UniteBoston

Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community

This Saturday is BostonServe: Let’s Serve the City Together!

God is up to great things in Boston!

On Saturday October 24, we have the opportunity to make Christ’s love visible together in a way that one church cannot accomplish alone.

On this day, many churches around the city are serving in their neighborhoods as a visible sign of Jesus’ love for Boston.

We enthusiastically invite those who might not identify with a particular church, denomination or faith to join us in serving our city!

The opportunities are listed below – To join in a project, simply email the service coordinator of the project you are interested in, and include Kelly Steinhaus in the email as well (Kelly@uniteboston.com).

We look forward to serving our city with you!

Kelly Steinhaus
UniteBoston Team Leader
kelly@uniteboston.com

Friday, October 23rd

Candlelight Vigil

A service in the sanctuary that will end with a candelight vigil on Warren Street to bring healing and hope to our traumatized communities.

Time: 6:30 to 8:30pm
Location: Roxbury Presbyterian Church, 328 Warren Street, Roxbury
Contact: Nancy Kilburn, nkilburn@rpcsic.org

 

Saturday, October 24th

Painting and Cleaning at English High School

We will be painting the support services office and cleaning the trophy case to make the room more inviting for students.

Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm
Location: English High School, 144 McBride Street, Jamaica Plain
Contact: Pastor Jua Robinson, jrobinson@hcfboston.com

 

Visiting Elderly Friends

Our vision of service is one of friendship and accompaniment. We visit our elderly friends at the Laurel Ridge nursing home regularly, and would love to have you come and join us!

Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm
Location: Laurel Ridge Nursing Home, 174 Forest Hills Street, Jamaica Plain
Contact: Kerri Marmol, kerrihilleren@gmail.com

 

Codman Park Clean-Up

We will be gathering to help clean up Codman Park. Come and join us!

Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Location: 6 Codman Park, Boston
Contact: Pastor Bruce Wall, bruce@grace.org

 

Harvard Square Homeless Outreach

We will be building relationships with our friends who are living on the street, and share information about local resources and programs.

Time: 1:00 to 3:30pm
Location: Journey Church Office, Basement of First Church Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge
Contact: Kelly Steinhaus, kelly@jcboston.org

 

Commoncare Dinner

Prepare and serve a healthy and hearty dinner to 70 -100 people in need.
Time: 2:15 to 7:00pm, but shorter periods are helpful and welcome
Location: 13 Sellers Street, Cambridge
Contact: Frank Smith, fseysmith@verizon.net

 

Jackson Mann K-8 School

We are working with the school to clean up the area and paint.

Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm
Location: 40 Armington Street, Allston
Contact: Pastor Shan, shan.gian@gmail.com

 

Timilty Middle School

We will be painting, cleaning and doing some carpentry to help improve the school environment!

Time: 8:30am to 2:00pm
Location: 205 Roxbury Street, Roxbury
Contact: Pastor Paul Atwater, paul@northriverchurch.org

 

Ramsay Park Day of Action

Join with your community to clean, beautify and celebrate your neighborhood park! More info on the Facebook event here: 

Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm
Location: Ramsey Park, 1927 Washington St, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
Contact: Sarah O’Conner, sarah@ststephensbos.org

 

Other Great Service Happening Around the City on October 24: (No Extra Volunteers Needed)

Painting At A School in Somerville

Bridge House Workday

Evening Worship Gathering – October 24

newlogo2013

UNOW is a united worship movement that brings together the Body of Christ across cultural, denominational, and social lines for worship, prayer, evangelism, and acts of compassion. UNOW’s vision for 2015 is to see as many grassroots nights of worship happen across New England on October 24th.

The gatherings are scheduled to take place from 6:00 to 9:00pm. We are encouraging everyone who participates in BostonServe to wear their tee shirt to the UNOW gathering.

Here are a few of the local UNOW gatherings. Check the website for the most updated information:

http://www.unitednightofworship.com/events/

  • CCF Ministries, 105 Princeton Blvd. Lowell, MA 01851
  • Defenders Boston Church, 10 E Cottage St., Boston, MA 02119 **Many from UniteBoston will be here**
  • Ethiopian Christian Fellowship, 838 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 (at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church) *This location will feature songs in both English and Amharic
  • New Life Christian Center, 47 Spruce St., Chelsea, MA 02150

Come and serve the city with us and you can get one of these shirts for FREE! This BostonServe tee shirt is a visible sign of our desire to bless the city together with the love of Christ.

 

Watch this video interview with Pastor Bruce Wall from Boston Praise Radio & TV

10 Days Boston: Re-Igniting Fires of Faith

This week, UniteBoston’s Executive Director Kelly Steinhaus shares how the recent 10 Days Boston event re-ignited fires of faith throughout Boston’s Christian community. Read the story to be encouraged in the power of unity and koinonia togetherness!

10 Days Gathering at the Greek Metropolis of Boston
10 Days Gathering at the Greek Metropolis of Boston

10 Days Boston this year was amazing! But don’t take my word for it. 🙂

Christian unity comes down to our ability to see Jesus in one another. This year, we took videos of friends throughout the city sharing their story of how God changed their perspectives of the Church as they attended the various gatherings.

For example, a young man named Matt from Youth With A Mission felt led to share an encouraging word from God with a woman who was chanting at the Greek Orthodox gathering. Matt was hesitant to mention anything because he wasn’t sure if that was a doctrine that their church practiced. But, during the fellowship time, he shared what God had put on his heart about the gift that God had given this woman for worship.

After pausing to take in the words, she responded, “Sometimes I just go through the motions of singing, but because of what you said, you have just re-lit the fire of my faith.” 

With UniteBoston, our coming together across diversity provides an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to bring life to various parts of the church. We are individually ignited to see our own faith as a valuable part of the corporate whole. In fact, the original name that God gave me for this ministry was “Ignite.”

Listen to the whole story here:

More photos and video testimonies of changed lives are available on the full blog report here.

Yes, as the body connects together, we know that “We will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Truly, God is up to great things in Boston – Thanks for being a part of His great work!

Testimonies from 10 Days Boston!

Screen Shot 2015-09-01 at 7.12.31 PM

God has already done so much through these 10 Days of Prayer!

UniteBoston seeks to be an answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 “that we would be one.” We believe that our part in this “oneness” is to nurture relational connections throughout the diversity of Boston’s Christian community.

At the center of Christian unity is the agape love that God has for us and that we have for one another. As each of us step outside our comfort zones to become more aware of the various cultures and Christian traditions in our city, we develop stronger relational connections, cultivating mutual respect and honor for the incredible diversity within the people of God in Boston.

Check out these testimonies to see all that God is doing to bring together His church in the city:

Day 1: Healing Miracle in Prayer Room

Night 3: Experiencing the Orthodox Faith – Changed Perspectives!

Night 4: Worship with our Deaf Brothers and Sisters

Day 5: Answered Prayer: Testimony from Prayer Room

Night 6: Changing Perspectives from 10 Days Catholic Gathering

 

Night 7: Photo from Orthodox GatheringScreen Shot 2015-09-20 at 3.45.09 PM

 

 

Night 8: Taize Prayer in MIT Chapelphoto 1-2

Night 8: Food and Fellowship with the MIT Lutheran/Episcopal Ministry
 photo 2-2

Night 9: Passionate Worship with Symphony and City Churchphoto 3-2

Night 10: Embracing our Common Identity in Christ

At this gathering, we each placed our name tags with our individual identities at the foot of the cross, so that we were better able to embrace one another as brothers and sisters in Christ:

photo 5

Reflection – Aaron’s Story

Aaron shares how listening to a sermon by an Episcopal priest reshaped his perspective of the Christian church

For He himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. (Ephesians 2:14-16)

Praise God for the inseverable and eternal peace that is revealed as we all gaze at Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross!

10 Days starts on Sunday: Make Room!

Hello friends from UniteBoston!

With 10 Days this year, I really want to encourage you to consider pausing everything in order to seek Jesus.

Now, I know that is a tall order, with everything we have going on in our lives. But as UniteBoston, we really have to take the lead in this. Seriously, let’s make it a priority to clear our calendars and seek God together!

How would God respond if a city sought Him in this way? And how would God respond to you if you took up that invitation?

One of the things that I know about Jesus is that He responds to whatever part of my heart that I give to him. He is worthy of us devoting our whole schedules and our entire lives to Him.

The question is: How does God want you to spend these ten days?

Here are some ideas:

  • Make room in your schedule to attend the 10 Days Boston daytime prayer and/or evening gatherings. My encouragement would be to attend a gathering from a Christian tradition that is new and/or uncomfortable for you
  • Stay overnight to retreat at YWAM in Somerville
  • Set aside time for daily prayer with your family, roommates, or small group
  • Lead a session of daytime prayer at Youth With A Mission – Email Kelly (kelly@uniteboston.com) to learn more
There are 25 cities participating in these 10 Days of Prayer throughout the nation!

Every year I hear people say how they wished they could have attended other evenings, and how next year they want to participate more fully. So, today is the day, the time is now!

May God’s peace be upon our city as we seek Him,

 

Kelly Steinhaus

UniteBoston Team Leader

www.uniteboston.com

photo 2


Give to Further Christian Unity

DONATE!