We trust you have already saved Saturday February 9 for our sure to be legendary Bistro 64 Progressive Piano Party.  Festivities will begin on the first floor where we will gather at 5:30 for aperitifs and snacks, followed by a program on the Steinway in the chapel, then we shall move upstairs to enjoy more goodies, along with the Mason & Hamlin in the parlor. Our guest artists for the evening will be the Vocal Artists of Amethyst. Behind that evocative and mysterious name you will find some familiar faces: Former choir member Mary Sullivan, now residing in Brunswick, ME, founded the Amethyst Chamber Ensemble last year, and they have been doing some amazing programs both in Massachusetts and Maine. Mary will bring one of her co-founders, mezzo-soprano Joëlle Morris (who came and sang with Mary for last year's Good Friday services, in case that rings a bell), as well as bass-baritone John David Adams. Our very own tenor Andy Troska will round out the quartet in offerings from opera and musical theatre.  Our amazing Morning Light pianist Skip Lewan will open the festivities by playing gathering music from 5:30-6. 

Since this Bistro is not a sit-down dinner, attendance will not be capped at a specific number - but we would still love to know you are coming so we have enough food and drink for everyone. RSVP to Gregg Sorensen at  gds1960@yahoo.com.

 

So, it is with some chagrin that I realized, this week, that Jesus is  the ultimate interrupter. Jesus is constantly coming into people's lives and getting their days, and their lives, completely off  of  the plan, and off  of  the track. This happens to Simon, James and John in Sunday's reading, when a normal day  of fishing and net cleaning is dismantled by Jesus's antics and demands. It happens to Isaiah, who is interrupted by a disturbing vision that changes his life forever. 

 

It happened to me, calling me  from a life  of political organizing into,  of all things,  the  ministry. Perhaps it has even happened to you. 

 

This week I invite us all to think about  the many interruptions and changes  of plans in our lives-might God, that ultimate interrupter, be somewhere in them? 

Amelia

Our next Sunday concert will take place on February 24 at 5 pm. Last season's program of baroque Concerti was such a success that we've decided to "encore" the event with a fresh batch of fun pieces for organ and strings, and this year we are augmenting the orchestra with the amazing oboist Andrew Price (some of you may remember him from past years, he has visited before, both in orchestral and chamber music contexts). The selections range from Handel's Organ Concerto nicknamed "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale", through Albinoni's famous Adagio (one of the more intriguing works of the repertoire in terms of "musical forensics" - you'll have to come to the concert to find out what that means!) as well as his Oboe Concerto, to Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Violins, and Bach's Double Concerto for Oboe and Violin. As a special bonus, you will hear our own Daniel Pinkham's First Sonata for Organ and Strings - it may seem like a fish out of water at first, but actually fits right in, as this is one of Dan's earliest pieces and is very clearly influenced by his first discoveries as a pioneer in the emerging field of Early Music. It can be quite difficult to imagine when you look around Boston's music scene today, but when Dan was a young man, the Early Music offerings here (and elsewhere in both Europe and the US) were nothing like they are today. Pinkham and many other musicians and scholars took upon themselves to rediscover and re-popularize all this wonderful repertoire, so it seems only fair to offer a tip of the hat to those who have made it all possible. 

After the concert, the music committee and friends will have tasty treats on offer in the vestibule to complete your weekend entertainment.

Music Presentation by Joei Marshall Perry | Thursday February 28 | 6-7 PM | King's Chapel Parish House | 64 Beacon St.

Drawing inspiration from Langston Hughes' poem, Spirituals, Joei Marshall Perry (member of the King's Chapel Choir, member of the King's Chapel Vestry, and chair of the King's Chapel Personnel Committee) will share a small, eclectic selection of songs that symbolize the strength of her relationship with music, 

the maternal influences in her life as a musician, and the music that speaks to her as a  mother/mother figure, herself. She will explain how music uplifts and sustains her spirit and allows for her to communicate more fully, more deeply from her greatest joy to her deepest sorrow. A short discussion period and reception will follow.

Once again, the City of Boston hosted a winning team on Tuesday to parade through downtown.  Over a million people provided a festive atmosphere on a spring-like day.  King's Chapel had its own championship team providing security at the Chapel, assuring that the thousands of people nearby stayed safely outside the chapel.  Led by coach Clark Aitkins, we are grateful to quarterback Gregg Sorensen and team Bill Kuttner, Garry Riccio and the crew from Beacon Services, there were no fumbles throughout the day.  Thank you, team for going above and beyond to keep our historic chapel safe and secure!

 

Last Sunday, the Rev. Mary Margaret Earl preached about a favorite King's Chapel topic: history. As Executive Director of one of our three major social justice partners, the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry, Rev. Earl spoke about the need to look back in order to move forward.

 

In her recent reading, Rev. Earl delighted to learn that the site of the UUUM is the First Church of Roxbury, founded in 1632 by Puritans. Located on Eliot Square, near Madison Park High School, George Washington commanded troops from nearby during the Siege of Boston in 1775.

 

Rev. Earl also learned about the early creation of police forces, which especially in the South were founded to police or recapture enslaved persons, not to protect them. Knowing this history is vital to understanding why white and black Americans today can have different expectations of local police. To combat racism, we also need to be fully aware of past practices of discrimination in housing loans and employment, which largely prevented African Americans in Boston from accumulating wealth through home ownership, as whites could. Today, the average wealth of whites in greater Boston is $277,000 while that of blacks is $8.

 

Last year, youth from the summer UUUM program in Roxbury met with King's Chapel history staff, discussing the history of their communities, and how to convey public history in a compelling way. We hope that this summer a group from King's Chapel will receive historical tours of Roxbury led by UUUM youth.

Join us in celebrating bell's 203rd birthday! After being recast by Paul Revere's bell foundry Revere & Sons, the King's Chapel bell was installed on February 23, 1816. Visitors are invited to tour the bell tower to visit the historic bell, learn about Revere family members who worshiped at King's Chapel, create their own bell at our craft station, and hear bell-ringing throughout the week. Bell & Bones tours to the crypt and bell tower and Art & Architecture tours will be offered daily during the week, as well as additional tours to the bell tower. 

Contact  faye@kings-chapel.org for more information.