What do you rely upon in times of upheaval or transition? Where's terra firma during those periods when you feel as if you're sailing across a roiling sea, towards a place you've never been? For most of us, the Book of Revelation hardly seems the source to turn to. To the extent we know it at all, Revelation is full of strange and foreboding images; those hallucinating seem more likely to cite from it than the rest of us. But we use words from this book in many church services through the year; have they ever comforted you? What if they could?
...God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.'
Joy
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Lecture Series on Unitarianism - History and Where We Go | April 27, and May
4 & 11
The
Rev. Stephen Kendrick, of First Church Boston, will give this Spring's three Minns lectures on the Wednesday evenings of April 27 (tonight), May 4 and May 11, at his church. The topic is Unitarian Universalist life - past, present, and future. For more information, and to sign up, go to the Minns Lectures website:
http://www.minnslectures.org/
. Dinners will be provided at 6 PM, and the lectures will begin at about 7:15 PM, at First Church.
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Join us for the Mother's Day Walk for Peace | Sunday, May 8
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Want to end violence and help families who have lost loved ones to violence work through their pain? Pledge your commitment to Peace! The goal this year is to raise $600,000 for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute.
Donors may donate online or may donate at the Second Sunday offering in May. The Community Action Committee (CAC) will match donations with a total match up to $1,000.
The walk begins at 8:30 AM at Field's Corner in Dorchester, with opening remarks at 8 AM. The King's Chapel team will join the walkers rain or shine at 9:15 AM, at the midpoint at Madison Park High School on Malcolm X Blvd (access via the Orange Line at Roxbury Crossing) and end with the Peace Rally at Boston City Hall at 11 AM, in time to make the Morning Prayer service!
We encourage our fellow walkers to wear purple.
Anyone can join, and enter or exit at a midway point.
King's Chapel has a team that you can join, by registering here.
Last year we had 17 walkers and we hope to increase participation this year. Contact Carol Genovese with any questions,
[email protected].
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Simon Bon Voyage Party | May 15
Simon Pilecki will be leaving us on Friday, May 20. We will be celebrating his good work and sending him on his way after our Morning Prayer Service on Sunday May 15. Please join us at the Parish House for a light luncheon, and help us send Simon on his way to new adventures! Please RSVP to Gretchen at
[email protected]
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Choral Evensong | May 15, 5 PM
King's Chapel will celebrate the Festival of Pentecost with a service of Choral Evensong sung by the King's Chapel Choir on Sunday, May 15th, at 5 PM. Evensong will be preceded by an organ recital at 4:30 PM given by Heinrich Christensen. The program will including music by composers Duruflé, MacMillan, Willan, Parratt, and Foss. 
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Theology on Tap | May 18, 7 PM
Believer. Non-believer. Confident. Curious. Join us for a lively discussion of big questions at a local pub. On May 18th at 7 PM, we will discuss the theologies, mysteries, and curiosities of Holy Communion. Anyone 21 and over is welcome to join. We will meet at The Kinsale, located across from City Hall Plaza. For more information or to RSVP, contact shawn@kings-chapel.org.
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Blessing of the Animals | May 22, 9 AM
Join us in the beauty of our Parish House Garden (located behind 64 Beacon Street, accessible via Branch Street) for an annual service in celebration and thanksgiving for the animals that give us so much joy. Through a liturgy that includes brief readings, prayers, and hymns, we will bless each animal and each relationship. We will thank God for the loving and forgiving creatures that bless our lives. Please contain animals that sting, bite, or scratch. If you cannot bring your animal, we will gladly bless photos, stuffed animals, or any other item that invokes memory. We welcome all. 
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Join King's Chapel as we march in the Boston Pride Parade on Saturday, June 11th at 12 PM. The parade kicks off at Copley Square, travels through the South End, then passes both the King's Chapel Parish House and Stone Chapel before finishing at Government Center. All are welcome to participate. For more information, contact [email protected]. 
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King's Chapel's 330th Birthday | June 12
June 12 will be a special day at King's Chapel: we celebrate our 330th Birthday and welcome new members at our Morning Prayer Service! Please mark this date on your calendar so that you can be sure to join us.
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King's Chapel Habitat for Humanity-Boston Build | June 25
We have nearly a full team for the June 25 (the first Sunday of Summer) King's Chapel Habitat for Humanity-Boston build. We can accept 1 or 2 more. The build runs from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM with a one hour lunch break. In the past the KC teams have enjoyed lunch in one of the local ethnic restaurants.
The build will be at one of the HFH-Boston sites now under construction in Roslindale, Mattapan, or Dorchester. The exact location will be selected hy HFH-Boston based upon the specific build site requirements. Work will be available for all skill levels (including none). For more information on HFH-Boston and the site where they build, go to
www.habitatboston.org/ and
www.habitatboston.org/projects
King's Chapel has supported HFH-Boston both financially and with multiple volunteer efforts. If you haven't done this before, please consider joining now. The minimum age to participate is 16.
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News from the Parish House
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From the Freedom Trail Visitor Program
Over the past several weeks, we have kept busy building our team of Educators for the summer. You will soon be seeing several new faces working for the Freedom Trail Visitors Program. Interviewing and hiring are now complete, and we are welcoming aboard five new seasonal staff members! Look for introductions of our new team in upcoming Between Sundays. This
Sunday, May 1, the program will close to the public while we hold staff orientation and training, focusing on visitor engagement and interpretation skills. The following day,
May 2, the program will officially be open for summer hours:
10AM-5PM
Monday through
Saturday and
1PM-5PM Sunday.
Interested in learning more? Come by for a tour! As part of King's Chapel's 330th birthday, we will host a Freedom Trail Visitor Program Open House for the congregation on
Sunday June 12. Our educators will lead free Bells and Bones tours just for King's Chapel members. I hope to see you there!
Faye Charpentier
Program Director
King's Chapel Freedom Trail Visitors Program
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Feeling hospitable? Join us by signing up to host Hospitality!
Co-Chairs of the Hospitality committee, Mindy Hinkel and Gregg Sorensen say, "Let there be no barrier to hospitality"! We are very excited to announce a new shared email address (
[email protected]) and sign-up applications at VolunteerSpot (
http://vols.pt/UsyUz8) to make it as easy as possible to volunteer to host hospitality, try co-hosting with someone else; or sign-up to bring a specific item for a luncheon.
The Hospitality committee at King's Chapel consists of co-chairs who share in the responsibilities of coordinating hospitality for over 100 services, 3 luncheons (Homecoming, Milk Punch, Annual Hearing) and the King's Chapel Birthday celebration. Mindy Hinkel heads up
Wednesday evening services, Gregg Sorensen coordinates Sundays, and both work towards making sure supplies are at hand and volunteers handy to make luncheons are yummy yet easy!
The Co-Chairs rely on volunteers to sign-up, who become the "Friends of Hospitality". Many hands make labors light and this is no more true than for this committee that feeds those hungry for what King's Chapel has to offer spiritually, socially, and well, also in the physical sense with regard to food! Who doesn't like food? You need not be the most skilled culinary artist, nor know your way around the kitchen. We're here to help you pick up those skills, either at the local grocery store, or through the fellowship we share.
Please consider choosing a "spot" to volunteer at one of our many services or reach out to either one us with your interest.
Hospitality Committee Co-Chairs
Shareable Link to sign-up to volunteer:
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On Thursday, April 21, the Membership Committee hosted an informal dinner and presentation at The Parsonage for those interested in learning more about membership with King's Chapel. The Rev. Shawn Fiedler presented on King's Chapel's unique history and evolution of worship. The Rev. Joy Fallon presented not the governance structure.
On Sunday, April 24, the Membership Committee hosted a brunch at the Parish House following Morning Prayer as a way to introduce church leaders to those who are interested in membership with King's Chapel. The brunch was well attended with Vestry members, committee chairs, and other leaders. The food was catered by Pine Street Inn. Many thanks to Cathy Price, Sylvia Soderberg, Beth Chapin, and Ray Hardin for a warm and lovely event.
The Society of King's Chapel will welcome new members on
June 12th during Morning Prayer. If you are interested in learning more, contact Cathy Price, Chair of Membership at
[email protected].
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Last Sunday, Emmanuel and I attended the dedication ceremony at the Habitat Build in Roxbury. This was a site that we, as well as many other King's Chapel parishioners, participated in building last fall. It was a moving ceremony. If you would like to hear the impact that this had on two families, click here.
Carol Genovese
 
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Wednesday, April 27, 6PM
The Rev. Joy Fallon, Preaching
- Emily Bieber, Soloist
- Carol Genovese, Hospitality
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Sunday, May 1, 11AM
The Rev. Joy Fallon, Preacher
- Denise Konicek, Claire Shepro, Michael Gonzalez, and Darrick Yee, Soloists
- Anne Sexton and Paul Luca, Head Ushers
- Judy Luca, Cathy Price, and Cliff Allen, Ushers
- Carolyn Conley-Das, Verger
The flowers on the communion table are given in loving memory of Harriet C. Allen and Dorothy
S. Allen by Cynthia and Cliff Allen III.
After the service, all are invited to Coffee Hour, hosted by Sylvia Soderberg and friends of the hospitality committee.
At the communion rail following the service,
Bill Kuttner will greet those interested in learning more about King's Chapel.
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From the Bench
By Heinrich Christensen
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This Sunday, we open and close with Bach's Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major, a work that fully demonstrates the composer's ability to incorporate influences from the musical world around him, from the Buxtehudian opening flourishes through the long pedal solo to the Italian concertato that concludes the Toccata, and on to the Vivaldi-like Aria quality of the Adagio.
The choral music is all by Bohemian/Czech composer Antonin
Dvořák, and includes a setting of Psalm 23 as well as excerpts from his Mass in D.
The Mass in D Major is the only one of Dvořák's several mass settings that still exists. In 1887, Josef Hlávka, an artistic patron, architect, and friend of Dvořák's and founder of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Art, commissioned the piece for the consecration of a private chapel at his country estate, Luzany Castle, in southwest Bohemia. The consecration took place on September 11, 1887. Dvořák himself conducted; the two female parts were sung by Hlávka's wife, Zdeňka (soprano), and Dvořák's wife, Anna (alto), accompanied by organist Josef Klička and the Hlahol Choir of Plzeň (Pilsen).
At the time, Dvořák was already famous for his large-scale choral works, including the Stabat Mater and St. Ludmilla. This Mass, however, was conceived for a more intimate space and occasion than those works. It was scored for four soloists and choir, with a simple but ingenious organ accompaniment, and it was intended for an actual religious service, as opposed to a concert performance. Later, Dvořák composed a more elaborate orchestral setting for the published version of the Mass.
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Tuesday, May 3, 12:15 PM
Margot Rood, soprano
Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra
Works by Handel & Vivaldi
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Interested in Membership?
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More News from
The Parish
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Stewardship Update
Our 2016 Stewardship Campaign continues to be strong, bringing in almost $125,000 in pledges so far! We are at 60% of our goal! Our goal is to have all pledges in by the middle of May. We are grateful for this past week's support from:
Dean Denniston
Charles Dietrick
Kate and Andy Ebbott
Kathe German and Denton Crews
Leo and Dorothy Johnson
Jaqui and Mason Sandell
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Haven't completed your pledge form yet? Call the Parish House if you need another form,
or
to donate!
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Parish Council Meeting-
Thursday, May 3 at 6:00 PM
Vestry Meeting-
Tuesday, May 10 at 6 PM
Membership Committee Meeting-
Friday, May 13, at 10:30 AM
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Paul Luca and Anne
Sexton - Our Head Ushers!
Paul Luca, a member of our Vestry, and warm presence at the church, is joining Anne Sexton as Co-Head Usher this year. Anne has served us for over 16 years in this capacity, and will be training Paul this year, after which she will step down from the role. Anne's service has been exemplary, and we are deeply grateful to her.
As Head Usher, Paul and Anne are responsible for warmly greeting and welcoming the many people who stream through our doors each week - our long-time members, newcomers exploring a possible church home, or the thousands of visitors from around the world who want to join us for worship, or glimpse our historic sanctuary. It takes special people to oversee this effort - those who can blend warmth and caring, diplomacy and judgment, and a strong sense of organization and accountability. In both Paul and Anne we have such leaders. As well, the Head Usher ensures that we have a full cadre of ushers available each week to greet people and show them to their pews; provide help to those needing it during the service; receive offerings; and keep count each week of those present and the offerings we receive. The Head Usher also assists with myriad aspects of
worship, regularly supporting the clergy and other church leaders.
Paul Luca has been a member of the church since 2011; he and his wife Judy were married here. Judy currently serves as Chair of our Community Action Committee.
Paul regularly can be found helping out with myriad building projects, attending
Theology on Tap, serving communion, ushering at services, offering ideas at Vestry
meetings, stuffing backpacks to give away at Christmas, solemnly carrying the Christ Candle down our center aisle during the Easter Vigil, or delivering sandwiches to Common Cathedral's homeless women and men. We're grateful for his willingness, among this busy church life, to become Co-Head Usher this year with Anne.
Welcome Paul! |
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We weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice...
We grieve with Mary, Bill and Carolyn Sears on the death of Mary's mother last week, Mary Lou Brockenbrough. A graveside service was held yesterday and a memorial service will be in Delaware on May 21st. Please join us in holding Mary and her family in our prayers. Further information is available
here.
We rejoice with Cliff Allen on the birth of a new niece, Lillian Terese, born this morning. In Cliff's family, the streak of boys for 38 years has ended!
Congratulations to choir member Jennifer Webb whose wife Alison Kotin is expecting their first child in October.
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Contributing to Between Sundays
Want something in Between Sundays? Feel free to email Simon at
[email protected] with a written piece and/or pictures before Wednesday at Noon!
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Accessibility Assists
Our beautiful Georgian sanctuary designed by Peter Harrison and completed in 1754, has been lovingly maintained by the congregation since its completion. One of the box pews has been made wheel-chair accessible. Ushers are available to assist those who are wheelchair-bound to that pew.
A sound system has been installed in the sanctuary of The Chapel to amplify the sound during worship services. Hearing assistance devices are available for your use. Please see an Usher for assistance.
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