Join us virtually for
the Second Sunday after Pentecost
The Holy Eucharist
Sunday, June 14, 10:00 am
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Our thirteenth year of Chapel Camp activities meets a pandemic
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After our live-stream service each week at 10:00 am, we will engage in a variety of activities virtually, through Zoom, that will strengthen our connections to one another, to our traditions, and to our larger community and the world. Our programs will be organized into three categories: Lament, Pause, and Celebrate.
Note: there is no registration required.
The Zoom link will be sent with our regular Saturday “Worship Update” email.
This Sunday, June 14 at 11:30 am
, Pause: Chant Workshop, led by Luke Abdow.
Chanting is a contemplative practice found in religious and spiritual traditions throughout history. We will explore the history and varied practice of Christian sacred chanting, including Taize chant. We will discuss four elements of sacred chanting (breath, tone, intention, community), and have ample time to practice chanting.
Next Sunday, June 21 at 11:30 am
, Celebrate: Public Garden Tour, led by Galen Gilbert.
What happened with the American Elm Trees after the blight? Why are birch trees white? What is the best wood for baseball bats? The swan boats come from Wagner’s opera
Lohengrin
, but why are they in the Public Garden? Who invented either? Learn this and more on our Public Garden tour, at 11:30 June 21 via Zoom.
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We are living in an intensely apocalyptic time – an apocalypse of biblical proportion. Apocalypse means revelation, disclosure, exposure, clarity, and it usually goes along with a major world-wide interruption and dis-integration. For our time, in our world, this is an apocalypse. Every routine and ritual, every practice and strategy, every assumption and everything that had been taken for granted, is being uncovered for examination. In the United States, the deeply rooted sin of white supremacy is being revealed, disclosed, exposed, and clarified, particularly in healthcare, jobs and other material resources, in civil rights and order/disorder.
Emmanuel Church stands firmly with and for people who are oppressed by systems of white supremacy, individual and communal acts of racism, economic exploitation, violence, and all forms of disenfranchisement. I am encouraged by and urge you to read the statement from the bishops of our Diocese of (Eastern) Massachusetts
here
, and the statement from the bishops of New England Episcopal Dioceses
here
.
Many are wondering where we go from here. There is only one way for us; it is to continue walking the
Way of Love
. I implore you to join me in finding ways to increase your support for the dismantling of white supremacy in the US, through generous prayers and generative actions, so that George Floyd and countless other who have suffered violence and murder because of white supremacy will not have suffered and died in vain. -- PLW
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About Sunday worship services
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Although Governor Baker has allowed houses of worship to resume public services with health-related guidelines, Mayor Walsh has urged houses of faith to not open yet. More importantly for us, the Massachusetts Episcopal bishops have published guidelines for Episcopal worship, not to resume in person before July 1. We have been encouraged to develop plans that will be meaningful and safe, which will probably mean a prolonged season of live-streamed services. We will make our plans in conversation with vestry, staff and clergy. Meanwhile, please continue to stay in touch through phones and computers, and join in our worship whenever you are able via live-stream on our website.
We are continuing to find our way when it comes to providing Sunday worship remotely. Wireless signals, amplification, mysterious buffering, and more still sporadically cause disruptions in our live-stream service. If you find the interruptions too frustrating, you may prefer to watch the recording of the service, which becomes available after the live-stream is complete. The service bulletin and a link to live-stream is on our
website's live-stream page
. Whether you join us in real time, or in slightly delayed time, we are so grateful for your presence! --PLW
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B-SAFE 2020
is on! This year's theme is
Be Bold. Be Kind. Be You!
The theme for Emmanuel Friends -
Be bold, kind, and help with enriching kids’ lives!
Donate what you can toward our summer outreach program – $25 pays for about 10 lunches – A few volunteered hours put a day’s worth of lunches into bags.
With careful planning and special care, B-SAFE will have in-person programs this summer for the elementary school-aged kids. We have promised to help out at the St. Stephens’s site on 419 Shawmut Avenue in Boston by preparing individual lunches & snacks for
Wednesday July 22 & Thursday July 2
3. We are organizing that now with your help. If you have any questions or know you wish to volunteer in some way, please contact Peggy Bradley at
peggy.bradley@emmanuelboston.org.
Additionally,
B-LOVE Days
will support B-SAFE families at all four sites to provide essentials, including groceries, paper goods, games, books, art supplies, and cash cards to help meet their needs during these times of economic upheaval and unemployment. More information is available
here.
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Reading Paul's Letter to
the Church in Rome Together
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On Friday evenings in the month of June, the rector will host a study group to read Romans together. We will meet via Zoom from 6:30-8 pm:
June 12, 19 and 26
. If you are interested
in joining, contact the Parish Office at
info@emmanuelboston.org
.
so that we can send you the Zoom link and reading assignments prior to the first meeting. We will read the NRSV or David Bentley Hart's translation if you have it. (No texts will be sent out.) At the end of each meeting, we will pray Compline together.
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"Live from Lindsey," Kevin Neel's weekly organ recitals from Lindsey Chapel, have concluded for the season. If you did not get a chance to see these, they are available on our website, linked below.
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In this season of Pentecost, we will be refraining from hymn singing and sung liturgy in the service, for the safety of those physically present in the chancel. Singing communally has proven to be a “super spreading” event by health experts. For even solo singing, we must ensure that the ventilation in the sanctuary is adequate. Communal singing is unlikely to resume in the near future. Hymns will be included in the bulletin and Kevin Neel will play a verse or two of each as a meditation. Those of you at home may certainly sing along!
Knowing that Emmanuel is a passionate and enthusiastic singing community, we have made this decision with heavy hearts but out of our deep concern for those physically present in the sanctuary. We are looking forward to the day when we will be singing again, but in the meantime, we encourage you to seek other ways to feel the Holy Spirit moving through and between all of us in the Emmanuel community in this season of Pentecost.
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Dear Friends,
Emmanuel Music continues to work on content to share with our community during this time. This week we are featuring the interactive conversation with Ryan Turner, John Harbison, and Pamela Werntz that took place last Saturday discussing our performance last season of "Bach and Harbison". Highlights from the video conversation include fascinating windows into John Harbison’s compositional process and some compelling biblical context provided by Pamela Werntz. You can view both the conversation and the concert
here
.
The concert features two masterpieces – J.S. Bach’s glorious “Easter Oratorio” and John Harbison’s “The Supper at Emmaus.” Created nearly 300 years apart, the two works are linked by a single seminal event, the discovery of Jesus’ empty tomb. Bach’s oratorio chronicles the experience of Simon Peter, John the Apostle, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of James. Harbison's cantata, co-commissioned with The Cantata Singers in honor of Emmanuel Music’s founder, Craig Smith, sets the Biblical report of the Easter story as told in Luke 24. In addition, the program includes Harbison’s “Abraham,” which addresses our need for tolerance, inclusion, and reconciliation. This setting of the Old Testament text was originally composed for the Papal Concert of Reconciliation in 2004. Harbison re-orchestrated “Abraham” for a nonet of Emmanuel Music string players and double chorus.
Stay safe and well!
Pat Krol
Executive Director
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Bible Study
meets in all odd-numbered months and will
resume in July
on Tuesdays from
7:30-8:30 am
. All are welcome to join us for this lively conversation with the Rector.
We study the Gospel lesson for the upcoming Sunday. If you would like to join the conversation, please contact
the Parish Office
.
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Recovery Liturgy with Healing Prayers
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For all people struggling with or in recovery from any form of addiction, Join us on Zoom on Friday at 3:30 pm. This service draws from the wisdom of the 12 Step program and the liturgies of the Episcopal Church. Contact Susan Ackley at
recovery@emmanuelboston.org
for more information and/or a Zoom invitation.
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Pastoral Care during COVID-19
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Junior Warden Bill Margraf and Deacon Bob Greiner are coordinating pastoral care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have a need during this time, please contact them at
jrwarden@emmanuelboston.org
and
bob_greiner210@msn.com
. In addition, our Vestry and Care Commission have been contacting Emmanuelites in our parish directory. If you would like to be added to the list, please do not hesitate to contact our Parish Office at
info
@emmanuelboston.org
, and by all means, check in on one another.
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Thank you to the many individuals who have given specific donations above and beyond their pledges during this time of uncertainty so that we can maintain our staff salaries and other critical expenses. Your support is vital and much appreciated during this time. To make a special gift, please contact
the Parish Office.
Alternately, you may also use
$EmmanuelChurchBoston
, our CashApp cashtag. CashApp is a secure platform designed to allow you to quickly and easily make donations or payments. Please be sure to indicate if your gift should go towards your annual pledge or another special designation. I
f you have questions, please contact the Parish Office.
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The parish office will be closed until further notice, with the parish staff working from home.
To reach:
- The Rev. Pamela Werntz, Rector
- Kevin Neel, Parish Administrator or
- Morgan Middlebrook, Parish Assistant,
We are monitoring voicemails but ask that you email us if you need a response.
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15 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
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