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Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community

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Apr 09 2025

Radiance: EGC’s Ministry Celebration & Annual Fundraiser

You are invited to an evening of community connection, storytelling, and celebration! EGC’s Ministry Celebration and Annual Fundraiser is Saturday, May 17, at 5 pm at Hibernian Hall in Roxbury (184 Dudley St., Roxbury, MA 02119). Join us to connect with friends old and new, hear original content from some of Boston’s most talented local musicians, enjoy amazing food, and experience the ministry impact of EGC and our partners!

The theme for this year’s event is Radiance based on Psalm 36:9: “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” This will be a celebration highlighting some of the ways we’ve seen God’s radiance illuminate our city.

This is a free event, and there will be an opportunity to support the work of EGC. Register today!

Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: @egcboston, body of christ, boston, boston christian community, boston christian musicians, boston faith gatherings, christian community, christian film & documentary, christiansinboston, church, community, community building, emmanuel gospel center, events, fellowship, fundraiser, gathering, music, roxbury, shalom, testimony, urban ministry, volunteering

Feb 05 2025

Highlights from the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

From January 18 to 25, Christians worldwide gathered for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a time to reflect on Jesus’ prayer “that they may be one” (John 17:21) through fellowship, worship, and shared faith. This year’s theme marks the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, celebrating the Nicene Creed as a foundation of Christian unity while acknowledging the divisions that still exist today. Read highlights and testimonies below from this year’s inspiring prayer gatherings in Greater Boston!


Click above to watch a reflection on the significance of the Nicene Creed from Dr. Elizabeth M. Woodard, Catholic theologian, musician, author, speaker, spiritual director, and ecumenist. She is a member of our Christian unity cohort and considers her vocation as bringing people to God and to each other. 

Our week began with a pre-inauguration vigil hosted by the Cathedral Church of St Paul. Dozens of people and leaders from a variety of Christian traditions gathered to pray for our county and its leaders preceding the inauguration. We recommitted to uphold our baptismal vows to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves” and heard testimonies of tangible actions by leaders committing to do just this including Jimmy Lim from the Crossing Congregation, Rev. Arrington Chambliss from Episcopal City Mission, Sandra Soto from St. Mark’s Dorchester, and Rev. Canon Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa from Immigration and Multicultural Ministries. There was a time of sharing stones of our burdens and also a passing of the light.

Rev. Devlin Scott (NewCity Church & UniteBoston), Rev. Kelly Fassett (UniteBoston), Fr. Tom Ryan (The Paulist Center), and Very Rev. Amy McCreath (Cathedral Church of St Paul) at the pre-inauguration vigil.

On Tuesday, a variety of clergy from many Christian traditions were invited to join for a prayer service by Archbishop Henning. Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios presided over the gathering, a testimony of the value that the Archbishop places on ecumenical relations. Archbishop Henning described, “I hope and pray that, in gathering together, we will all be strengthened in that same power of Gospel, in the midst of a world that is too often about violence, hatred, and taking, to give that witness of solidarity, of compassion, and faith in God.”

Lutheran Bishop Nathan Pipho preached the homily, sharing that, “Our unity in Christ, in the faith, is our proclamation of faith to a world, as the archbishop said, who needs to see people who can get along, who can love one another, who can unite with one another, who can persist with one another, who can be in relationship with one another.” Read more in the Article in the Catholic Pilot.

On Tuesday, a small group also gathered at Tremont Temple for a powerful noontime prayer service, led by Craig Parker from the Navigators. We were grateful to offer their regular Tuesday noontime prayer gathering as part of our Week of Prayer events.

On Thursday evening, Rev. Devlin hosted a moving prayer service at NewCity Church, joined by members of the Boston Catholic Focolare Community.

“Thank you again for a beautiful evening together in prayer at your church. You could see that none of us wanted to leave! The incredible reflections, song and movement created a Well of Faith to drink from that was wonderful to share and deeply edifying. I wanted to share personally that last night’s time with all of you renewed a deep sense of hope that I was lacking and needed; and that it really has me digging deeper with the question that Jesus asks Martha at the tomb. Do I really believe this (no, I mean, really, really)?…believe that our Savior has got this. Got it all…So thank you all for being that catalyst for me. It is a precious gift to journey and grow in faith together.” – Janis Pochini, Focolare Community

The week closed out with a neighborhood dinner hosted by Cleo Muhammad. We were blessed to be in the company with a few long-time Dorchester Christian pastors. Through a nourishing meal, conversation and prayer, we celebrated our common faith and prayed into the areas of discipleship and common mission for the coming days.

“Personally, I experienced it as a very rich and meaningful time, and I’ve heard similar sentiments from some of you. Seeing us come together representing different generations, churches, and racial backgrounds was beautiful. I especially enjoyed hearing from those I affectionately call the “seasoned saints” (those who’ve been walking with the Lord for a long time). Your continued commitment to the gospel and to running your race and helping others run their race is truly inspiring and extremely refreshing! As the year progresses, I pray we continue to wrestle with, pray about, speak on, and take action regarding the themes that came up in our time together: unity, discipleship, our response in these times, and the challenge to believe in Jesus’ revelation of Himself. To this last theme, may we give a wholehearted and emphatic “Yes Lord, I STILL believe!” – Cleo Muhammad

“It was a real blessing to be able to have Pastors Rocklyn and Eva, Mark and Jay attend; each of you are a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. I echo Cleo’s prayer for unity, justice and reconciliation, at this pivotal time in our country and city.  I wholeheartedly agree—it was such a meaningful evening of encounter and receiving one another’s faith, passions, and life experiences! While ‘Christian unity’ can seem like a far-off ideal, Friday night makes it feel a little more tangible, leaving me feeling more hopeful.” – Rev. Kelly Fassett

“In addition to all the powerful stories of love & prayer greater than division from around the Boston area, I was deeply encouraged by similar encounters across difference taking place that week all around the country – from Connecticut to Chicago to St. Louis to Tuscon to Los Angeles.” – Scott Brill, The Initiative


We also offer this video where Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde share a homily on the foundation of unity at the Inauguration Service. She describes the need to pray for unity as a people and a nation — not for agreement, political or otherwise — but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division and the need to respect the honor and dignity of every human being.

In today’s new era in our national life, let us heed this prayer by Rev. Dr Martin Luther King,

“Most gracious and all wise God, before whose face the generations rise and fall; You in whom we live, and move, and have our being. We come before you painfully aware of our inadequacies and shortcomings. We realize that we stand surrounded with the mountains of love and we deliberately dwell in the valley of hate. We stand amid the forces of truth and deliberately lie. We are forever offered the high road and yet we choose to travel the low road. For these sins, O God, forgive. Break the spell of that which blinds our minds. Purify our hearts that we may see you. O God, in these turbulent days when fear and doubt are mounting high give us broad visions, penetrating eyes, and power of endurance. Help us to work with renewed vigor for a warless world, for a better distribution of wealth and for a fellowship that transcends race or color. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen.”

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog, EVENTS & YEAR HIGHLIGHTS, Unity & Reconciliation, Worship & Prayer · Tagged: christian unity, faith and national healing, justice and reconciliation, lent, MLK prayer for peace, reconciliation, testimony, uniteboston, unity in diversity

Jan 15 2025

The Nicene Creed: Why It Matters Today

This year’s theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is “Do you believe?” (John 11:26). In 2025, Christians mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, where key doctrinal disputes about the Trinity and the nature of Christ were resolved, resulting in the Nicene Creed—a foundational statement of Christian faith and unity. The Nicene Creed is the Christian “symbol” of agreed doctrine and also the statement of faith for UniteBoston.

But why does the Nicene Creed matter? Read below to learn about the historical basis of the Nicene Creed and insights from local leaders and notable theologians on its significance for today.


Click above to watch a reflection on the significance of the Nicene Creed from Dr. Elizabeth M. Woodard, Catholic theologian, musician, author, speaker, spiritual director, and ecumenist. She is a member of our Christian unity cohort and pastoral associate a Sacred Hearts Parish. She considers her vocation as bringing people to God and to each other.

“The Nicene Creed stands as a centuries-old treasure linking current Christians to the earliest ones. It is through symbols like the Creed that we can truly claim to be apostolic, that is, the Church handed to the apostles and handed down from them through generations of Christians. The Creed acts as a barrier against our human temptation to remake God in our own image, and leads us to open ourselves to the wisdom of God’s self revelation, distilled in these precious words throughout our history. Diverse though Christians are in our various traditions, we find a precious unity in our acceptance of the essentials spoken in the Creed.” – Dr. Elizabeth M. Woodard

“Within the Empire, particularly between the great apostolic patriarchies of Alexandria and Antioch, disparities in Christology were leading to excommunications and divisions, especially in the rivalry between St. Athanasius and Arius. The common doctrine achieved was a significant milestone in Christian unity. It is only appropriate then, in remembering this event of common confession, that Christians today may celebrate that which unites them. Spiritual ecumenism, according to Vatican II, is the “soul” of the ecumenical movement. It is our common faith in the Risen Christ that brings us together for prayer. In turn, the prayer itself is effective in nourishing and confirming our unity.” – James Loughran, SA, in his reflection on this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity theme

“The celebration of any anniversary is, beyond a mere commemoration of an historical event, a motivation to learn from the past in order to live more fully in the present. As Christians united in our faith in a God who assumed flesh and dwelt among us, we have also confessed with one voice the same creed formulated 1700 years ago at the Council of Nicaea. Through the centuries, we may have differed in our interpretations and manifestations of that original statement of faith. Nevertheless, we have endured in our appreciation of and devotion to that earliest of professions and convictions that “we believe in one God, maker of heaven and earth; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, who was incarnate for our salvation. Our unity in this doctrine should inspire us to imagine and illustrate the same faith in language that addresses the challenges of our age and our world. That’s why Orthodox Christians refer to the creed as a ‘symbol of faith.’ Our vocation as Christians is to unravel and unveil, to define and defend the same pristine principles in a way that embraces and heals every human being without discrimination and every aspect of God’s creation without exception.” – Fr. John Chryssavgis, Executive Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute 

“The use of the phrase “We believe” in the Nicene Creed is so significant. In an area of skepticism and fragmentation, it affirms a shared faith and belonging that faith is not just a private affair, or something that we created today, but is rooted in historical reality of the person of Jesus Christ. It helps to bridge the past to the present and the local Boston Church to the global, reminding us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.” – Rev. Kelly Fassett, Executive Director of UniteBoston

“When we recite the Nicene Creed, we are stepping into the stream of a centuries-long conversation about who God is and what God has done. It anchors us in a living tradition of shared understanding and worship.” – Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury

“The Creed expresses what the Church believes, teaches, and confesses in unison. It is the foundation of our unity, the treasure we hold in common, and the proclamation of the hope we have in Christ.” – Pope Benedict XVI

“The Nicene Creed is a confession of the inexhaustible mystery of God’s love. It invites us into the drama of salvation, where the Church stands as a witness to the world of the truth of Christ.” – Hans Urs von Balthasar

““In the Nicene Creed, we encounter the Church’s faithful testimony to the mystery of Christ. It is a gift handed down to us that holds together the Gospel’s integrity and unity.” T.F. Torrance

Learn about the Council of Nicaea

For centuries, the Nicene Creed was sung as part of the Latin Roman Catholic liturgy. Along with many other parts of the Mass “ordinary,” it was set to music by composers throughout the centuries and regularly sung each week. Here, please enjoy an early version set in Gregorian Chant. While most Catholics since the 1960s speak many of the ordinary parts of the Mass, including the Creed, its sung version is a beautiful way to reflect on the words, if you happen to speak Latin!” above to listen to a beautiful singing of the Nicene creed chanted in Latin.

Franciscan Friar Casey Cole walks through the theology of the Nicene Creed

“This theme, by offering a way to see that faith is not just a static set of beliefs, but an active means of receiving grace, is most appropriate for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2025. If faith can raise the dead and conquer all fear, surely faith will bring us the miracle of unity as Christians. Remembering that division, separation and rejection are symptoms of sin, the healing of the Church comes about in the power of the Holy Spirit. We pray knowing to whom it is we pray, as one community. God wills us to reconcile. God wills us to love one another. God will give those who profess the faith of Martha, of Nicaea and of all the holy ones who have gone before us, the precious gift of unity.” – James Loughran, SA, in his reflection on this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity theme

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog, SPIRITUAL FORMATION & EVANGELISM, Worship & Prayer · Tagged: apostalic christology, christian unity, community, ecumenical christianity, faith & doctrine, nicene creed history, testimony, uniteboston, unity, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Apr 04 2024

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Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: arise, art, artist, body of christ, boston, boston theological institute, Boston University, brighton, cambridge, christ, christian, church, congregation lion of judah, dance, faith, fellowship, hope, movement, power in Christ, roxbury, testimony, unityinboston, women, worship and prayer

Aug 25 2023

Belayneh Densamo’s Book Signing Event

Hello dear brothers and sisters,
You are all invited to the book launch of the athlete Laineh Belayneh Densamo
(Tested Endurance) in Amharic and English,
It is on Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 2 pm.
The address is 145 Brattle St. Cambridge, MA 02140, USA
Please share to those who live in the nearby areas.
May God bless you all.

Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: boston marathon, christian, christian witness, faith, history, marathon monday, testimony

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