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WELCOME BACK SUNDAY WORSHIP & BRUNCH 

Sunday, September 7th, all morning long!

Join us as we kick off the program year and welcome back both familiar faces and those new to church. You're welcome to any and all of these events! Join us for a day of joy and community!

• Blessing of the Backpacks: 9am First and 11am Festival Worship will feature the Blessing of the Backpacks. If you are or have a student in your life, be sure to bring a backpack. 
• Potluck Welcome Back Brunch: Between the services at 10a.m., we'll share a meal in Mary Norton Hall. Click here to Sign up to bring an item. 
• Popsicles on the Portico: Following Festival Worship, we'll keep the party going with popsicles on the portico. 

THIS SUNDAY, September 7, 2025

CHURCH SCHOOL BEGINS

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

WELCOMING NEW STAFF

SEMINARIAN JUSTIN TYLER DICKENSON

We're thrilled to welcome Justin as our seminarian for the year. Justin is a student at BU School of Theology pursuing a Masters of Sacred Theology. He graduated with a Masters in Divinity from Candler School of Theology in Atlanta in May 2025. Justin will offer worship leadership primarily at First and Festival Worship on Sundays. 

KAT WOODARD,

TAYLOR RESIDENT FOR MISSION IN THE CITY

Kat served previously as our Seminarian last year and this year will be serving full-time as our Taylor Resident for Mission in the City, funded by the Taylor Fellowship and the funds from City Mission. Kat graduated with a Masters in Divinity from Harvard Divinity School last spring and is pursuing ordination in the United Church of Christ with First Church Somerville. Kat will be present at all three worship services and lending her skills and passion to our Christian Service & Outreach Committee. 

CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND OUTREACH

THE WEEKLY PUSHBACK - Friendship Works

Click here or email Charlotte Simpson to volunteer & learn more about the 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.This weekend is celebrating national grandparents day and what better way to celebrate than by supporting the mission of FriendshipWorks. FriendshipWorks’ mission is to reduce social isolation, enhance the quality of life, and preserve the dignity of older adults in Greater Boston. What started as an inter-faith movement in the meeting space at Old South, FriendshipWorks now serves as a national model. Old South is proud to donate $1,000 to continue their great work.

SIGNUP FOR THE RETREAT

OLD SOUTH'S ALL-CHURCH RETREAT 

RETURNS TO CRAIGVILLE!

Friday September 26 - Sunday September 28

Click here to register by September 22

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.

COMMUNITY AT OLD SOUTH CHURCH

HOLDING UP THE SKY – BOSTON PREMIERE AND Q&A

Wednesday, September 10, 6:30pm.

Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville

Reserve your seat ASAP by clicking here,

tickets available soon at theater box office

Click here to learn more about this event

Last winter in The Forum we screened an early release of Bob Nesson’s documentary Holding Up The Sky, a film that explores themes of penal justice, juvenile sentencing reform, and the transformative role of education, mentorship, and opportunity. The Old South Church community is now invited to the official premiere on September 10th at the Somerville Theater. The screening will be followed by an intimate Q&A with Nesson, Jordan, and Costello, offering audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with the individuals behind the story. This event kicks off a larger national impact campaign that will bring the film to schools, community centers, faith organizations, and workplaces across Massachusetts and beyond—especially those invested in second-chance hiring, parole reform, and equity in education.

COMMUNITY RESISTANCE AND NONCOOPERATION TRAINING

Saturday, September 13, 2025, 10am-3pm,

Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont St.

The event will fill quickly, RSVP ASAP here.

The Massachusetts Council of Churches and Episcopal City Mission invite you to the MA Faith Community Resistance & Noncooperation Training. This in-person gathering will equip faith leaders and community members with tools for nonviolent resistance, faithful noncooperation, and solidarity in times of crisis. Lunch will be provided.  

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.

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.

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

VESPERS HEALING WORSHIP

Next service 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. 

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 love the fresh scent of clean laundry, but many detergents and softeners have a hidden environmental cost. Scented liquid laundry detergents and dryer sheets often contain chemicals that emit volatile organic compounds, which pollute the air in your home and harm aquatic organisms once they wash down the drain. Use only the recommended amount of sustainable detergent and skip fabric softeners altogether, or opt for natural alternatives, such as a splash of vinegar. You’ll still get fresh, clean clothes without adding unnecessary pollution to the environment. Click here to learn more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Click on the video to hear Associate Minister Ashley Popperson preach a sermon at Festival Worship titled Open Wide the Doors?

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.