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Milk Punch Sunday is this Sunday!
Celebrate the Season with our Annual Milk Punch and Christmas Party.
In a grand Yuletide tradition of King's Chapel, all are invited to gather after church for festive food, good cheer, and the famous King's Chapel Milk Punch, something akin to a deliciously powerful eggnog. We also will celebrate with song and games for the whole family. Join old friends and meet new ones. Festivities will begin following morning prayer: Sunday, December 21st The King's Chapel Parish House
64 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02108
Kindly RSVP to Simon at the Parish House (617 227 2155) by phone or email today! If you would like to help with this fun event please contact: Anne Sexton 781-383-9028 or email her
anne.sexton@alumni.norwich.edu |
Is your name Mary? Could you ever be Mary, from the Christmas tableau?
You might consider Mary too far above you - she, the true exemplar of faith. You would never dare call yourself Mary, because she was unique: the God-bearer.
On the other hand, you might recoil from being Mary, finding her too passive. Mary "meek and mild" is not someone you want to emulate. In this view, Mary's been enshrined as the perfect woman by those with one agenda: limiting women's roles to childbearing.
Third, you may consider the whole question of Mary irrelevant, concluding that the discussion between Mary and Angel Gabriel, plus the miraculous conception, never really happened. Though historians acknowledge Mary and Jesus as real people, you conclude that Mary's conception of Jesus happened in the plain, old-fashioned way. Jesus' teachings might be of interest, but not how he was born, and not Mary.
But whichever of these three alternatives is closest to your way of thinking, this truth is inescapable: a real woman Mary is central to a new "Creation Story" where something that never was in the world, gets brought into the world.
And that's how it is for each of us. Each day, we choose: We can bring into the world a Love that wasn't here before, or decide not to.
What's the loving thing you could do today? Can we help each other along the way? It's really the whole purpose of church. And of Christmas.
--Joy
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ADVENT 2014 HOMELESSNESS MISSION PROJECT:
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| More than 30 backpacks will be blessed at Church on Sunday, ready to be given to various programs in Boston serving homeless men and women, in time for Christmas. Thanks to all of you who participated - buying necessities to put in the backpacks, or the backpacks themselves. If there is interest, we'll continue the ministry into January - the need doesn't end with the Holidays. Many thanks to Judy Luca for organizing this important effort. For more information on needed items, check "Focus on Homelessness" on the coverpage of our website: http://www.kings-chapel.org/ |
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless -- "A Bed for Every Child"
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| The cakes and cookies have arrived! Cliff Allen reports that we have achieved a new record in cake sales, raising enough money this year to fund 5 new beds. |
Hanging of the Greens, TOMORROW Saturday December 20th
Volunteers needed and welcome! Come one, come all to help the Chancel Committee decorate our beautiful church for Christmas on Saturday December 20 from 11am to 2pm. Contact Louise Perkins with any questions.
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Evening Prayer
5:30 p.m. at the Little Chapel
64 Beacon Street
The service is partly modeled on the service of Vespers, with additions from Compline, the last of the day-hours, said before retiring for the night.
Dinner & Fireworks
6:15p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
King's Chapel Parish House
64 Beacon Street
A potluck dinner and view of the fireworks from the 2nd floor parlors of 64 Beacon Street. Advance reservations and potluck assignments should be made by December 29th through the Parish Administrator: administrator@kings-chapel.org.
First Night Concert
9:00 p.m. at King's Chapel
Heinrich Christensen plays the C.B, Fisk Organ. Works by Bach, Mendelssohn, and Dupré . Admission by First Night button, or individual tickets available from the Parish House on request.
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New Year's Retreat - 4 PM Friday, January 16 - 10 AM Sunday, January 18
Finding Your Spiritual Home
As you start the New Year, come for a quiet, warm retreat at Glastonbury Abbey, in Hingham. Rev. Fallon will lead us in quiet reflection on where you are on your spiritual journey: who or what is your spiritual home? There will be free time to walk in the woods or at the ocean, rest, eat, and join in conversation. Cost: $130 for a room at the retreat house and all meals. Scholarships are available; talk with Rev. Fallon or Betsy Peterson.
Registration forms for the retreat are now available HERE.
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Parish House Hours Through the Holidays:
The Parish House will be open as usual from 9am to 5pm Monday and Tuesday of next week, but will be closed in honor of Christmas Wednesday Christmas Eve, Thursday Christmas Day, and Friday.
The following week, the Parish House will be open by appointment only on Monday December 29th, and Tuesday December 30th. Parish Administrator Julina Rundberg will be available by email.
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KAREN AND TODD JOIN BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTEST IN D.C.
Karen Dalton (Associate Editor, The Image of the Black in Western Art, Harvard University Press, Vol. V, Part 2, 2014) and Todd Lee took the overnight train Friday to participate in the Black Lives Matter March from the White House to the Capitol in Washington last Saturday, 12/13.
Back in Boston by midnight, they felt that their joining the upwards of 25,000 protestors was meaningful for them. But they worried that this and other protests nationwide would have little effect on deeply held prejudices within our nation, the persistence of racial profiling within our police - in spite of the strides that many departments have made, or could activate sufficient widespread public demand to effect fundamental change.
Karen commented, "We have made such extraordinary strides towards racial equality in the 50 years since my growing up in small town Tennessee, that it is hard to believe. But there is so very much left to do - so far to go for justice in our country, that the fact is even harder to believe."
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 | | Karen on Pennsylvania Avenue during the march. The poster reads "HANDS UP. DON'T SHOOT!" |
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 | | Bookkeeper Cindy Stephens shares with us the good news of a new grandchild! From Cindy: Emily Ruth Stephens finally made her arrival on Sunday night, December 14th at 11:15pm, 8 lbs 4 oz! We are totally in love with this little girl and mom, dad, and baby are all doing great and excited for big sister Molly to meet baby Emmy. Emily is Cindy's fifth grandchild. |
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Dear Friends:
I am writing to you to ask if you will join the hospitality committee as we embark on a project that will bring King's Chapel members and friends together, by neighborhood, so we can get to know each other better.
The idea is to have small intimate dinners, for eight people or more, that will encourage dinner table conversations. We hope dinners can be scheduled starting in February and March. If this idea appeals to you, either as a guest or host please reply to this email. You may also contact me directly with any questions you may have.
I do hope you will consider joining with us in this project. I can be reached at 781-383-9028. Warmly,
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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21
11:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
Third Sunday in Advent
Rev. Joy Fallon, preacher
The lessons are:
- Psalm 89:1-4
- Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
- New Testament: Luke 1:26-38
The Church has been decorated with Christmas Greens
by the Chancel Committee and volunteers.
- Anne Sexton, Head Usher
- Sylvia Soderberg, Usher-in-Charge
- Todd Lee, Betsy Peterson, & Karen Dalton, Ushers
- Carolyn Russ & Anne Sexton, Lectors
At the communion rail following the service, Todd Lee will greet those interested in learning more about King's Chapel.
After the service, all are invited to partake in a grand Yuletide tradition of King's Chapel,
Milk Punch at the Parish House!
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 24th
Christmas Eve
Family Worship & Christmas Pageant
4:30 p.m. at King's Chapel
The Bible story of Jesus' birth comes alive through word and carols. Any child may participate as an angel or shepherd, without any rehearsal.
Lessons & Carols
10:30 p.m. at King's Chapel
Organ Prelude begins at 10:00 p.m.
A traditional service with full choir and candlelight modeled after the service offered at Truro Cathedral in 1880. The first Christmas Eve service offered at King's Chapel was held in 1929.
THURSDAY DECEMBER 25th
Christmas Day
Christmas Day Morning Prayer
10:00 a.m. at King's Chapel
Holy Communion
Rev. Shawn Fiedler, preacher
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On Sunday January 11th, all donations not designated for the King's Chapel Annual Appeal will be given to Horizons for Homeless Children.
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--By Heinrich Christensen
This week's signature tune is probably most familiar today as the carol "The Angel Gabriel from heav'n came down". It was one of the greatest hits of the 15th century, was known under several names, and came in several different rhythmical patterns and tune variations. The origin of all these versions is believed to be a secular tune called La Monica. For our service, you will hear it first on the organ set as a French Noël by Louis-Claude Daquin, the toast of 18th century Paris. Then the choir will sing a 20th century version that reimagines the tune in a sort of calypso rhythm as it tells the familiar story of the Annunciation. And finally, our postlude will be J.S. Bach's setting of the Lutheran chorale version of the tune. For our Introit and Choral responses, you will hear an Ave Maris Stella set to another French Noël, the Noël Nouvelet, familiar to us as the Easter hymn Now the Green Blade Rises. And as if that wasn't enough, the choir will also sing the Church Slavonic version of the Hail Mary, Bogoroditse Devo, from Rachmaninov's Vespers.
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This past Sunday, the Parish House was filled with the festivity and fellowship of King's Chapel's beloved Advent Crafts event tradition. Children and families of our church school created beautiful evergreen centerpieces with Paula Tranter; made designs with cloves and ribbons on oranges with Tamara Hammer; decorated candles with Elizabeth and Christopher Barnett; created colorful mosaic ornaments with Emanuel Genovese and Katie Aucella; and stuffed backpacks for the homeless community with Judy & Paul Luca and Vallerie Benjamin. What a wonderful and creative way to usher in this season of light.
This Sunday, the Church School worship service will include the reading and reflection on the Magnificat, the poetic words spoken by Mary who did not hesitate when the angel told her of the child she would bear, but answered with a resounding "yes." This well-known text is a reminder of the kingdom of God which lifts the lowly and honors the oppressed.
As we continue our Advent journey and celebrate Christmas with our church community and loved ones, let us remember God's powerful and yet beautifully humble entrance into the world.
Grace and Peace,Eva Englert Church School Director |
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Please join us on Tuesday, December 23rd at 12:15
as soloists from the King's Chapel Choir sing Handel: the half-hour Messiah
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The Visitor's Program will continue to welcome tourists and locals alike to our space this December, on an adjusted schedule! Due to weekday morning advent prayer services, the Chapel will be open 9 am-4:00 pm Monday and Friday, 9 am through the concert/service on Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 am-4:00 pm on Saturday and 1:00 pm-4:00 pm on Sunday, all dependent on weather conditions. We will be closed on Thursday. This year we will be open until December 23, to allow guests to see the beautiful greenery in our sanctuary. If you are in the area, please stop by for some holiday peace and cheer in the midst of a busy season!
--Theresa |
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(more) News from the Parish
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Words on Spiritual Practice from a sleep-deprived Heinrich Christensen after three weeks of Daily Advent Prayer Services:
1) Confucius says: If you're on the organ bench by 8:15 every morning, you can get a lot of your practicing done by noon.
2) Then there are those mornings when you wake up at 5:30 for no good reason and you just want to weep for the lost hour of potential sleep.
3) Changing your daily routine really does make a huge difference in making a certain period of time stand out as distinct and separate.
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News from the Staff:
Head Guide, Theresa Cooney, is passing in the first full draft of her dissertation this week. She is planning to graduate this spring from Boston University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with a PhD from the Division of Religious and Theological Studies.
Eva Englert, Church School director has just finished her first semester of Divinity School at Boston University. |
Former Staff Member Aaron Stockwell sends good news:
"Aaron Stockwell (Administrative Assistant and Church School Teacher, 2009-2011) was welcomed into Preliminary Fellowship as a Unitarian Universalist minister in early December. He will be ordained on June 6, 2015 at the First Parish Church of Groton, MA."
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Submitted by Peter Sexton:
Dear King's Chapel members and friends,
The failure of a Staten Island grand jury to bring charges against New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who choked Eric Garner to death for disputing the sale of loose cigarettes, will be regarded as one of the great miscarriages of justice in U.S. history.
There can be no question that (1) Garner was not even suspected of a violent offense; (2) the dispute was verbal and hence did not warrant a physical response; and (3) once Garner pleaded that he couldn't breathe, the officer should have immediately loosened his hold upon him. And how do we know these three things? Because the world saw them!
Is it any wonder that so many people mistrust the police and, indeed, the U.S. justice system itself? How much value do our justice system and our society place on the lives of people of color? It behooves all of us to look long and hard at those questions.
If you are looking for a way to take concrete action, I would urge you to send a message to the Justice Department. The Justice Department has announced that it will conduct an investigation into the death of Eric Garner. We need to do all that we can to to make sure that this investigation is conducted fully and fairly, and that its findings are promptly released.
We must also call on the Justice Department to investigate the much broader problem of police mistreatment of people of color in the United States. It can be tempting to place our faith wholeheartedly in governments and institutions, including the justice system. But those systems can sometimes fail and betray our deepest values. We must constantly work to hold our government accountable.
At the same time, we can renew our faith by joining people throughout the country who have risen up, in displays of solidarity and community, to affirm that all lives matter.
Sincerely,
Bill Schulz
President and CEO
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
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Chancel Flowers: Donors Needed!
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| There is one date available the first Sunday in January. If you would like to offer a dedication in honor or memory of a loved one, please contact the Parish House.
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Wanted: Language Translators for King's Chapel Signs
180,000 people come to visit us at King's Chapel every year, many from foreign countries. While we do have self-guided tours available in several languages, currently all of our exterior signage is in English. Anyone arriving during hours we are closed or worshipping, if not proficient in English, often does not understand that they are either warmly invited to join us in worship, or encouraged to return at the time tours will begin again.
If you can speak and write Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Italian or French, and can help us devise more welcoming, useful signs for our many visitors, please contact Parish Administrator Julina Rundberg,julina@kings-chapel.org
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Accessibility and Hearing Assists
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Our beautiful Georgian sanctuary designed by Peter Harrison and completed in 1754, has been lovingly maintained by the congregation since its completion. Some of the box pews have been made wheel-chair accessible. Ushers are available to assist those who are wheelchair-bound to those pews.
Many of us have trouble hearing in our sanctuary, which does not have amplification. Small hearing devices are available; an usher also will be happy to provide one, and explain how they work.
The Book of Common Prayer According to the Use in King's Chapel is the cornerstone of worship at our 11 am Morning Prayer Services. Printed orders of service including hymns, Psalms, and responsive sections of the Prayer Book liturgy are available to facilitate participation in worship for everyone. |
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