UniteBoston

Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community

City-Wide Martin Luther King Service

Today, Ruth Nkemontoh from Abundant Life Church shares her reflections from last month’s city-wide service to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who practiced his faith
wholeheartedly. I look to his life as an example of putting faith into action, or as I recently equated it, being comfortable with uncertainty. Each year, around January 20th, people across the US pay homage to this man by hosting a day of community service or holding memorial dinners, film viewings, or other events.

On Sunday, January 19th, 2014, the Black Ministerial Alliance (BMA) and the Cambridge Black Pastors Alliance (CBPA) came together to honor this well known dreamer with a worship service. The service included both Boston and Cambridge-based churches of various denominations. The program created a space for a multitude of pastoral voices to be heard. Even worship followed suit as we were graced with the presence of a gospel choir made up of individuals representing choirs throughout the Boston area. The unity of the entire evening was a beautiful sight to see, an image I am still now left with, two weeks later.

Having moved to Boston over a year ago, I’ve noticed many things – one in particular being how segregated and territorial the city can be. When I found my current church home, Abundant Life, it was through an advertisement in the program of United Night of Worship. That evening spoke volumes as I witnessed people from all over the Greater Boston Area being brought together for the glory of God. Attending the BMA/CBPA worship service was a similar experience. It isn’t that ingenious of an idea to come together as a church, made of multiple denominations, with multiple pastors, and yet how often do we do it? In today’s society, it can be easy to get caught up in the individualistic tendencies our world values so highly, yet God calls us to community. Community is not only the community we make for ourselves, but the wider community that God has made for us. This includes our brothers and sisters across the street, across the Charles River, and across denominations. If we can’t model that as believers, as churches who claim to believe in the Church being one body, then how can we expect the rest of the world to?

The MLK service was a joint effort communicating hope: a statement that
churches are united and banding together for a stronger impact. Gathering to remember a man who helped pave the way for us to be there
that night also served as a reminder of why this unity is still so desperately needed today. In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 18 verse 20, the Lord promises that where two or more are gathered in His name, there He will be also. From the life of MLK Jr. and others like him, we’ve learned that making change requires the effort, gifts, and commitment of many. We can’t go it alone and, once we surrender to the promise that we don’t have to do it on our own, we’re able to step into the fullness of community God has called us into. It is then that we will truly begin to live as brothers and sisters, when we have learned to “rise above the narrow confines of individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of humanity.” -MLK Jr.

Note: This article was first published in Abundant Life Church’s monthly e-newsletter

Transforming Boston, One Child At A Time

Something extraordinary is happening in the Boston area: churches are partnering with schools. Ruth Wong, director of the Boston Education Collaborative at Emmanuel Gospel Center partners with the Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) Office of Community Engagement and Circle of Promise,  to help create these partnerships. Currently, 19 schools in the Circle of Promise have faith-based partners, and 24 more are looking for partners – could your church be next?

Rather than coming in with an agenda, churches simply come to schools asking, “What are your needs? How can we help you achieve your goals?” By going to serve, rather than to preach, people are beginning to see that the church is relevant and engaged in the community. In the words of former BPS Superintendent Carol Johnson, this is significant because “churches bring hope and schools need hope.”

These partnerships have taken many forms. Faith communities have provided schools with people resources, like mentors and one-on-one tutors. They have also supported families with material items, such as City Mission Society coordinating the donation of 500 coats to Russel School families. The Trotter School first invited Global Ministries Christian Church and Grace Chapel to simply clean the building. They also hosted teacher/staff appreciation dinners. But as trust has been built with the school, the two churches are seen as partners and are invited to celebrate together with the school for significant school events. Although school staff can be hesitant at first, gradually more and more are seeing the value of faith communities supporting the multifaceted underworkings of a school.

Some of these partnerships have transformed specific students academically, but it doesn’t end there. Ruth said, “When I hear about how a student or family is going through the struggles of life and a church is able to come alongside them, that’s what gets me excited and inspired.” At right, mentor match day at the Timulty with parents, mentors, and mentees

What would Ruth like to tell the Christian community in Boston? “As churches, we tend to create opportunities and programs to invite our neighbors to attend, but this is an opportunity to go and be invited into a school community to serve and love others in their space, to care for people who may never walk into the church doors on their own.”

Her dream is that each school in Boston would have at least one church partner. “There is an open door right now to partner with schools,” Ruth emphasizes. “This opportunity may come and go at any time, so in some ways, if churches would seize the moment and explore it, you never know what God could do.”

Many Christians speak about seeing their city transformed with the love of Christ. As you can see, church/school partnerships are an opportunity to make that dream become tangible.

Pastor Tom Griffith of River of Life Church asks, “What could be of greater value than to impact students? If you want to see change in Boston, this is the place to go.”

Next Steps to learn more about faith-based school partnerships:

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Boston’s Christian Community Comes Together to Commemorate Christian Martyrs

Last Saturday, more than 500 people of various cultures and denominations gathered to remember and honor those who have gone before us and died for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Dr. Vito Nicastro, associate director of the archdiocese’s Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs noted that it was the largest gathering of its kind in his 23 years with the office.

It was incredible to see how this event brought together the body of Christ in the city. I identify with what the Coptic Orthodox priests wrote, that “It is the blood of the martyrs that we honor; because of their blood shed, we glorify God. It is because of their blood that was shed, that we gather together in prayer. It is because of their blood that was shed, that we are able to build relationships between the different churches. It is because of their blood shed, that Christians are encouraged and strengthened in their faith.”

Learn more
Read the article published in the Boston Pilot here: http://thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=16917

Watch the video interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DrS8aC_U1k

Watch the prayer-length of the service here:
http://www.catholictv.com/shows/americas-catholic-television-network/ecumenical-prayer-all-christian-martyrs

Kendall Ramseur: Bringing Unity Through Music

Kendall Ramseur is a budding new artist in the Greater Boston area, and was recently awarded the Gospel/Inspirational Arts of the Year at the Boston Music Awards. This week, UniteBoston interviewed him to hear more about his journey, and how God is using his music to bring together Christians in Greater Boston.

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Kendall Ramseur describes one goal of his music: to inspire. And this is just the beginning of what he does.

When I first saw Kendall Ramseur play, I was struck by its unique sound: Classical instruments coupled with a strong rhythmic vibe and fresh lyrics. Somehow the instruments were able to pull in the older generation, yet the younger generation was head-bopping to the beat. The music had Christian undertones and values, and yet it wasn’t so explicitly Christian to turn off those who might not share the faith. As an artist, this tension is difficult to manage, and thus regardless of who you are or where you come from, Kendall Ramseur has something for you.

This was made evident at Kendall’s performance at First Night Boston, where a kaleidoscope of people were in the audience – Asians, African Americans, and Caucasians. Temi, manager of Kendall Ramseur Music Enterprise, states that “Kendall’s music is universal. It crosses gender, race and nationality. Everyone can listen to it and relate to it. In this way, it’s boundless.”

But Kendall hopes for so much more than just bringing people together. When asked about his dream for the Christian community, Kendall said that he hopes “We can all be in one accord, that we can be united and able to move past the whole denomination thing.” So how does he think this could happen? “It would be great if everyone could sit down together at the same table, making it clear that we’re all children of God and need to work together.” It sounds like God is already making this happen through the kaleidoscope of people that connect with his music.

For Kendall, it’s not just about playing music; he also sees the band as his greatest ministry. “When I played at the Dana Farber Cancer Center, someone came up to me and said that it brought him so much comfort. People sense things in my performance, and tell me that they have perfect peace.” He has also seen people physically healed by the power of God, simply through listening to the music.

It’s been quite a journey for Kendall this past year, and the one thing he would like to tell Christians in Greater Boston is that “God is faithful. I started out with no job, no income, and no clue of what I wanted to do. Within 8 or 9 months, I was playing fifty shows, and nominated for the Boston Music Awards. These are two opposite extremes – from nothing to great favor & blessings within a few months. This just shows that God is capable, God is faithful, and He is real. Once you find out what God is calling you to, give your all to that and trust it all to Him.”

What an incredible piece of advice. As you can see, God is using Kendall Ramseur to bring hope, inspiration, and unity to a world that is so desperate for it.

-Kelly Steinhaus
Team Leader, UniteBoston

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Learn more:
– If you’d like to see Kendall play, you can visit him at the Celebration of the Arts, downtown at the Fairmont on January 26th from 6 to 10pm.
– You can also help Kendall get a “real cello” by contributing to the Go Fund Me Account here
– Kendall Ramseur’s Documentary
– Click here to check out his TIME CD on iTunes

Lighting the Night

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:14-15)

In 1630, as the Puritans were traveling to America, John Winthrop proclaimed that their future community would be a city on a hill, a light for the world to see true Christian charity. Last Sunday evening, a group of us had a chance to step into Boston’s inheritance that John Winthrop spoke of.

Gathering at the gazebo in Boston Common, seven bundled kingdom warriors came bearing candles. We huddled together to strike the matches and set the wicks alight. Although the frigid night air swirled around us and tried to snuff our lights out, Christ Otto found a few discarded cups to guard the light from the harsh wind, and soon scents of hot chocolate and coffee wafted around us like scented candles.

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We tromped through the snow bearing torches of these Starbucks cups, feeling the crusty ice crunching beneath our feet. We tread confidently, carrying the same good news of great joy for all the people as the angel that bore the news of Jesus’ birth over 2,000 years ago (Luke 2:10).

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This was a different sort of prayer walk. Rather than the usual standing and interceding together, we found ourselves singing carols, declaring Christ’s reign in this place. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king!…Come and adore him, born the king of angels. Oh come let us adore him.”

What impressed me most was the number of people who came to us to ask what we were doing. Passers-by stopped their conversations to listen and take it in, despite our lack of practice and my mumbling of the lyrics. We were blessed by the joy on stranger’s faces and cheery calls of “Merry Christmas.”

We traveled to a street deemed the combat zone of Boston, known for its crime, prostitution, and drug trafficking. We spoke prayers aloud, then continued singing. A man on the street came up to us with a tear in his eye. “I don’t know when I have heard people singing Christmas carols before.” We stopped and prayed with him in the dark. He was touched by us, as we with him.

The thought came to me: This is the way it’s supposed to be. When Christ’s light shines, people come to see. They can’t help but pause from their hurried lives to watch, to listen, and to soak up the love that lights the night.

My friend Christ Otto told me later that this was one of the most significant evenings of his time in Boston. This says a lot, because Christ has been laboring in Boston for nearing six years.

And so we sing, holding up His illuminating beam in our hands and hearts, declaring the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. We band together, joining our distinct lights as one until the day when the city of Boston does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of the Lord will give it light, and the Lamb its lamp, and the nations walk by its light. (Revelation 21:23).

Yes, here we are, love lighting the night in Boston.Image


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