grace chapel – Page 5

Jun 09 2018

Five Ways to Bless Your Neighbors

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Jesus, in Mark 12:30-31

When the Bible commands Christians to love their neighbors, what if it really means what it says? That’s the simple, radical idea behind the “Neighboring Movement.” Here are a few churches in the Boston area that are leaning into God’s call to love our neighbors.

Grace Chapel is holding a teaching series on “Neighboring,” including messages on, “Party Like Jesus,” “Meet the Neighbors” and “Won’t You Be Their Neighbor” Listen to them here.

Hope Fellowship Church in Cambridge is also currently doing a sermon series entitled “Who is My Neighbor?”

At Cooperative Metropolitan Ministry’s annual banquet in May, Rev. Liz Walker from Roxbury Presbyterian Church describes that the definition of grace is, “to give your neighbor a break.” She says, “it is too easy to be polarized; in the midst of all the chaos, we need each other and look our neighbor in the eye, speak to a stranger, be kind; and practice a little grace.”

Listen to Dave Ferguson from the Verge Network describes how blessing people often results in a greater number of conversions, and Five Ways to Bless Your Neighbors.

Finally, be encouraged by reading how serving the community transformed a dwindling church in Tacoma, Washington.

How is your church planning to serve in the neighborhood this summer? Email us at info@uniteboston.com and we may choose to feature your story in the UniteBoston newsletter!

Mar 27 2018

Holy Week in Boston: Here’s What’s Happening

This week, Christians all over the world are remembering Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. People often tell me that their congregation’s Holy Week service is their favorite in the year. Come, join the family of God in Boston in these liturgical services and beautiful myriad of Christian worship.

We know that it can be intimidating to go to a new church, so some of these gatherings have member of the local congregation listed as “host.” This person can sit with you and help you navigate the service.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25)

I’m convinced that our shared declaration that “Christ has risen” is the most powerful statement in the world. As we declare this together, Jesus will be lifted up and draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).

*Note that this is only a few of the many amazing worship services taking place in the Greater Boston area this week – check out www.uniteboston.com/events for more!

Maundy Thursday Service

6:00 and 8:00pm at Old South Church, Boston

This service combines modern jazz music with ancient liturgy of Tenebrae, where the stories of Jesus’s passion are read, and after each reading a candle is extinguished. The service ends in darkness, and the congregation listens to the repetition of 39 dissonant chimes of low handbells, symbolizing the suffering of Jesus on the night of his arrest.

Host: John Edgerton, john@oldsouth.org

Holy Thursday – Potluck & Foot Washing Service

6:00 to 7:30pm at Reservoir Church, Cambridge

Join us for a family potluck meal and service. Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, gets its name from the Latin translation of John 13:34: “I give you a new commandment” (or, in Latin, “Mandatum novum“). It was as Jesus washed the feet of his friends and followers that he said these words.

Host: John Archibald – dan@reservoirchurch.org

South Boston Outdoor Way of the Cross

10:45am to 1:00pm in South Boston

The Way of the Cross – or Stations of the Cross – is a representation of Jesus Christ’s day of crucifixion, which is commemorated on Good Friday. Churches often have 14 images hung inside, which people can stop and pray at sequentially.

Alternatively, the Way of the Cross can be walked outside, as is done each Lenten season with the South Boston-Seaport Collaborative. This ecumenical event is organized by St. Monica-St. Augustine, St. Brigid and Fourth Presbyterian parishes.

Come and join us! We will meet inside the front doors of St. Monica Church, 331 Old Colony Ave in South Boston, before embarking on a prayerful walk ending at Dorchester Heights.

To learn more, read this article entitled “We Walk With Jesus” published in the South Boston Online website.

Black Ministerial Alliance Good Friday Service

12:00pm at St John Missionary Baptist Church, Roxbury

You are invited to this year’s Good Friday Service to meditate on the Seven Last Words of Christ. There will be seven preachers from many different Christian traditions!

Host: Ellen Bass, ebass@bmaboston.org

Good Friday at Tremont Temple

6:30pm at Tremont Temple Baptist Church, Boston

11 churches are joining together for a worship service at Tremont Temple Baptist Church. Each church is independent, but we love worshiping and cooperating together so that people far from God can be filled with life in Christ.

Social Justice Stations of the Cross

March 30 from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm at the Paulist Center, Boston

All are invited to the Paulist Center to walk through the traditional 14 Stations of the Cross, but with a Social Justice lens. Our 20s/30s group will lead reflections on each station as we contemplate and pray for the many people and groups who are suffering unjustly, just like Christ did. This is a beautiful way to connect Good Friday with our lives and the world around us today.

Host: Liz Muscolino – elizabeth.muscolino@gmail.com

All Heaven Broke Loose – A New Passion Play

Still Small Theatre presents a staged reading of All Heaven Broke Loose, a new full-length drama about Jesus’ death and Resurrection. Come hear from a multitude of voices as the threads of history, Scripture, and their own lives are woven together in ways they never expected.

Saturday March 31st at 5:00pm in Woodville

April 5 & 6 at 7:00pm in Beverly

Host: Jasmine Myers, stillsmalltheatre@gmail.com

Soul Sabbath Morning – Spring Rest & Renwal

The Great Vigil of Easter

8:00 to 11:00pm at Ruggles Baptist Church, Boston

The Church of the Cross Easter Vigil marks our passage from the darkness of the tomb to the brilliant light of Jesus’ resurrection. Filled with original art created for this night (poetry, music, visual art, dance, etc.) and congregational song, this is a celebration of grand proportions. The service features readings from scripture that highlight God’s great work throughout salvation history, beginning in the work of Creation and reaching its height in the resurrection of Christ. Come join us as we reflect, pray, and raise a joyful song to God!

Host: Carson Rockett – carsonrockett@gmail.com

Good Friday Orthodox Service of Lamentations
Friday April 6 at 7:15pm at St Mary’s Parish in Cambridge

The beautiful hymns of this service express these feeling of grief and loss through a dialog of prayer between the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Ultimately, they show that the tomb of Christ is not a place of death and decay, but a source of life and hope. The sorrow of the crucifixion gradually transforms into joy as the faithful process around the Church with the eptitaphios (a symbolic tomb) and pass under it on the way back inside, symbolizing Jesus’ passover from death to life as He breaks the gates of Hades and frees the souls of the righteous trapped there.

Join the St. Mary’s Orthodox community to celebrate this moving, joyful service which invites us to enter into the profound mystery of humanity’s redemption.

Happening All Week

Sacred Spaces

Daily in Lexington and Wilmington

Where are the cracks in your world? If your news feed leaves you troubled, or your relationships could use a little more glue—if you need a place to process what’s going on halfway around the globe or inside your own heart, Sacred Spaces is waiting for you.

In the week leading to Easter, Grace Chapel’s Lexington and Wilmington campuses host a self-guided spiritual retreat. Different rooms are transformed into spaces where, with the help of a written meditation, you are invited to spend time in quiet prayer and reflection.

Reflective Art for This Week

Artist: Adrian Johnston, Park Street Church

Jan 27 2018

Christian Unity Dinners – Photos & Stories

Thanks to everyone who came out to this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity dinners!

If you attended either the large dinner at Lion of Judah Church, or one of the neighborhood dinners, we would appreciate hearing your feedback and how the experience impacted your faith and your sense of what is happening in your community!

Share Your Story By Filling Out the Survey

The first night – Neighborhood dinner at Pastor Stephens house in Watertown

Table conversation at Saturdays anchor dinner

UniteBoston Worship Team at the anchor dinner

Diverse cross-section of pastors and leaders represented at the anchor dinner

Bishop Arthur Kennedy of the Archdiocese of Boston, Deacon Chuck Hall, and Bishop Bill Murdoch of the Anglican Diocese of New England

Stories and Personal Experiences

“This connection showed me the need for more people who can connect others together and lead in uniting Christians in the city of Boston, moving me towards becoming a UniteBoston dinner coordinator. Lots of people at my church are longing for connection to other Christians in Boston, so promoting these dinners can help foster that connection.”

-Adam Montalbano, Reality Boston

“It encourages me to see how delightful it is for individual Christians to connect with each other across difference. I talked with a young woman from Africa getting her PhD here in Boston. Learning about her faith community in her home country and here helps me understand and lean into the depth of the Lord’s love for those like her, who are strangers in a foreign land, which happens to be my home.”

-Ellen Bass, Black Ministerial Alliance

“Last year, we witnessed an amazing prayer gathering of hundreds of Christians from many expressions of the body of Christ from all over the Boston area. This year, we witnessed a more intimate, but still amazing, dinner gathering. Sitting down to share a meal with bishops, pastors, lay leaders and lay people helped me get to know their stories of growing Christian unity and I left the evening really encouraged. Last year’s gathering advanced the work of Christian unity broadly; this year’s gathering deepened it.”

-Scott Brill, Institute for Christian Unity

“It was moving for me to see such a diverse representation of the Christian community join together for a shared meal. There is power in us joining to sit at the table and celebrate our stories of God at work in our lives and congregations. As we become more reconciled to one another, our witness is magnified and God is glorified!””

-Kelly Steinhaus, Executive Director of UniteBoston

“I loved seeing how people stayed late into the night, telling stories and connecting with one another about how God is at work in their lives. It was great to see Christians connect together!”

-Rebecca Nyakairu, Grace Chapel Watertown

FEATURED IN THE NEWS

Here’s an article in the Boston Pilot about Saturday’s anchor Christian unity dinner.

And here’s an article written by Paulist Father Tom Ryan about the significance of these dinners.

NEXT STEPS

If you haven’t yet, please Share Your Story with us – We’d love to hear about your experience at any of the neighborhood dinners.

We’re currently cultivating networks of people who want to collaborate to impact their neighborhood – To join into one of the upcoming dinners, sign up here!

Dec 30 2017

UniteBoston’s Top 10 Photos in 2017

January 2017 – More than 800 people gathered for the January 20th luncheon, workshops, liturgical service, and missions fair during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Co-Presiders from diverse Christian traditions at the January 21st Prayer Service. From left to right: Pastor Barry Kang from Symphony Church, Rev. Dana Baker from Grace Chapel, Rev. David Wright from the Black Ministerial Alliance, Metropolitan Methodios from the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Boston, and Bishop Arthur Kennedy from the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

January 2017 – Joint Catholic/Lutheran Prayer Service to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation at the Paulist Center.

May 2017 – BostonServe, 200+ volunteers representing 25 different churches serving in 11 neighborhood projects. Lena Denis wrote her experience in a blog: “Unity Through Diversity.”

May 2017 – BostonServe project in Cambridge, where 130 care bags for refugee foster children were packed by 100 volunteers. This project was coordinated by Kaitlin Roberson, who wrote a reflection entitled “Serving Together as the United Body of Christ.”

May 2017 – Find A Way Relay, a pilgrimage run for racial justice from Washington DC to St. Louis.

July 2017 – UniteBoston Worship Team, convened by Chloe Gaydos. Read about Chloe Gaydos’ life-changing summer as she interned with UniteBoston.

August 2017 – UniteBoston Worship Night, an outdoor worship concert in Boston Common. Read about Rev. Nunez’ experience at the worship night.

October 2017 – First UniteBoston Neighborhood Dinner at Tony’s House in Revere. Here is Father Tom Ryan’s testimony of his experience at the neighborhood dinner.

November 2017 – Neighborhood Dinner Party Launch. 5 reasons why you should sign up for Neighborhood Dinners.

Thanks for joining into UniteBoston’s ministry this year! We couldn’t do it without you and are excited to see what God will do in the coming year as we continue connecting Christians for greater gospel movement in Boston.

Jan 31 2017

2017 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Photos and Testimonies

This year, we sought to make the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity truly reflective of the denominational and ethnic diversity within Boston’s Christian community.

By God’s grace, this happened! The anchor event on Saturday, January 21st had 22 co-sponsoring churches and institutions, drew together over 800 people, and has been called the largest and broadest gathering for Christian unity in Boston ever.

The concluding line in the gospel reading for that day was “We have seen incredible things today.” Indeed, God did great things in our hearts as we lifted up Jesus together, both on Saturday and throughout the week of nightly prayer gatherings. But, don’t take my word for it! Check out the photos and testimonies below to celebrate what God has done!

Photos

Wed Jan 21: Jamaica Plain Churches, including River of Life Church, Heart Change Fellowship, Bethel AME Church, the Community of St. Egidio, and Unidos en Cristo

Wed Jan 21: Video of singing “Amazing Grace” together at River of Life Church

16265306_10154981779093035_1037100832519585475_n — Thurs Jan 19: Fr. Antony Hughes from St. Mary Orthodox Church and Fr. Mina Kaddis from the Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston

16107466_10158246624610601_404901059484926888_o — Thurs Jan 19: Snacks and Fellowship together

16299603_10154981748548035_4496910588366706955_o — Fri Jan 20: Hispanic Pentecostal Worship, including Pabellon de la Fe Church and Congregation Lion of Judah

Co-Presiders from diverse Christian traditions at the January 21st Prayer Service. From left to right: Pastor Barry Kang from Symphony Church, Rev. Dana Baker from Grace Chapel, Rev. David Wright from the Black Ministerial Alliance, Metropolitan Methodios from the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Boston, and Bishop Arthur Kennedy from the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

16112780_10211985721264773_1393097025071341106_o — Sat Jan 21st: Large liturgical worship gathering with over 800 people in attendance! Pilot photo / Mark Labbe

Another great shot of the large liturgical gathering on January 21st

16300175_10154982665753035_5590171300135956786_o — Sat. Jan 21st: Catholic Cardinal Sean OMalley and Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios exchange greetings. Pilot photo/ Mark Labbe

16265870_10154991629768035_2829462166413651809_n — Sat Jan 21: Missions fair to further missional partnerships across churches. Pilot Photo / Mark Labbe

16114925_10154982572193035_7975707805595384810_n — Sun Jan 22: Taize Prayer at the MIT Chapel

16298862_10154986189118035_1230239911473325598_n — Mon Jan 21: Evangelical worship, including Symphony Church, City Church, and Abundant Grace Church

16266176_10154982571343035_3317014257065274800_n — Monday Jan 21: Praying a blessing over one another at Symphony Church

16196037_10154991527083035_3772233709252755141_n — Tuesday Jan 24: Beautiful depiction of the resurrected Christ as the centerpiece of our worship with joint Catholic / Lutheran service in conjunction with the commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

16299608_10154986142078035_1984102783552207363_o — Tues Jan 24: Joint Catholic/Lutheran Gathering in conjunction with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Our worship concluded with lighting candles and standing in a circle as a sign of the flame of Christ that we all carry within us.

Kelly Steinhaus shares about the week of prayer at beautiful Trinity Church. — Wed Jan 25: In the concluding gathering, Kelly Steinhaus, UniteBoston’s team leader, shares about the week of prayer at beautiful Trinity Church, with worship led by a youth choir.

In the News:

Boston Pilot: “Hundreds join in prayer at Boston’s Christian Unity service”

Testimonies:

“I would like to express my gratitude to all who contributed a piece to the rich mosaic-experience we all enjoyed on January 21st. It is one of the stand-out Week of Prayer for Christian Unity events in my 35 years of ministry devoted to the cause. All who gathered around tables for both food and faith-sharing, who in church joined their hearts and voices in prayer, young and old, black, white and brown, robed in various styles—all, together, represented a microcosm of the human family and gave us a glimpse of God’s dream for us: reconciled to God and to one another. Jesus must have had a joyful smile on his face!”
-Fr. Tom Ryan, Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

“What a great privilege and delight to worship the One True God together in the unique forms of each branch of the Christian Church. It was incredible to experience our agreement in who God is and who we are. I’m especially thankful for the Cardinal, his leaders, and the leadership of the Orthodox church, for their humility and at the depth of their willingness to come together.”
-Ellen Bass, Black Ministerial Alliance

“Saturday’s event was honestly the most powerful event I have ever attended. It was incredible to have in one room members of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, and the Orthodox Church gathered together to worship and praise our Lord, our Father. During the prayer service I was incredibly moved by the word “OUR”. And when at the end, we all said the Lord’s Prayer in ONE voice I was awestruck by the most powerful recitation of the prayer I’ve ever heard. This is the way it ought to be. We are weak divided, but together we stand strong in Jesus Christ.”

-Daisy Hanna, Coptic Orthodox Church

“What an amazing witness this was of the variety and Christ-centered unity found in the Body of Christ!”
-Edouard Pichette, OneUnited

“This was the most impressive ecumenical event I have ever been to. The Holy Spirit was clearly at work in this event.”

– Father David Michael, Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done…” On Saturday, all of us present at Holy Name witnessed a portion of God’s will done in the City of Boston. An undertaking such as this requires an immense amount of hard work and effort that can only be achieved with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank you all who made this happen, and may God’s Grace continue to bless all involved, and our city, til Kingdom come.

-Steven Hardy, UniteBoston Rep and member of St. Paul’s Parish, Harvard Square

“On January 21st, the Body of Christ in Boston got a glimpse of itself for the first time in its entirety.”
– Dr. Vito Nicastro, Associate Director of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Office of Interreligious and Ecumenical Affairs

“When my mother walked into the church she was amazed. It was at the moment of the entrance procession when all the various Christian groups came one after another to be together and worship that she began to cry. She said, ‘This is what Christ wants.’ It was very moving.”

-Natalia Pellicano, Office for Ethnic Apostolates, RCAB

“God wants this Church to be one… and to see that expressed so beautifully here, that’s really fun. It’s different tastes and different flavors, and you start to realize folks love Jesus in ways that you don’t appreciate until you see them and get to connect with them. You see that people are really different, and yet their hearts are coming from a love of the Lord that’s really neat to see.”

– Jeff Bass, Executive Director, Emmanuel Gospel Center

“It was incredible, wonderful to see so many different Christians together and the music… I was crying. The Holy Spirit was there.”

– Lorna DesRoses, Director of Black Catholic Ministries

“I’ve always felt the importance of Ecumenism. I’m a very strong Greek Orthodox Christian, but I went to Catholic schools and I’ve had very strong friendships, relationships with Catholic Christians, and they’ve just given me so much support in my faith. I just love the coming together of people of different Christian denominations, and I feel so excited about progress in Ecumenism. I feel like we’re getting closer.”

– Maria Makredes

It was a very moving experience. It was so inspiring also to see the church so completely filled… Holy Name Church was such a beautiful venue for the gathering. We are so grateful to [those] who worked so hard with so many different groups to bring this very important celebration together. It was astounding.
— Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston

“What brings us all here really is Christ, and that’s what the point of Christian unity is. If Christ says we should all be one, we should see that, and frankly the world doesn’t feel like that today. I’ve grown more in my faith, and I feel like as a young person I especially have the obligation and responsibility of witnessing to my vocation as the member of the body of Christ.”
– James Kelley, St. Joseph Parish, Roman Catholic, Needham

“I loved the prayer service- beautiful diversity and beautiful unity – that was the greatest part for me, was worshiping together with my fellow Christians. It was very moving. To hear the Greek Orthodox chant, and the Pentecostal choir, and the Cardinal’s homily. Thank you for doing this!” — Craig Dyke, Director, Family Life Office, RCAB

“We can be too preoccupied with the “doing”- what are we going to do together, the Martha part- and we forget the “being,” who and what we are called to be together, the Mary part. We forget that for God, the goal is not something we have to do. He came to form a people for His own. Jesus prayed that we be one as He and the Father are one– that is the witness, that is part of how the world comes to believe. That witness – especially these days, that witness is important for the world. That’s what we increased on January 21st.”
-Deacon John Koza, Holy Name Parish

But wait! There’s more…

Click here to view the entire photo album on Facebook, and add your own pics too!

Share your story!

How was your faith in Christ impacted by worshipping at churches throughout the city? We’d love to hear from you – Click on this link to fill out a short survey!

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