cynthia for more information, directions, and guidelines for walking the labyrinth. [email protected]
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From our Community Action Committee
The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute has a little under $7,000 to go towards reaching their goal of $400,000!
If you are able to help them either reach or surpass their goal, please consider donating via the King's Chapel Team site here. The site is open until Father's Day, June 21.
The need is great, especially during these times. Tina Chéry, the President and Founder of the Peace Institute, recently told us that most calls that they get-- even related to murder victims-- do not reach the press. So in other words, most names in Boston are unknown. Supporting our Community Partner is one way in our own city that we can show that black and brown lives matter. The LDB Peace Institute are real experts in providing healing and loving support to victims, and this is only part of their work. They do not receive any federal or state money so it is on us-- the community-- to help them if we can.
Carol Genovese
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Reserved Seats For King's Chapel At Virtual UUA General Assembly
It's first come-served for King's Chapel at the virtual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association, June 24-28, highpoint of the year for devoted Unitarians in the U.S. Our request for a clutch of curious parishioners to share one paid seat at GA has been accepted as a good will gesture beneficial to the UUA cause. The program is stimulating and registration is free.
The full program of events is on the
UUA/GA website. Originally scheduled at the Convention Center in Providence, RI, all events are now virtual. In a previous announcement, we proposed participation in events on one day so that interested parishioners could share a common experience. On Friday, June 26, the itinerary offers a plenary session in the morning, workshops in the afternoon, and the Ware Lecture at 5 o'clock featuring Naomi Klein who holds the Gloria Steinem Chair of Media, Culture and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University and is an award-winning columnist of the New York Times and best-selling author of
On Fire, No Is Not Enough, and
Winning the World We Need. This day and the others are packed with events and worship services, all available to an anticipated audience of several thousand including a chosen few at King's Chapel.
As chair of the Denomination Affairs Committee, I would like you to know that our ministers are registering separately for GA and that you can have a "reserved seat" and be virtually connected to the annual assembly of UU's on the "leading edge" of religion and social justice. Please communicate your interest to Denton Crews ( [email protected] or 617.733.9323) and you will receive more information.
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What Rights Might Look Like In The Coming Good Society
A rights revolution is underway, according to Rev. Dr. William Schulz in
The Coming Good Society. Former President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, former Executive Director of Amnesty International, and occasional preacher at King's Chapel, Bill Schulz, along with Sushma Raman have drawn on their vast experience as human rights advocates to address how rights evolve in changing circumstances and what they may look like a generation from now. Bill was slated this spring to deliver the Minns Lectures at King's Chapel and First Church on the subject, "Rights in a Good Society," but the lectures were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His co-authored book on the subject has just been released by
Harvard University Press and is available for purchase.
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Looking Back
Partner Church Sunday | Thank You Team Transylvania
Sunday's service in the Transylvanian tradition was the work of many hands. Joy and David organized the numerous elements and participated. Heinrich created virtual music with soloists Jennifer and Sudeep in sync from their homes. Lectors also read from their homes: Anne, Louise, and Tim. Laura and Alex put it all together on the Internet and in print. Thank you everyone.
We have heard how much many of you appreciated the service and the honoring of our relationship with the First Unitarian Church of Kolozsvár. We've also heard from Zizi, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Imre Gellérd, and the Bishop of Transylvania and Hungary, the Rev. Ferenc Bálint Benczédi expressing their gratitude. And Rev. Bill Schulz has sent a post script about his visit to Transylvania on behalf of the UUA within months after the fall of the communist regime and the launch of the partner church movement to facilitate the restoration of cultural exchange and support. The service of June 7 will remain for a while on the King's Chapel web site and we'll be posting updates on the upcoming centenary of a special and enduring partner church relationship.
Denton Crews, Partner Church Committee Chair
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"Say Their Names" at our Morning Light Service
Each Sunday at 9 AM a group of King's Chapel worshippers gathers live on Zoom for an abbreviated Morning Light Service. The highlight are the prayers we offer, sharing our hopes and concerns. This Sunday I began by "Saying Their Names," the call of those in the Black Lives Movement to name each beloved of God who has died at the hands of the police. There is power in saying names out loud, memorizing them, learning as many details as you can about each person and the life he or she lived. It makes real the tragic cost of their lives ended too soon. A sign inscribed with names had been left outside the Parish House by a protester, my daughter brought it inside, and David shared it with us at the service. In your prayer practice or meditation time, say the names. Learn the lives. Honor them. That's what we needed to do last Sunday.
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| "An Acceptable Fast" (Isaiah 58: 6-12) | King's Chapel Joins The Poor People's Campaign in a Day of Fasting and Focus [David] |
On Monday, several members of King's Chapel read Isaiah 58: 6-12 in support of the National Day of Fasting and Focus spearheaded by the Poor People's Campaign.
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Recap on...The Art of Mourning Jewelry: Special History Event with Metalsmith and Collector Sarah Nehama
On Monday June 8, the History Program co-hosted a wildly popular virtual program alongside the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery. This program was a special presentation by mourning and sentimental jewelry expert Sarah Nehama, who worked alongside the Massachusetts Historical Society in 2012 to curate In Death Lamented: The Tradition of Anglo-American Mourning Jewelry. The History Program initially organized this collaborative event to be held as part of Massachusetts ArtWeek in early May, but had to reschedule due to the pandemic. Despite the new challenges of hosting public programs online, we had a massive turnout of 293 attendees! Those interested in viewing a recording can access it here.
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