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THIS SUNDAY, February 4

THE COMMUNITY HOUR FORUM

Sundays,10am, 2^nd floor Mary Norton Hall, Click here to Zoom

This casual, no-commitment, come-when-you-can forum hosts series on a variety of topics. Clergy, congregation members, and special guests share in leading sessions.

RACE RELATIONS IN BOSTON: Then and Now

February 11 – Racial Segregation and the Affordable Housing Crisis

At least since the bussing crisis of the 1970s, Boston has had a reputation as a racist city. Boston’s school system continues to struggle, and Boston is ranked as the 11^th most segregated metropolitan area in the country. Yet today, Boston is a majority minority city, with an Asian-American mayor, a city council that is half BIPOC, and people of color in key roles like police chief and leaders of the MBTA.

On this 50^th anniversary of the beginning of the Boston bussing crisis, and during Black History Month, BU professor and Christian Formation chairperson Tim Longman will lead discussions around the history of racial discrimination and segregation in Boston and the state of race relations today. What are the legacies of racial animosity and division? What ongoing issues of racism confront the area today? How can Old South help in city-wide efforts to dismantle racism? Join us in person or online.

CONNECTIONS CLASS

Sunday, February 11, 10am

To be a member of Old South Church is to enter the company of Revolutionary Era heroes, abolitionists, suffragettes, anti-poverty crusaders, and poets. Our saints include Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Phillis Wheatley... and maybe you! Want to learn more about the life of this community of faith and break bread with other newcomers and church members? Join our Connections Info Session! Contact Ashley Popperson for more info.

SAVE THE DATE FOR ANNUAL MEETING MARCH 3, 2024

The 355^th Annual Meeting of Old South Church is scheduled for March 3, 2024 following Festival Worship.

Following Annual Meeting, all who wish are welcome to board a bus to raise their voice against housing inequality at the:

GREATER BOSTON INTERFAITH ORGANIZATION (GBIO)

HOUSING JUSTICE CAMPAIGN

Sign up for a House Meeting here

Sign up to take action on Sunday, March 3 at 3pm here

Housing in Boston and beyond is too often unaffordable, unattainable, and undignified -- and this affects both our neighbors and our own members. In February, Old South's GBIO team is hosting conversations (House Meetings) for us to reflect on how unaffordable housing touches our lives, connect more deeply with one another, and prepare to take action with 1700 of our neighbors on March 3. Questions? Connect with Old South co-liaisons Harrison Reeder & Christina Gregg.

OTHER WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

TWILIGHT WORSHIP: EXPECT CREATIVE DISRUPTION

Thursdays, 6pm, in the Gordon Chapel

Our Thursday evening worship service is undergoing some creative change. You'll notice these changes over the next few months. We'll be trying out various orders of worship, styles of music, and working toward a more formal launch of a renewed service in the months to come. If you have feedback, we'd love to hear it! Email Ashley Popperson.

VESPERS HEALING WORSHIP

Join us to celebrate the life of Peter Boyle this week

This Sunday, February 11, 5pm on Zoom,

Click here to join

Please join us to take a moment for rest and renewal in the presence of God and other spiritual companions gathering by Zoom. All are welcome to share this quiet space and lift up our concerns, our losses, our hurts, and our celebrations in the Healing Presence of God and one another. 

CHRISTIAN FORMATION

SEEING WITH THE EYES AND

FEELING WITH THE HEART OF ANOTHER

Thursday, February 15, 7pm

What might it be like to enter into the physical space of Old South with the eyes or heart of another? (G)race Speaks will present an exercise in engaging the world in an anti-racist way. Through engagement with the visual arts, and sacred spaces, participants will explore what it feels like and what it means when whiteness is not a default. We will use three short articles as the basis for our discussion. Questions? Email David O'Malley.

SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY

Sundays, 10am, 4^th Floor Phillis Wheatley Room,

click here to Zoom, password: BibleStudy

Delve into the day’s scripture passage heard in worship. This no-homework Bible study delights in taking a scholarly look at ancient texts. Don’t leave your questions at the door; we need them.

THROUGH THE BIBLE

Thursdays, 7pm, 4^th Floor Phillis Wheatley Room

Click here to Zoom. Password: Psalter

Join us as we journey at a reflective and thorough pace through the Hebrew Bible. We are about to begin studying the Book of Isaiah.

GROWING AND LIVING IN COMMUNITY

A BLESSED LUNAR NEW YEAR AT OLD SOUTH

Drop in February 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Chapel

Click here to RSVP

As a church that serves a city of multi- racial and ethnic communities, we are excited to hold our first ever Lunar New Year celebration. As part of living out our faith and values, we will be opening up our space to honor this important East Asian tradition and widely recognized holiday, and you are invited. We will have prayerful activities, cultural practices, refreshments that might be different than what we usually serve, art projects that need your efforts to complete, and good company. Bring a friend or just come by yourself, and in the name of our loving God of both the West and the East, let us begin this new year by creating a new tradition together.

REGISTER FOR THE OLD SOUTH TEAM

AT THE 8^th ANNUAL WINTER WALK

This Sunday, February 11, meet at at 8:30am

at the corner of Beacon and Charles Streets

The Winter Walk is an initiative that believes ending homelessness is within our reach. Their mission is to raise awareness and funds towards that goal, and to support organizations that are working on prevention, support, and care for our homeless community. Join the Old South team as we take this 2 mile walk through the streets of Boston during the coldest month of the year, beginning and ending on Boston Common on Sunday, February 11, 2024 from 9am - 11am! To register, click here and select either fundraise or donate (your registration fee is already covered because OSC is a sponsor), then select Join a Team and find Old South’s team. From there you may choose to donate extra money if you choose! Questions?

Email John Edgerton.

CLIMATE CHANGE BANNER PAINTING

Sundays, February 18 and 25, 10 a.m.,

in the 4^th floor Guild Room

Remember those big, stained glass-esque climate change banners we started painting in the summer? Well, Finish it February has arrived and that is exactly what we're going to do! Join us in the Guild Room, pick up a paintbrush, and get your creativity on. With your help, we'll finish them in plenty of time to bless them on Care of Creation Sunday.

GBIO IN DISTRICT MEETING WITH

REPRESENTATIVES LIVINGSTON AND MICHLEWITZ

February 15, 7pm, First Church Boston UU,

Click here to register

This is one of several meetings we have been organizing with our state senators and representatives where we will be asking for their commitment to

• 1.6 billion dollars for state funded public housing
• at least 189 million for the operating budget in public housing.
• the real estate transfer fee to increase affordable housing
• State IDs for people who are returning from prison upon release
• $9 million in rental assistance for those who are returning from incarceration

We are hoping to turnout 50 to 80 people to show our representatives that this matters to us. Bring your friends, neighbors, family members. The more people we have the more power we have to influence our legislators and hold them accountable- so let's turnout strong on February 15 for housing justice! 

EASTER FLOWER DONATIONS

requested contribution $20

Click here and choose "Easter Flowers" to make your gift. Messages in honor or memory of loved ones or special occasions can be entered on the second page of the donation screen or you can give anonymously. Contact Rémy Hatfield-Gardner with questions. 

CARE AND SUPPORT AT OLD SOUTH

Our Care and Support Team offers tender care to those in our community who are in need of prayer and support through a time of illness, grief, and the trials of life. They are eager to pray for you. Please email [email protected] to notify them of your need or if you are interested in making regular calls & offering care for others. 

SPOTLIGHT ON THOMAS PRINCE

Read Church Historian Kate Silfen’s full blog here

The Reverend Thomas Prince enjoyed a long, productive pastorate at the Old South Church. Called to Old South as our fifth senior minister, Prince served as a co-pastor with the Reverend Joseph Sewall from 1718-1758. While studying at Harvard, Thomas Prince began collecting books on early American history. His extensive collection came to be known as the Prince Collection and is housed at the Boston Public Library. Through his reading and research, Thomas Prince sought to document the history of New England, and in 1728, he began writing A Chronological History of New England in the form of Annals. Thomas Prince’s scholarship and extensive collection have provided historians with critical historical information about early New England.

GREEN TIP: Purchase Fair Trade Chocolate For Your Loved Ones!

Consider purchasing some delicious and ethical fair trade chocolate for your loved ones. Fair Trade certified products are much less harmful to the environment, as there are special regulations that often differ from commercial practices. Some regulations include better working conditions for farmers, as well as environmental impacts such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving soil and water quality, managing waste and avoiding harmful chemicals. Fair Trade America has an extensive list of fair trade chocolates and goes more in detail on the positive impacts they can have! Check out the UC Santa Cruz Sustainability Office for more green tips.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Click on the video to watch Theologian in the City June Cooper preach a sermon entitled Who Is My Neighbor?

Click on the video to watch Director of Children and Family Ministries Kate Nintcheu and friends preach a sermon entitled Good Neighbor.

OTHER INFORMATION

COVID PRECAUTIONS 

• Masking is optional.
• Masks are available at the front desk for those who choose to wear one.
• We strongly encourage everyone to be fully vaxxed and boosted, to attend to handwashing, and to refrain from entering the building if you have so much as a sniffle.

MASKED SECTIONS OF THE SANCTUARY AND CHAPEL

Did you know that we have masked sections in the Sanctuary and Chapel?

We do! It's in the left transept (under the balcony) of the Sanctuary. In the Gordon Chapel, the Columbarium is the designated section. In both sections, masks are required. If you still aren't sure how to get to either section, ask an usher!

SANCTUARY IN THE CITY

Our Sanctuary in this City is open to visitors for prayer and reflection.

Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Fridays 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.;

and Weekends, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.