UniteBoston

Bridging Divides Across Christians for the Flourishing of the City

Our Christian Unity Dream Starting to Become a Reality?

Today, we hear from Dick Kiernan, Field Ministry Director for Alpha New England. Dick shares his thoughts on a recent video of Pope Francis and its significance for Catholics and Evangelicals

“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me … “ (John 17:23)

I’m not a gambler, but I bet we all know hundreds of friends of Jesus who are longing for Jesus’ prayer for unity to be answered on this side of heaven. At the end of February, a most extraordinary video of Pope Francis and Kenneth Copeland started going viral. It began when Pope Francis asked his long time Anglican friend, Bishop Tony Palmer, to deliver a video calling for Christian reconciliation to Kenneth Copeland at his annual pastors’ conference in Texas with hundreds of charismatic pastors. Kenneth Copeland reciprocated with prayers and blessings for the pope and said he was “open,” and then he ended by saying that 40 years ago this would have been considered impossible by everyone.

I sent this video link to my Alpha colleagues across the country. Some were in tears or amazed. One simply responded, “breath-taking.” A few other Evangelical friends from my local prayer networks were suspicious. After some discussion I realized that this gesture from Pope Francis and Kenneth Copeland will be misunderstood by some people and it won’t be meaningful if people don’t really live it out. So what is really happening and what is the significance?

Bishop Tony Palmer stated that there are 33,000 Christian denominations and this gesture by Pope Francis is not going to change that. However, the specific challenge that Bishop Palmer gave was for Evangelicals to sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification—also known as JDDJ. He explained that Catholics and Lutherans had resolved Martin Luther’s original protest of “salvation by faith alone,” and this joint declaration about salvation means that Catholics and Lutherans have resolved the main dividing point of the Protestant Reformation. In other words, they came to agree that salvation is by grace alone through faith resulting in good works, but the good works don’t save us–we are only saved by the merits of Christ’s crucifixion. What this means is that we agree on salvation—and we agree that there is one Gospel message. This may not be the end of 33,000 denominations, but it officially states that Catholics and Lutherans agree on this main point of division. Bishop Palmer asked the Evangelicals at this conference (and cyberspace too?) to join with Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists in signing this joint declaration. Wow—isn’t that something?!

My friends and I started discussing it. Can you imagine Catholics, Main Line Christians, and Evangelicals signing this joint declaration? Can you imagine them changing their thinking? It would mean that Evangelicals would expect to see fruit in someone’s life as an assurance they have trusted Jesus, not “cheap grace.” It would mean that Catholics would stop thinking they get to heaven if they are “good” or perform so many good works. On another level the signing of a joint declaration should involve some dialogue and relationship and increase mutual respect, ultimately leading to authentic fellowship and unity.

Jesus said, “all will know you are my disciples if you love one another,” (John 13:34). Could we even imagine loving each other even if we don’t agree on everything? Pope Francis had recently said that this unity with other Christians must be based on essential teachings we hold in common, otherwise known as the hierarchy of truths. He also said that given the state of society Christians no longer have the option to remain divided. It seems like he really means this.

My friends also came up with a dream. What if all New England pastors and Christians started signing and living this teaching? What if they came together for 10 Days of Prayer and United Nights of Worship? What if they started reaching out to the needed or started doing Alpha together? The 500th anniversary of Luther’s protest, also known as the Protestant Reformation is coming up in three years in October of 2017. What if all New England were to come together to celebrate the end of the Protestant Reformation and the beginning of a new Reformation? Can you imagine international gatherings at Wittenburg and Rome? If this is what Jesus was praying for in John 17, then why wouldn’t we do this? Let’s live the dream—amen.

Introducing…the 2014 UniteBoston Reps!

Today, we’re excited to announce the 2014 UniteBoston Reps – Coming to a neighborhood near you!

 How has God been working in UniteBoston?

Great question! Watch this PrayTV Interview with Kelly Steinhaus, UniteBoston Team Leader to learn more.

What are UniteBoston Reps?

UniteBoston Reps facilitate connection between church and community. Through interviews and church visits, UniteBoston reps establish a presence in the community, conveying the attitude that “we care about what God is doing in your midst and are here to serve you.” UniteBoston Reps are also intentional about researching history and demographics to form a comprehensive understanding of the community. By becoming a learner of neighborhoods, UniteBoston reps find out where God is working and how churches/ministries can collaborate together to further that work.

What do UniteBoston Reps do?

Each month has a particular focus around studying the community, such as observation, research, or interviews. UB Reps meet together monthly to share celebrations and challenges of what they see happening in their communities, as well as get trained for the following month. The UB Reps are a tight-knit community of people who prayerfully seek God’s work in Boston together and how churches are a part of the fabric of the city at large.

Why is this initiative important?

While the UniteBoston newsletter and website are helping to spread awareness of what God is doing throughout the city, we realized that it lacked one key component: relationships. Relationships are the heart of unity. Only relationships can instill understanding and help to remove barriers between churches of diverse cultures, denominations, ages and socioeconomic status. UniteBoston Reps devote their time and energy to building relational connections within one specific neighborhood, which makes uniting the city of Boston more manageable.

What are you hoping to accomplish with UB Reps?

Success as a UniteBoston Rep is to connect two independent churches or individuals for a larger purpose. Like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece only makes sense when it is in relationship with the other pieces. A greater sense of awareness will draw on the collective wisdom of the entire body of Christ. This will also improve each church’s aim to make strategic investments with ministry resources, so we fight the right battles and reduce duplication of efforts.

As relationships and trust are fostered, UniteBoston Reps will help to guide the missional activities of the Church within a specific community. This information will be made public to better aid in our efforts to pray for Boston and strategically mobilize the Christian community to meet the needs of the city.

Who are the 2014 UB Reps?

UB Rep: Coolidge Corner – Lex Carroll

UB Rep: UMass Boston – Amanda Green

UB Rep: Jamaica Plain – Bond Hsu

UB Rep: South End – Ralph Kee

UB Rep: Mattapan – Deneen Levy

UB Rep: Fenway – Betsy Slate

UB Rep: Harvard Square – Kelly Steinhaus

UB Rep: Back Bay – Andrew Walker

UniteBoston Reps Informational meeting, January 2014 UniteBoston Reps Informational meeting, January 2014

The current communities that are covered by the 2014 UB Reps - Could your neighborhood be next? The current communities that are covered by the 2014 UB Reps – Could your neighborhood be next?

How can I get involved?

Email Kelly Steinhaus, UniteBoston Team Leader at kelly@uniteboston.com to learn more!

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 4:16)

If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together – African Proverb

Long interview with Pray TV:
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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


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