The season of Lent has begun this week, where Christians throughout the world are taking time to remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in personal consecration. Here on UniteBoston, we want to share “Lenten Meditation” for you, which is a song composed by Daniel Faris and music video by local video producer Luke Zvara.

Luke describes: “Daniel Faris first wrote “Lenten Meditation” for a mid-day Lent service at Park Street Church a couple years ago. Last spring he and I began talking about creating a music video for one of the songs off his new album (a collection of his own arrangements of a number of hymns). “Lenten Meditation” stood out to me, not just because it was an original piece, but because it had a haunting beauty and emotional depth to it. Daniel wrote it while reflecting on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, incorporating “descending” musical patterns that reflected the tears of Christ. I wanted to create a video that complimented the reflective nature of the song by adding symbolic images to the music, but that also told a story; a story about the brokenness and sin that made Christ weep in the Garden, but also a story that gave a glimpse of the hope his suffering brings. It’s our hope that the music and the video serve as a catalyst for prayer and reflection this Lent season.”

“Lentin Meditation” official music video from Luke Zvara on Vimeo.

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Bios

On Left – Daniel Faris is a New England-based violinist, who has spent the last 10 years studying and working in the Boston area. He has also been traveling as performer on cruise ships with Lincoln Center Stage. He has attended Park Street Church since 2013, and has been privileged to be an active part of the music ministry there. He would love to see the global impact a vibrant Christian community can have as so many different people come through the city.
On Right – Luke Zvara is a freelance filmmaker in the Greater Boston Area and a member of Park Street Church. He longs to see Christian artists thriving and serving the church in Boston.

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We also want to share a Lenten resource with you, provided by the Race & Christian Community Initiative at the Emmanuel Gospel Center. RCCI director Megan Lietz describes, “Racism and its impact is deeply embedded in our society, and yet through ongoing repentance and the grace of God, we can experience the healing power of the resurrection.”

An American Lent is a 40-day devotional that can be used by individuals or small groups to reflect on the ways our nation has upheld racism with a focus on the Atlantic slave trade and its legacy. Read it here.

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The story of our new church in Quincy is, from beginning to end, the story of the collaborative, Kingdom-minded investment of other churches. 

It was the pastor of a Brazilian Presbyterian Church (Christ the King Quincy) that first challenged me to consider planting in Quincy. I had been serving as the Assistant Pastor of Christ the King Somerville (now Seven Hills Presbyterian Church). As my wife, Naomi, and I considered church planting, we determined we did not want to go anywhere outside of greater Boston. While still in Somerville, I would occasionally take the red line down from Somerville to Quincy to meet with pastors who were already serving in Quincy. I wanted to get a feel for what church planting would be like there, but I also wanted to get a sense of whether there was a possibility for Kingdom-minded collaboration. Everyone with whom I met during this time said some version of, “We need more gospel-centered churches in Quincy.” I remember hearing, “Until there are 95 gospel-proclaiming churches of 1,000 members, we will need more churches” (there are about 95,000 people in Quincy). I certainly did not want to come to Quincy with the attitude some church planters seem to have: that their new church is the only faithful church in the city. We should be grateful that many good, gospel-centered churches have been planted in greater Boston, and that many have existed here for generations. The days of saying, “There are no good churches in Boston,” are long gone (and that has always been untrue). The fact that there are so many good churches doesn’t change the reality that we need more good churches; but it must change our approach to church planting. We must be intentional about Kingdom-minded collaboration. We must recognize that the Lord uses many different kinds of churches to reach many different kinds of people with the good news of Jesus. So, when we arrived in Quincy, I was glad to work together and learn from other churches (in several languages) already faithfully serving our city. 

What we found when we moved to Quincy in the summer of 2018, knowing very few people in Quincy or on the South Shore of Boston, was that there was still plenty of need and opportunity, even in our own neighborhood. We have found it true what we had heard of our neighborhood, that it is, “the kind of place where it takes you an hour to walk around the block because everyone stops and talks to each other.” Shortly after we moved in, there was a neighborhood block party, at which we met several people who have become friends. The week following the block party, one older woman Naomi had spoken with came by our house to drop off a map of our neighborhood, which included the names of the majority of the people who lived in our immediate neighborhood, their children’s names and even their dogs names (in parentheses). For what purpose this woman gave us this map, I can’t say. But for us, it was a clear indication of the mission the Lord had set before us, a clear indication that the Lord had not only led us to Quincy, but to our specific street. The map represented, over a long period of time, the people God had called us to love and serve. It was as if the Lord was saying, “Here, you have no excuse not to pray for your neighbors.” Even with many good churches in Quincy already, there is still plenty of need for gospel ministry, both in word and in deed.

Shortly after my family and I moved to Quincy, a group of five or six pastors, all from different churches/denominations began to pray together for our city and our church’s ministries. To this day, we continue to meet together to pray and talk about how we can care for one another, and love and serve the city together. We have celebrated one another’s successes, and grieved together over difficulties. 

This past November, I received a text message from the Lead Pastor of Life Community Church in Quincy, asking me to come and share about our church plant at their worship services. The purpose, he said, was because they had decided to give one half of their special Advent offering to support our church plant (and the other half to support another local church plant). Rather than seeing other churches as competitors, Life Community and many other churches in Quincy have embraced us as partners in the work of gospel ministry.

As we launch the new church, it has been so encouraging to know that the Church, the community of believers from all denominations and walks of life, has our back. We continue to receive help from believers from other congregations in order to help us get off the ground in Quincy.

I believe we must see more of this in our city. We gain nothing by being territorial. We have so much to gain by working together. Aaron Cavin, the Pastor of Life Community in Quincy, recently said that if the church in Boston is going to see revival, we need to be faithful to the Great Commission, the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) and (what he called) the Great Collaboration. If we want to see people experience the love of Christ, they need to see it lived out between Christians. They need to see the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17.

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Pastor Matt Owens offers three ways in which other Christians can support the launch of Christ the Redeemer Quincy:

1. Pray– We greatly appreciate your prayers for my family, for our core group, and for all of those who are coming who are checking out church for the first time in a while (or ever). 

2. Invite– If you know anyone in the Quincy or the area, please let them know about the new church (I am attaching an advertisement/invitation that you can send them)…and if they’re interested, consider coming with them to our launch on March 1st!

3. Come– We would love to have you join and celebrate the launch with us! But if you can’t come on March 1st, we would also love to have you join us anytime after. Our thinking on this is, “the more, the merrier.” When my neighbors show up, they’re probably far less likely to return if there’s 25 people there than if there’s 75. So we are looking to the larger Church body for help us in getting off the ground by sending some people to simply be present (and friendly). If you are able, or people from your congregation are able, we would love for people to come not just on launch Sunday, but multiple times over the first few months. 

There are also two positions we are looking to fill: 

1. Worship Leader / Musicians- We are looking for a part-time (6-8 hours / week) Worship Leader to regularly lead our congregation in worship through song. Currently, we have a team of gifted musicians, but no one to lead on a weekly basis. We also have a few music leaders from other congregations that are coming to lead us when they can, but this is not sustainable long-term. If you know musicians who might be interested in leading us weekly, or any who would be able to help us out less frequently, just as we get going, please email me at matt@ctrquincy.org for the job description.

2. Children’s Ministry Director- We are also looking for a part-time (4-6 hours / week) Children’s Ministry Director. My wife (Naomi) is currently serving in this role as an Interim Children’s Ministry Director. But, this is not sustainable for her after this summer. If you know anyone who might be interested, please email me at matt@ctrquincy.org for the job description.

This week, we feature reflections by two local authors for Black History Month. First, Shannell Alyssa shares a reflection on the legacy of perserverance that has characterized her family through the years. Shannell is a local singer/songwriter and also just released a new song entitled “Seasons” – Click here to listen to it on Spotify.

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In the backyard of my grandmother’s house there’s a big maple tree in the middle of the yard. I remember playing in that yard beneath the tree as a kid; games with cousins, garden work, and sometimes just lounging in the shade, all took place beneath that tree. 

That tree was the focal point of my grandmother’s yard in the same way that she was a focal point in our family. Her home was the place that brought all siblings, children, aunts, uncles and cousins together for the holidays and special occasions.

Christianity has been the foundation of my family’s faith since before I was born. My grandparents taught my parents who taught my siblings and I the necessity of leaning on and trusting Christ. That is the foundation of my life; Christ is where I find hope and strength, and I don’t know where I would be without my faith in God.

Nearly 70 years ago she and my grandfather escaped to the northeast from the deep south of Alabama, determined to start over and create a better life for their future children. Their determination paid off, and I’m taking time this Black History Month to honor them.

Grandma passed away a little over a year ago, but the lessons she left behind are carrying out her legacy. She taught me many things, one of them was to love all people, regardless of background, race or anything else. Despite what she experienced in the south, she never strayed from this principle for all the years that I knew her.

This is me, and this is a part of my story.

I hope you can take time to remember America’s history this month. Remember the important parts of your story, and hold tightly to the ones you love.  

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In our second reflection, Kristin Hauser, Pastoral Minister for Young Adults at the Paulist Center, shares some important insights about how she celebrates Black History Month as a White person. Kristin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Leadership from Marian University Indianapolis and will finish up her M.Div at Boston College this spring.

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In the United States and Canada, February is celebrated as Black History Month. It’s a time to lift up black voices and intentionally highlight the important achievements of black men and women, achievements that have been traditionally ignored or written-over by white authors, teachers, and legislators.

As a white person, I have often felt confused about what I am supposed to ‘do’ during Black History Month. I often get paralyzed by a mindset that says ‘who am I to talk about this? It’s not my history. I should let someone else speak.’ But like many things, I think this notion has both truth and lies to it. It’s true that I don’t have black skin or black ancestors. It’s true that I should be aware of my own privilege so as not to drown out the voices of people of color. But black history should be a part of the history that I know because it is the history of my community. And it’s the history that should have been told from the start.

I think this idea of untold stories touches me so deeply because it is so connected to who I am as a follower of Jesus. In celebrating the Eucharist, my community spends time remembering Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in a way that is so intimately connected to who we are as a people. This notion of memory goes all the way back to our Jewish origins, where communities would tell the story of the Exodus over and over again in order to remember what God had done for them. When you try to take away someone’s history, you are really trying to take away their identity and sometimes, even their way of connecting to God.

But all this still begs the question, what do I do as a white Catholic to celebrate Black History Month? I think the first thing that I do is to stay humble and open, recognizing that I will always need to keep growing into my respect of other people and other cultures. I want to lift up black voices, using my privilege to amplify rather than drown out. I want to support black artists, black firms, and black businesses. I want to intentionally take the time to read black literature and history.

I think it’s important for me to say that I absolutely do not have all the answers on this topic and I’m happy to engage in dialogue or accept feedback. I chose to speak about it though because it’s so important to think about. It’s so important to remember.

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Last, Sheila Wise Rowe, local author/speaker of the new book, Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience, shares about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King right here in the Boston Common, the same location where the UniteBoston Celebration of Worship takes place.

As of last Sunday, Pastor Mark Booker, who was serving at the Church of the Cross which he helped to plant 11 years ago, will be shifting to serve as the senior minister at Park Street Church. In the blog below, UniteBoston’s Team Leader Kelly Fassett writes about how Pastor Mark serving in this role may open up new opportunities for Christian unity in our city.

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I’ve known Pastor Mark Booker for quite a few years now, and have always been impressed by his humble candor and commitment to the gospel. We have served together on the team with Greater Things for Greater Boston, and though I wasn’t a member of his congregation, he has always been eager to offer insight for our work with UniteBoston. We have also had coffee together, chatting about topics such as rafting trips in the Southwest, cycling around the city, and how the Christian community has the unique opportunity to model unity within diversity in Jesus Christ.

Park Street Church is a historic congregation that has a strong tradition of missions both locally and worldwide, and it is exciting for me to see Pastor Mark stepping into this role. In an email that he sent to some local clergy about his transition to being the senior minister at Park Street Church, he describes his desire for the Church in Boston to be more united: “In all of this, I have prayed regularly for a deeper unity for the church in Boston to result, and I have prayed specifically against the devil’s attempts to divide, distort, or confuse. I invite you to join me in these prayers. I trust that we all long for the church in Boston to be unified and to stand ‘firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel’ (Phil 1.27). Please pray that this would become more of a reality, even through this transition.” 

The sermon he preached at Park Street last Sunday was an exhortation that Christians might become a “Community of Love,” taken from Jesus’s words in John 13.34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

In his sermon, Pastor Mark imagines what Boston could look like in the future if we as Christians live out this commandment to love one another and embrace one another across ethnic, denominational and socioeconomic lines. He imagines that as we do this, others would say, “They love one another so amazingly well. I’ve never seen anything like it!” and people would begin to ask, “Tell me more about your Jesus! Tell me more about where this comes from. I want to learn more about this man that you claim is God incarnate.” 

Amen! Becoming a community of love takes incredible faith and labor to bridge historic divisions separating God’s people. It is my desire that the UniteBoston community be part of laying this groundwork and weaving together a tapestry of love, for the glory of God and the good of our city. 

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The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international initiative where Christians worldwide are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17:21).

Locally, UniteBoston coordinates evening collaborative gatherings of fellowship, prayer and worship from January 18-25 annually. 

This year’s theme was about how we can show “unusual kindness” (Acts 28:2) to become witnesses of God’s love to all people. This year, we had an incredibly diverse denominational representation, including Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Baptist, and more. Check out the photos below to get a sense of the diverse array of ethnicities, traditions, and geography that make up the Church in Boston!

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I had a great time visiting People’s Baptist Church! I knew about this church and its rich history but had not yet visited. I got a chance to visit during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity when I attended an event there held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was so blessed by the love and generosity of the Youth Minister and her children who ran the service!
-Cleopatra Muhammad, UniteBoston Dorchester Neighborhood Dinner Coordinator and member of Restoration City Church

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https://www.facebook.com/uniteboston10/videos/189480632249005/

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https://www.facebook.com/cdmalano/videos/10103041480470667/

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“Being at the UniteBoston Monday evening service led by young people who are part of People’s Baptist Church was so on-target to me.  It is critically important that in today’s Boston twenty and thirty year old committed  Christians need to be seen by all Bostonians as TOP Christian leaders here, and I saw that at that UniteBoston meeting.”

-Ralph Kee, Greater Boston Church Planting Network

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“This was my husband’s and my first time at a UB neighborhood dinner and it was great! We met Christians from lots of different churches in a friendly home setting, and we heard about God at work in house churches in various corners of the city. We also prayed the same prayer with Christians all over the world praying that same week. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of.” 

-Jess Mason, Member of Forest Hills Covenant Church

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The Taizé community in France is an ecumenical Christian community dedicated to prayer, reconciliation, and Christian unity. While taking part in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as the leader of Taizé prayer at MIT, I encountered the Paulist Fathers for the first time, and discovered that the mission of the Paulist Fathers includes seeking unity among Christians and building bridges of respect and collaboration with members of other world religions. I was delighted to pray deeply in the company of fellow spiritual seekers, both in “my house” (the chapel at MIT) and “their house” (the Paulist Center in downtown Boston).
-Susan Butterworth, graduate of the Episcopal Divinity School and leader of the weekly “Song & Stillness: Taize at MIT” prayer service in the MIT Chapel.

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“Boston is filled with storefront churches throughout Roxbury, Dorchester and many other surrounding communities. These vibrant communities of faith are often overlooked when people from outside Boston talk about how this area is unchurched. Christ Church International is where Brother Osagie attends. He invited Pastor Sharon to lead the prayers not only for the innocent convicts but for the eyes of law enforcement and judicial system officials eyes to be opened to these wrongful convictions and to resist systemic pressures that might lead to such convictions in the first place. I have a heart for systemic issues related to mass incarceration but I learned to pray in a whole new way that night.”

-Rev. Dana Baker, UniteBoston Board Member

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“It was inspiring to be in the presence of Christians who express and go about their faith in different ways than I regularly experience.  Some of it arose in me what I imagine the roots of our Christianity to have felt and looked like.”

-Erika Salloux, Member of St. Cecilia Parish in Boston

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“The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity services were an experiential exemplification of the richness of spiritual gifts the different traditions of Christian faith offer to one another–the contemplative eve of Taize prayer at MIT . . . the energetic movement and music and prayer at People’s Baptist Church . . . the dynamic preaching by the UCC pastor at the Paulist Center . . . . It was a wonderful witness to the mutual enrichment offered to us all in our relations with each other! “
-Fr. Tom Ryan, director of the Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

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“I valued the opportunity to gather with believers at different houses of worship in the city that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. It made me realize that there’s an outpouring of worship for God happening all across the city and I didn’t even know it! Every event that I went to that week made me see the beauty of the body of Christ in ways I did not expect or anticipate. Taking part in these worship gatherings in discrete enclaves throughout the city and seeing the earnestness of the believers in prayer and action warmed my soul and provided encouragement that the Church really is the hope of the world. After having participated at various prayer gatherings that week, I feel more connected with the life of the Church in Boston and hope that this experience will foster more of a desire for that amongst believers in the city.” 

-Saranya Sathananthan, Ministry Development Associate at the Emmanuel Gospel Center and member of Antioch Community Church Brighton

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