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THIS SUNDAY, September 29, 2024

For links to bulletins and the worship livestream click here.

YOGA & MEDITATION THIS SUNDAY

Sundays at 10am in the basement Club Room

Old South is a gentle space to nourish our spiritual body, but sometimes it's the physical body crying out or subtly seeking our attention. You are invited to join a weekly yoga and meditation small group during the 10 o’clock hour (between the 9 and 11am services) in the Club Room. Please bring a journal and a mat (or just let us know if you need either or both provided) to this time for breath, movement, and fellowship. We look forward to welcoming you. Questions? Email Amy Coe.

GROWING AND LIVING IN COMMUNITY

CONNECTIONS CLASS

Sunday, October 6, Noon

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 at for more info.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

Sunday, October 6, at First Worship

Join us for a special Blessing of the Animals service from 9-9:30am in the Chapel, where we’ll celebrate and bless our beloved pets. Bring your furry friend, your scaley sidekick, a fetching photo, or even a stuffed animal - all are welcome! For those whose animals may not do well inside with others, we’ll offer an outdoor blessing following the service. 

YOUNG ADULT APPLE PICKING

Sunday, October 6, following Festival Worship

We're going on an adventure! If you're in your 20s or 30s and hungry to get out of the city and connect with folks your age, come apple picking with us! We're heading north to Brooksby Farm in Peabody - come along!

A trip like this needs drivers and rsvps - click here to do both!

Got questions? Talk to Rachel.

USHER TRAINING

First Worship on October 13 at 10 a.m. in the chapel

Festival Worship on October 22 at 12:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Curious about those friendly folks who offer you a smile and a bulletin at worship? These are our ushers. Ushers offer a warm welcome and Christian hospitality to all those who worship with us. You don't need a formal role to be an usher at Old South. If you're interested in learning more about ushering and being on OSC's front lines of friendliness, attend an Usher Training. Join our team! Questions? Email Ashley Popperson

SCARED FOR GOOD CONCERT

Sunday, October 27, 6pm

Join us for the return of Scared for Good! Old South Organist MitcHELL-FIRE Crawford and a host of demonic associates will thrill you with spine-tingling sounds of the season, courtesy of our room-rattling Skinner organ. Presented in partnership with the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, we’ll collect an offering to support programing for the youngest members of the chapter in memory of Old South’s beloved former Minister of Music, (Horrific!) Harry Huff.

WELCOMING OUR NEW NEIGHBORS: 

HOST HOMES AND WELCOME CIRCLES

Massachusetts is facing an acute crisis as shelters are overwhelmed, leaving migrant families and young children without a place to sleep. The primary need is for housing, both temporary and long-term. Old South's New Neighbor Task Force is asking you to prayerfully consider how you might help by hosting a family for a period of time or supporting others who are able to do so. Please fill out the form at the QR code or email Ashley Popperson to learn more. 

SMALL GROUPS AT OLD SOUTH

Looking to meet new people? Learn new things? Deepen your faith? Just have fun? Join a small group. Small groups are the heart of the church. To learn more and sign up for a small group, click here or email Rachel Barton. 

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. 

HEARD IT AT COUNCIL

Click here to get an update on Council discussions that include a taskforce looking into changing church governance and exciting financial news from Church Historian Kate Silfen.

FAMILY BOOK STUDY THIS FALL

Colonization and the Wampanoag Story

by Linda Coombs

To see our reading schedule and more, Click here

Want to join? Email Kate Nintcheu

Old South families (and interested adults) are invited to join into a fall book study as we read indigenous author Linda Coombs' young readers book: Colonization and the Wampanoag Story. This book presents a duet of stories -- one, a first-person account of a young Wampanoag child and what her life, education, and faith looked like -- and the other the story of the 'English' arriving and colonizing the area. These two veins of storytelling alternate back and forth, presenting the very different mindsets of the Wampanoag and other indigenous tribes and the arriving colonizers. 

In conjunction with the Congregational Library, Kate Nintcheu (Dir. Children and Families) has created a book study curriculum, breaking up the readings into 5 sections over 9 weeks -- including an author talk on zoom on Tuesday October 29 and a visit to the Congregational Library to view some of the artifacts they hold from this time period on Sunday November 17. Families are encouraged to read the book over the week, and to set aside time to discuss the 3-5 discussion questions together before beginning the next sections. 

GREEN TIP: Smart Thermostats

As the weather turns colder we invite you to think about changing to a smart thermostat. They can be connected to your central heating and air conditioning systems. This ever-evolving technology remembers your home’s heating patterns and knows when to heat or cool down your home based on outside temperatures. They use presence-sensing technology that automatically switches off your system when you leave the house and fires it up in time for you to come home. Smart thermostats can save the average American household around 8% on their heating and cooling bills, or about $50 per year. However, the benefits to the environment are priceless.

OTHER WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

THURSDAY NIGHT CHURCH

Thursdays, 6pm

Thursday Night Church starts September 5th. Our first sermon series will be on finding and making home in the church. Please join us as this reimagined service begins!

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.

VESPERS HEALING WORSHIP

Next Service Sunday, October 13, 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. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Click on the video to watch Rev. John Edgerton preach a sermon at Festival Worship titled Let's Go.

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.