UniteBoston

Bridging Divides Across Christians for the Flourishing of the City

First Tuesday of the Month Taizé

Needing a gentle, mid-week pause? Join us for a candle-lit Taizé service of prayer, where we search for communion with God through community prayer, song, and silence.

The Taizé service of prayer is music-centric, using contemporary chants with short texts that are sung again and again, inviting individuals to meditate on the texts, deepen into them, pray through them. There is also a period of silence for personal reflection.

The Taizé prayer will be led by Stephanie Hollenberg (cantor) and hosted by Rev. Sage Cole, the Swedenborg Chapel community and the Swedenborgian Chaplaincy at Harvard.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Prayer for Colleges and Universities

Hey good people,

We’re hoping you can join us for an evening of prayer for New England colleges and universities on Tuesday, April 30, 2019!

J. Edwin Orr (1912-1987)—an absolute legend in the field of spiritual awakening—once put it like this: “When God intends to move, He sets his people praying…”

And truly, something very special is happening in the place of prayer for colleges and universities right now:

  • For the first time EVER, on February 28, 2019, all 4,945 colleges and universities in the United States were adopted in prayer on the Collegiate Day of Prayer.
  • InterVarsity and Cru—in collaboration with more than 40 other collegiate ministries—are partnering together to prayer walk EveryCampus in the US in 2019.
  • A national leader of one of the largest campus ministries in the US recently said, “In 37 years of collegiate ministry, I’ve never seen the kind of unity I am seeing now.”
  • Here in the Boston area, a group of 25 of us gathered to pray on the recent Collegiate Day of Prayer—16 different organizations, churches, and campus reps took part, and 46 campus prayer walks were committed to this semester!

In response to all of this, we think it’d be awesome to prayer walk any and every campus we can this month, and then gather and pray for our colleges and universities together on April 30, 2019—here are the details:

WHAT?

A gathering to pray for our New England colleges and universities. We’ll worship, we’ll pray, and we’ll take time to share stories from recent prayer walks!

WHERE?

The gathering will be hosted at Church of the Cross at 105 Jersey St., Boston, MA 02215—right in the heart of the Fenway.

WHEN?

Tuesday—30 April 2019—8:00pm-9:30pm.

WHO SHOULD COME?

YOU—and any other students and professors and campus fellowships and parents and pastors and churches and others who want to pray for colleges and universities in Boston and New England.

WHO IS HOSTING THE GATHERING?

A few campus ministers—Sherami Hinders with InterVarsity, Ryan Ruffing with CCO, Trent Sheppard with Alpha, and hopefully Liz Kealy with CRU if she can make it!

WHY SHOULD I TAKE TIME TO DO THIS?

Because we believe King Jesus is up to something brave and beautiful on campuses right now…
and we think it’d bring joy to God’s heart if we conspire in prayer together…
like that passage in John 17:20-23 says 🙂

Please let us know if you can make it—hope to see you on Tuesday, April 30, at 8pm!

Sherami, Ryan, and Trent

P.S. You definitely don’t have to have already participated in a prayer walk to join the gathering on April 30—but if you’d like to prayer walk a campus in advance, then feel free to find a campus (or five!) and a prayer guide at everycampus.com.

Spirituality & Social Justice: Abraham Joshua Heschel & Martin Luther King, Jr.

Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King met in the early 1960’s and established a friendship based on shared values and mutual respect between their Jewish and Christian traditions. Through our study, we will pursue several key biographical, theological, and political questions:

  • How did each emerge as a public figure?
  • What were their understandings of the relationship between religion and American democracy?
  • How did they weave together ritual and ethics concerns?
  • Can we apply lessons from their interreligious, cross-cultural, and interracial efforts to oppose bigotry and hatred today?

By studying Heschel and King together, we will have the opportunity to learn by way of comparison and contrast—including the impact each had on the other—thus offering us two intriguing models of “spirituality and social justice.”

This is a 5-week interactive course; the cost is $120. Register here.

Giving Presence, Like Jesus

Photo Credit: Koo Chung

Americans spent $658 billion on holiday spending in retail stores in 2016,  yet, some estimate that it would take only $30 billion to be able to provide clean water throughout the world…

Does the way we spend our time, money, and energy testify that we worship God incarnate?

 

The Advent Conspiracy encourages people to spend less on gifts and give more presence relationally to one another, in the likeness of God giving God’s Son to us at Christmas. As we do this, we will be better able to dedicate our resources towards causes that make a global impact, such as funding wells for clean water.

They describe: “We believe that the best gifts celebrate a relationship. Think back on the most meaningful gift you’ve ever received. Chances are that there is a story and a relationship that was connected to that gift.

It sounds obvious, yet we seem to have drifted away from this liberating, straightforward truth: The Father gave his one and only Son.

God’s answer for the world’s problems has never been material things. God did not give us more stuff – even good stuff like work, food, or health. He gave us himself. The most priceless and personal gift of all!”

Here are some ideas of how you can give relationally:

-Invest in experiences you can share. Sign up for dance lessons, go camping, plan a vacation, take cooking classes.

-On Christmas morning, turn off your cell phone. Take a couple hours to be present with your family and focus on the people God has put in your life.

-Share memories. Make a recipe book or photo album.

-Get a blank journal and write notes and prayers to your kids or spouse.

-Give a copy of your favorite book to a friend and then meet up for coffee and discuss it. Then switch and read their favorite book.

-Buy someone a gift that relieves a burden: babysitting money, yard work, groceries.

-Give the gift of hospitality. Invite a new family over for dinner and games.

-Do an activity with your kids – puzzles, jewelry making, baking, hiking, fishing.

-If someone on your list is passionate about an organization or cause, find a gift that celebrates their interest.

20 Relational Gift-Giving Ideas

Why do we give gifts at Christmas?

Praise and Worship Vigils for Life

Led by host Pastors Brian Watson & Don Bryant

HELP SAVE LIVES IN BOSTON! You can protect mothers and children by joining this worldwide mobilization to pray and fast for an end to abortion! Through prayer and fasting, peaceful vigils and community outreach, 40 Days for Life has inspired 750,000 volunteers!
With God’s help, here are the proven results in 22 coordinated campaigns:
• 14,643 babies saved from abortion
• 177 abortion workers converted
• 96 abortion centers closed

40daysforlife.com/boston  Praise/Worship Vigils, Tuesdays, 6 pm  October 9, 16, 23, 30


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