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Spotlight On:
"Parable of the Sower" Reading Group| Sunday February 16 | 12:15 PM | King's Chapel
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Following Morning Prayer this Sunday, David will be facilitating our discussion of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower. We still have a few copies of the book novel for sale and it's widely available in print and electronic formats. Butler's novel, set in a futuristic Los Angeles, explores issues of climate change, social justice, and how we're called to be stewards not only of our environment, but of our own humanity. We encourage you to join us for a stimulating conversation that's sure to touch on many subjects that have animated our community discussions recently!
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My Dear Friends-
May I confess something to you? After the exciting good news of last week's lessons, I turned with eager anticipation to this weeks lessons-and groaned at what I found waiting for me. Deuteronomy speaks to us of commandments and obedience, Paul seems condescending and dismissive in addressing himself to "infants in Christ," and the Jesus who spoke to us last week of being salt and light for the earth? Now he presents us with a chronicle of sinfulness and threats of a fiery hell! What a difference a week makes!
So what are we to do with all this? Is there yet good news to be found here? I think there is. But this week I'm going to practice an uncharacteristic brevity here and extend an invitation: abide with me in these readings for the week. Deuteronomy 30:15-20; (Sirach 15:15-20); Psalm 119:1-8; (1 Corinthians 3:1-9); and Matthew 5:21-37. On Sunday we'll hear Deuteronomy and Matthew (and the Psalm, of course), but I encourage you to give them all a read and note how they speak to you. What turns you off? What troubles you? Don't worry if your list is long-it was for me too!
Now leave them for a day or so and let them marinate in your mind and heart. Hold them up against your experiences over the week-things you've seen or read, conversations you've had, memories that have come up. And then give the readings another look. Has anything changed? Do the parts come together in different ways for you? Does a throughline start to emerge-some whisper of a news that could be redemptive?
I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts-and sharing some of my own with you on Sunday!
In faith and love,
David
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Winter Walk
Sunday morning, February 9, I attended the Winter Walk to End Homelessness in Boston for the first time. I was joined by Cathy Price and Jennifer Kronstain who walked with me from Copley Square to the Boston Common and back. We enjoyed meeting old friends such as Reverend Laura from common cathedral and several familiar faces from MANNA. Everyone felt like a friend in this warm and loving crowd that dared to openly love their neighbors. The event started at 9:00 with words and song as well as a lovely video for the 2020 event that you can see HERE. The words of housed and unhoused participants in this video speak more eloquently that I can. Suffice it to say that it was and is one good day, one day at a time.
~Gary Riccio |
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Sandwich Making for our Unhoused Neighbors
On Sunday, February 11th, King's Chapel once again came together with our neighbors at
common cathedral to share food, community, and prayer at their place of worship on Boston Common.
It was a day of old and new. When fourteen King's Chapel members and friends came together at 10 AM to make bag lunches, it was almost an act of group reflex: everyone fell into place without asking or needing to be told, and before we knew it we had four baskets full of lunches ready to share. At 11:50 David Waters, Minister for Education and Membership, continued our new tradition of blessing the sandwiches at the King's Chapel chancel before they are taken to Boston Common to be distributed.
At 12:00, six King's Chapel congregants joined
common cathedral to share lunch and worship and this, too, was a mixture of old and new: King's Chapel member Ciael Hills reflected on how this act goes right back to Jesus' final instructions to Peter to care for all people. King's Chapel member Gary Riccio reflected on how Pastor Mary's request to help a stranger with a two dollar bus fare represented a new leap of faith in this place where the normal rules don't apply, and the improbable is given voice and agency. During the service Pastor Mary mentioned how King's Chapel can be relied upon to show up again and again, even in the bitter cold of last Sunday.
Thank you to everyone who was part of our champion team in the kitchen: Dan and Karen Taylor,
Sarah and Eleanor Graber, Betty Lykins, Skip Lewan and Ali, Rita Horgan, Dorothy Waldron, Betsy Peterson, Stephen Courtney, Tim Nelson-Hoy and Carol and Emanuel Genovese. Thanks also to those who braved the cold to serve and worship outside: Betty Lykins, Cathy Price and Eliot, Gary Riccio, Louise Perkins and Tim Nelson-Hoy. We are glad for this opportunity to show up for our neighbors at
common cathedral, and hope to show up again, in new ways and old, whatever the weather.
Tim Nelson-Hoy
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The History Program's blog, "That Towered and Pillared Building," is now live! The inaugural post, just in time for our "Till Death Us Do Part" Crypt Tours, sheds light on what funeral traditions looked like at King's Chapel in the 1750s. The post, co-written by History Program Director Faye Charpentier and Program Assistant Jennifer Roesch, looks at how one well-documented member of colonial King's Chapel was mourned and memorialized in the manner of the day.
The blog title "That Towered and Pillared Building," comes from
longtime member Oliver Wendell Holmes' 1884 poem "At the Saturday Club," where he describes King's Chapel and gives his own interpretation of the church's history.
Just as Holmes returned to King's Chapel within his poetry through different perspectives, we hope our blog will share new and innovative perspectives on our history as well. We are excited to share stories from King's Chapel's history more in depth through this outlet.
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The Parish House Offices will be Closed on Monday, February 17, in observance of President's Day. Gretchen will be out for the week. All other staff will return on Tuesday, February 18.
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Theology on Tap: Beauty and Religion | Wednesday, February 19 | 6:15 PM | The Emory
We often associate religion with morals and ethics, dos and don'ts, rules and regulations. But what about the relationship between religion and beauty? From architecture to poetry to film and the visual arts, we often find religious expression in artistic endeavor-religion seems to speak not only about doing the right things, but appreciating the beautiful things. Do we find God in the beautiful? And what about the messiness of the world? Where does beauty fit into our practice of faith? Come talk about it with us over food and drinks at the Emory after Contemplative Communion next Wednesday!
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Shrove Sunday Pancake Breakfast | Sunday February 23 | 10 AM | Parish House, 64 Beacon Street
Before celebrating Mardi Gras this year, join us on Sunday, February 23 at 10 AM on the second floor of the Parish House to eat as many pancakes as your belly can possibly hold! A buffet table will be set up with plenty of toppings. Bring your friends, bring some Mardi Gras flare, most importantly, bring your appetite!
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King's Chapel Concert Series: Sonata | Sunday, February 23 | 5 PM | King's Chapel, 58 Tremont Street
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Scaffolding willing, our next Sunday concert is slated for February 23, at 5 PM.
Following last season's program of organ Toccatas, this year we will explore the Sonata.
From the Latin root sonare, to sound, the word Sonata originally was used as a designation for an instrumental, as opposed to vocal, piece.
Over the course of music history, it came to be applied to rather specific forms, but as soon as those were established, inventive composers started experimenting with the form in all conceivable directions.
Join us on a musical journey through the centuries with works from Scarlatti to Woodman!
Following the program, the music committee cordially invites you to raise a cup of sonorous cheer and a crackling cookie in the vestibule.
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Bistro 64: Mardi Gras| Tuesday, February 25 | 6:30 pm | Parish House, 64 Beacon Street
Bistro 64 in 2020 kicks off with a festive "Mardi Gras" dinner on Tuesday, February 25 at the Parish House. We celebrate this occasion - also known as "Fat Tuesday" - with sumptuous cuisine. Don your favorite mask and get ready for a fun evening.
Please select a dish to bring, either an appetizer, salad, or side dish. Or, you may provide a beverage of your choosing. Prepare your dish at home or make it in the Parish House kitchen starting at 5 pm. To RSVP, send an email to co-chairs
Anne Sexton or
Gregg Sorensen .
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UUUM Fair Foods Service Day | Saturday February 29 | 10:30 AM - 2 PM | UUUM, 10 Putnam Street, Roxbury
On Saturday February 29 from 10:30 AM to 2 PM, members of the Church School invite everyone to help us unload and pack goods for the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministries (UUUM) Fair Foods initiative at 10 Putnam Street in Roxbury's Dudley Square. Fair Foods is a non-profit food rescue organization dedicated to providing surplus produce at low or no cost to those in need. Contact David Waters for more information. |
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"Till Death Us Do Part" Crypt Tours| Ongoing in February | King's Chapel
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The King's Chapel History Program's "Till Death Us Do Part" candlelit crypt tours continue throughout February, with 50% off general admission tickets for members (promo code
MEMBER).
Uncover the history of American mourning traditions, funeral customs, and burial practices as they relate to the loss of a loved one throughout Boston's history. Discover the memorials within King's Chapel and explore the crypt below, walking among the 21 tombs to experience the stories of the historic people and couples laid to rest within.
Tours offered at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM most dates, but are offered at 5:30 PM and 7 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.
February 13-17, 21-22, 24, and 28-29.
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Safety and Emergency Training for Ushers, Vergers, and History Staff | Sunday March 1 | 12:15 PM | King's Chapel
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Following Morning Prayer on Sunday March 1, ushers are required to attend a Safety and Emergency Training of the chapel, led by History Program Director Faye Charpentier and Sexton Clark Aitkins. We will tour the building, discussing locations of first aid kits, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, emergency exits, and more; practice evacuation procedures; issue revised safety maps of the chapel; discuss similarities and differences in protocols when responding to several types of potential emergencies; and provide time for questions and discussion to clarify procedures. This is an important opportunity for ushers, vergers, and staff who all share responsibility for emergency preparedness at King's Chapel to meet each other and learn these policies together. Please RSVP to
Laura Zeugner, Administrative Assistant.
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Forgiveness: Finding Peace by Letting Go | Lenten Retreat | Saturday, March 14, 10 AM - 3 PM |
Parish House, 64 Beacon Street
Joy will lead a one-day retreat on our Lenten Theme, Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go. Drawing from the writings of Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama on forgiveness, we'll share a small worship service; have quiet, peaceful opportunities to reflect individually; a shared lunch; and talk with others if you want. We'll have available poetry, scripture, art and cooking as ways to explore forgiveness and letting go. The retreat is $15 to cover costs of materials and food; scholarships are available. Please sign up with Parish Administrative Assistant
Laura Zeugner, or 617-227-2155 x104.
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Parable Read and Performance
King's Chapel is reading Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower with New Roots AME Church as part of Boston's citywide reading of Butler's classic Afrofuturist novel. Butler's insights on humanity and the beliefs that shape society encourage conversation about the climate crisis, survival, and ways of deepening our humanity.
On Sunday, February 16, members will gather for a book discussion after Morning Prayer in the vestry. All are invited to attend. On Saturday, February 22, from 12-2 PM, members will join New Roots AME for a book discussion with Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, an activist and organizer for ecological and social justice.
On Friday, March 27, at 8 PM, King's Chapel members will attend
ArtsEmerson's musical stage adaptation of
Parable of the Sower. Lee Glenn will be taking reservations in the vestibule following Morning Prayer on Sunday, Jan 19 and 26, for all those interested in attending. Group discounted tickets are $34; there are scholarships available. For more information or reservations, please contact Lee at
leeglenn@verizon.net
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Pilgrimage Trip to the New National Museum of Peace and Justice, and Other Civil Rights Sites in Montgomery, Alabama | Thursday April 16-Sunday April 19, 2020.
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King's Chapel members have been invited to join a group of church members who are taking a pilgrimage to civil rights sites in Montgomery Alabama. The trip is being led by several clergy, including the Rev. June Cooper, Executive Director of the City Mission Society who has preached at King's Chapel, and by the Rev. Dan Smith, of Cambridge's First Church, where the congregation has been exploring its history of slavery, as we have. The group is limited to 50, and participants are responsible for their own transportation costs and hotel. The fee is $250.
For more information, click HERE. The deadline to register is February 16.
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We hold in our prayers Jennifer Krontain, as she and her family mourn the passing of her uncle David Krontain, in Ohio. A beloved uncle, he suffered a stroke recently. More can be read on his life
HERE
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Sunday Services
Sunday, February 16
Second Sunday before Lent
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Morning Light | 9 AM
David Waters Preaching
- Jodi Hitzhusen, piano
- Emilia Filippone, Verger
- Michelle Gaudet, Nursery
Morning Prayer | 11 AM
- The Rev. Joy Fallon, Senior Minister
- David Waters, Minister for Education and Membership
- Heinrich Christensen, Music Director
- Alison LaRosa and Jennifer Webb, soloists
- Gail Danckert and Elliot Larsen, Lectors
- Michael Bergeron, Head Usher
- Sylvia Soderberg, Usher in Charge
- DC Dalton, Todd Lee and Betsy Peterson, Ushers
- Clark Aitkins, Verger
The Readings:
Psalm 119: 1-8
Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
Matthew 5: 21-26
The flowers on the communion table are given by Cathy Price in memory of Herman Woerner and Berta Cafasso.
At the communion rail following the service Todd Lee will greet those
interested in learning more about King's Chapel.
After the service, please join us for coffee and refreshments in the vestibule, hosted by Joan Hunt.
Each Sunday, 10% of the plate collection will go to our Community Action strategic partners:
common cathedral, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, and the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministries, to do works of mercy, justice, and healing. All cash and checks not specially designated will be considered a plate offering.
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Did you miss last week's sermon or want to hear it again? Listen
HERE
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Come to church early this Sunday for a special treat: Jennifer Webb and Alison Rosa will offer a Telemann Cantata based on the parable of the sower for Sexuagesima Sunday.
The choir will sing some perennial favorites, including Duruflé's Ubi Caritas, Stanford's Beati Quorum Via, and Farrant's Lord, For Thy Tender Mercy's Sake. The postlude is a Sonata by Domenico Scarlatti.
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February 18, 12:15 PM
George Sargeant
plays the C.B.Fisk Organ
Bach, Franck, Gigout, Howells
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Ongoing in February: Valentine Crypt Tours at King's Chapel, 5:30 and 6:30 PM or 7 PM
February 16:
Parable Book Discussion, 12:15 PM
February 19: Theology on Tap: Beauty and the Theological Imagination, 6:15 PM
February 23: Concert: Sonata, 5 PM
March 1: Safety Training for All Ushers, 12:15 PM
March 8: Presentation on KC by Park Ranger Eric Hanson Plass, 12:15 PM
March 27: ArtsEmerson Parable of the Sower, 8 PM
March 29: Concert: Alexander's Feast, 5 PM
Lenten Activities and Services
February 23: Shrove Pancake Breakfast, 10 AM
February 25: Mardis Gras dinner party, 6 PM
February 26: Ash Wednesday, Imposition of Ashes, 8 AM - 6 PM
February 26: Mid-day service, 12:15 PM, Evening service, 5:30 PM
March 14: Lenten Retreat, 10 AM - 3 PM
April 5: Palm Sunday
April 9: Maundy Thursday service, 5:30 PM
April 10: Good Friday services, 12:15 and 8 PM
April 11: Decorate the Church, 10 AM
April 11: Easter Crafts
April 11: Easter Vigil service, 8 PM
April 12: Easter service, 11 AM
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Monday February 24: Vestry, 6 PM
Thursday February 27, Parish Council, 6 PM
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Tuesday Meditation Group
Weekly at 7:30 am | Parish House, 64 Beacon Street
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Lectio Divina
Wednesdays at 2:00 PM | Parish House, 64 Beacon Street
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Want to know what's
going on at
King's Chapel?
Click
HERE
to view the King's
Chapel Calendar at our website
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Volunteer: Sign up for Hospitality
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Anyone can help!
Enter your email address and select a spot to fill. New volunteers may choose to co-host with a buddy.
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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
administrator@kings-chapel.org with a written piece and/or pictures before Wednesday at 5 PM.
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Accessibility Assists
Our beautiful Georgian sanctuary was designed by Peter Harrison and completed in 1754. To make our services and programs more accessible, one of the box pews has been made wheel-chair accessible. Ushers are available to assist those wheelchair users to that pew. Additionally, we have installed an accessible bathroom on our main floor. An usher can direct you to the vestry.
A sound system has been installed in the sanctuary of The Chapel to amplify the sound during worship services. Hearing assistance devices are available for your use. Please see an Usher for assistance.
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