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This fall we delve into a sermon series about "Meeting the Moment". Together we'll find the spiritual strength and virtues we need to face the challenges of our world today. Through love, truth, wisdom, courage, and faith, we’re invited to draw from the deep well of scripture and community. Throughout the season we will explore how ancient words speak powerfully into our present moment.

• September 14 at First and Festival Worship Ashley Popperson The Wisdom of the Generations | Hebrews 11
• September 18 at Thursday Night Church Rachel Barton Hospitality | Acts 27:41-28:2

Click here to learn more

THIS SUNDAY, September 14, 2025

CHURCH SCHOOL BEGINS

Church School begins on Sept 14th! Info here. Sign up for Children and Families newsletter here.

SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY

Sundays,10am, Crawford Library,

click here to join Zoom, password: 477100

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. For more information contact Justin Tyler Dickenson.

GOSPEL CHOIR RESUMES

Sunday, September 14, 12:30-2pm, Mary Norton Hall

See full schedule at www.oldsouth.org/music, click on Gospel Choir

Add your name to the mailing list by contacting Tim Harbold at tim@oldsouth.org

As we enter a new year, you are invited to join the joyful ministry of the Old South Church Gospel Choir. All are welcome, and we'll be glad to see you, whether that's very occasionally or every month. Rehearsals are typically once a month on Sunday afternoons, but since that can be prohibitive for some, we're also creating a few opportunities to more easily involve worshippers from First Worship (Oct. 19 and Jan. 18) and Thursday Night Church (Nov. 6/13 and Apr. 9/16). Please join us, and feel free to bring a friend. We have lots of great music in store!

VESPERS HEALING WORSHIP

This Sunday, September 14, 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. 

OLD SOUTH COMMUNITY HOUR, Sundays at 10am, Mary Norton Hall

Meet Our New Staff | September 14

Join us and get to know Kat Woodard, the Taylor Fellow for Mission in the City this year, and Justin Tyler Dickenson, this year’s Seminarian.

150 Years of Doing Justice and Loving Mercy

at 645 Boylston Street | September 21

This December, Old South Church will celebrate 150 years of worship and community at 645 Boylston Street. In anticipation of this milestone, we invite you to join church historian Kate Silfen for a look back at the journey that shaped us into the inclusive, justice-oriented congregation we are today. Come learn about key initiatives led by our ministers and members over the decades—and how their work continues to inspire us. There will be time for reflection, questions, and open discussion as we consider how faith and justice intersect in our lives today.

Game Day | September 21

Want to play a game? Bring your favorite games to share, and spend an hour playing with your Old South friends.

Deepening Community at Old South Church:

Small Groups 101 | September 28

Like walking, cooking, reading, crafting or community? Join us for a peek into our growing Small Groups program. Come hear more about why we're investing in Small Groups as part of our strategic planning work, and learn more about the Small Groups you can join this fall! 

CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND OUTREACH

THE WEEKLY PUSHBACK - Grace Church UCC

Click here to contribute to their mission

Have other weekly action ideas? Email outreach@oldsouth.org

Bad news comes fast and furious these days--for trans folks, for immigrants, for the disabled. But all across the country, people of goodwill are pushing back. Every week, Old South's Christian Service and Outreach Committee will be giving to an organization or individual who is serving the gospel in a world of bad news. Grace Church UCC in East Boston has been supporting their community, particularly those affected by ICE deportations or TPS revocation. Old South is donating $1,000 to their work to assist people, especially families, that have experienced income or job loss due to immigration detainment or deportation. Funds will be used to help our neighbors avoid eviction, put food on the table, and cover other basic costs of living.

SIGNUP FOR THE RETREAT

OLD SOUTH'S ALL-CHURCH RETREAT 

RETURNS TO CRAIGVILLE!

Friday September 26 - Sunday September 28

Join us for our annual All-Church Retreat out on the Cape at Craigville Retreat Center. This year our theme is "Building Belonging." Through a blend of shared wisdom, intentional conversations, and meaningful practices, we’ll explore what it looks like to nurture genuine connection & community. We'll have a rich time of learning, sharing stories, and weaving a web of relationships and trust that can hold us all together. Register by September 22 by clicking here. If you have not received confirmation of your registration via email, contact Kate Nintcheu.

COMMUNITY AT OLD SOUTH CHURCH

SUN WAY PILGRIMAGE

Sunday, September 21, 1:00pm, Click here for more info

Save the Date for the Sun Way pilgrimage from Old South to the Boston Common. Please plan to join Boston Interfaith Climate Allies (BICA), including the Old South Climate Crisis Task Force, as we “pray with our feet” for climate justice. This public, prayerful, and joyful processional is a part of the wider international action that celebrates solar and wind power and the movement to free our world of fossil fuels. And BICA and the Old South Climate Task Force need your help! There will be a need on Sept. 21 for setting up at the Boston Common and cleaning up after the event (about 2:30 pm). And we may also need some folks who can be marshals along the route from Old South to the Boston Common. If you can help in any way or want to Marshal and help guide people along the route, please contact Rich Hassinger.

RETIRED AND READY

Tuesday, September 30, 11a.m. Meet at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston St, Boston

Join in a private tour to view the galleries and hear some interesting stories about the history of Boston and the treasures that the MHS now houses and protects. We will begin at 11am, followed by lunch at a nearby restaurant. Please contact Lynn Wegner or 617-851-4441 to make a reservation and to let her know if you will be joining for lunch. There is no cost for this tour, but a donation of $5 or so would be appreciated to help the MHS carry on its good work. 

SOLIDARITY AT MASS AND CASS

Thursday Mornings from 8:45 am -11:00 am

Beloved, if you feel called to embody the presence of God’s love, you are invited to join faith leaders from across the city on Thursday mornings from 8:45 to 11:00 am at Mass and Cass. The ministry focuses on praying and if you wish - working alongside people to care for and clean the stress of the neighborhood. Contact June Cooper for information about orientation and getting involved or check out their website.

PARTICIPATE IN A THEOLOGY

AND CURRENT ISSUES STUDY

Evan Dietrich Gosen, a MDiv recipient from Boston University School of Theology and a current PhD student in the Boston University Sociology Department. He is conducting interviews with pastors and congregants from churches across the Boston area for a study on how theology, church life, and attitudes towards current issues interact. He is looking for 5 or more congregants from each church to fill out a survey and take a follow-up interview. Scan the QR code if you are interested, and he will be in touch!

THEOLOGICAL BOOK GROUP CHOOSES NEW BOOK

"Love's Braided Dance: Hope in a time of Crisis"

by Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School.

Monday evenings via Zoom, beginning September 29

Contact Don Wells at granwell@comcast.net ASAP to guarantee your space

Wirzba argues that hope evaporates in conditions of abandonment and abuse but grows in the context of nurture and belonging in what Wendell Berry calls 'Love's Braided Dance'. In eight riveting chapters he argues that real hope, as distinct from optimism. is a commitment to care for one another and our neighborhoods but also for our physical world: its soil, water, plants and animals. He challenges his readers to be sure that their theological perspectives are bound up in both human and environmental concerns.The group is limited to 20 participants to ensure time for maximum discussion.

VOLUNTEER TO READ SCRIPTURE

Click here to sign up

Reading the Bible in community is an essential Christian spiritual practice. Each week at Festival Worship a volunteer reads scripture before the sermon. People of all ages are encouraged to volunteer! Questions? Email Ashley Popperson.

THROUGH THE BIBLE

Thursdays, 7pm, Click here for Zoom Link, password: psalter

Through the Bible meets weekly for a slow & steady study of scripture from Genesis all the way through to Revelation. This Fall, we start the New Testament and it’s a great time to join. If you are interested in building a community with folks from all over the US and taking a closer look at the Bible, join us! 

OTHER WORSHIP SERVICES

THURSDAY NIGHT CHURCH

Thursdays, 6pm

Thursday Night Church is a worship service where the music is contemporary, the space is open-hearted and in-the-round, and the preaching is focused on how we can be the church together in the world. 

THURSDAY NIGHT SUPPER CLUB

Thursdays, 7pm

After worship, join us for Thursday Night Supper Club. Each week, folks can gather after worship for dinner and an informal small group hosted by some of our friendly and hospitable lay leaders.

WORSHIP SUPPORT

HEARING ASSIST DEVICES

Hearing assist devices are available from Ava Welling, our Director of Audio. Please see Ava for a device and instructions on how to use it. For more information or answers to questions, please contact Ava.

SANCTUARY AUDIO SURVEY

Click here to take part

Do you sometimes struggle to hear portions of our in-person worship service? With the help of our Director of Audio, Ava Welling, the Operations Committee is hoping to better understand what the barriers are for all of our congregation to be able to hear the entire worship service without issues. Please take a minute to fill out this survey so we can work on improving the overall audio experience of our worship services.

GREEN TIP: Don't Overuse Laundry Detergent

You might not realize it, but many of your devices continue to use electricity even when they’re turned off. These phantom loads, which electronics consume in standby mode, can account for up to 10% of your home’s total energy consumption, quietly driving up your utility bills and carbon footprint. Unplug devices when you’re not using them, or use a smart power strip that automatically cuts off power to idle electronics. With just a few adjustments around the house, you can reduce waste, lower emissions, and save money without noticing a difference in your daily routine.

Click here to learn more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Click on the video to hear Senior Minister John Edgerton preach a sermon at Festival Worship titled The Ultimate Test.

BEWARE OF EMAIL AND INTERNET SCAMS

Every day spammers and scammers get better at spoofing emails to make them appear as if they are legitimately from someone else. It has come to our attention that emails have gone out that appear to be from Old South Ministers and Staff asking for money and gift cards. When in doubt remember:

• Never open a link in an email when you haven't verified the sender.
• Old South ministers and staff will never email anyone asking for help with gift cards or other financial issues.
• Check the sender and if it doesn't match the ministers and staff emails here, it isn't from us.
• Call the church and ask to speak to the person the email seems to have come from to see if they really sent it.

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.

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.