Since our last Between Sundays update the Memorial Committee has intensified its work toward the realization of the proposed Memorials to the enslaved. During this period we have continued to pursue conversations with members of the congregation, listening carefully to their advice and counsel, particularly regarding the Physical Memorial.
With these conversations in mind, we have worked collaboratively with our partner, MASS Design, and our artist, Harmonia Rosales, resulting in the decision to move forward with the statue at this time, the most public component of the Physical Memorial proposal. This decision was subsequently underscored by the citywide celebration planned in Boston for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence – a collective acknowledgement of our story. As a result, we have negotiated contracts with MASS Design and Ms Rosales to ensure that the sculpture, the site preparation and the installation are synchronized to complete the project prior to the city-wide celebration. It’s a big step forward, one which we hope and trust you will support enthusiastically. Simultaneously, work on the Living Memorial has also moved forward under the leadership of Cliff Allen and his committee. Together the committee participated in a PRAXIS Group sponsored by the UUA which deepened their understanding of the attendant issues and how they might be approached. From there, the members began to research a host of organizations dedicated to equity and justice, beginning with our three partners and expanding to over a dozen additional organizations commended to them by members of the congregation. Within the next week, we will share their report and invite your participation in the expansion of the prospects and the development of a proposal to move forward with an initial project within the next few months. Underscoring both these initiatives is the fundraising effort which has already raised almost $500,000 from multiple sources including individual members and friends, our reserves and discretionary funds, and foundations including Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Unitarian Universalist Funding Program. We are grateful for the early support which has brought us to this point, and the balance which, along with additional funding, will help us realize the Memorial Project in the years ahead. Now, as we move forward together in faith, we invite you to join with your fellow congregants and investors to ensure that we implement our shared vision. In the weeks ahead we will be kicking off our formal fundraising appeal which will invite you all to support the Memorial. So stay tuned as we expand opportunities to contribute your time, talent and treasure to this significant effort to realize a vision we established together five years ago. On Sunday afternoon, January 21, we were blessed for a second time with a performance from literary performer, poet, songwriter, musician, and educator Regie Gibson. To quote one King’s Chapel audience member: “I loved Regie’s vibe--pure, deeply spiritual, and full of surprises and images of hope. He holds wholeness tenderly and lightly.”
Regie recited, chanted, rapped, and sang his way through stories about his own life originating in the Mississippi Delta, an adolescence in big-city Chicago, and a loving family in the Boston area. He also riffed on Boston, Dr. Martin Luther King, Shakespeare, Emerson and Thoreau, Johnny Cash, and the crazy quilt of being American. Above all he sang to us of how to be better versions of ourselves. Several in the audience asked about how to experience more of Regie online or in future performances. · Regie’s (outdated) website is http://www.regiegibson.com. · He was interviewed in 2009 by Christopher Lydon on WBUR. · YouTube videos include a TEDX riff on Hamlet and another on the dawn of time . There is also a performance at King’s Chapel last year along with an interview with David Waters. · Regie will be performing with the Guy Mendilow Ensemble at the Boston Athenaeum on Monday, February 2. · In the fall of 2024, his musical The Juke: A Blues Bacchae will be performed at the newly renovated Arrow Street (formerly Oberon) theater in Harvard Square. It had a brief run at the Calderwood Theatre in a new works festival in June 2023. Special thanks to ARE for hosting the event and Becky Wittenburg for hosting refreshments. Dear Members of King’s Chapel,
The conflict in Gaza has, without question, impacted our hearts deeply. As a congregation, we join the rest of the world in prayer for peace. At the outset of the violence on Oct. 7, 2023, members of the ARE committee and others within King’s Chapel began sharing information and links with each other in an effort to not only understand the facts of the situation, but glean insights and context on it from a variety of sources, including those personally impacted. A suggestion was made to compile and share them with the larger King’s Chapel community, as well. The below list is the end result. By no means is it comprehensive. By offering this, we do not seek to influence or take a political stance but rather inform the community as we pray for a resolution and strength in our service to God. If you are a member at King’s Chapel, and would like to suggest an additional resource or link, please reach out to Jennifer at jennifer@jenniferkronstain.com. King’s Chapel Joy’s sermons from October 15th and November 5th, 2023 Official Statements UUA UUA President UUSC Sabeel, an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians.
Media Coverage The Daily (Nov. 3, 2023) - This installment of The New York Times’ daily podcast provides historical context by returning to the events of 1948, a foundational time in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Joy references this podcast in the Nov. 5 sermon. (Audio only via YouTube. Free.) Personal Accounts A Peacemaking Lens A Lot of Things are True
The site visit by Harmonia Rosales, which began with a full tour of the Chapel, gave the opportunity to consider critical aspects of the mural and the statue from a variety of vantage points and to collaborate on matters of special interest to the congregation.
Discussions regarding the mural focused on developing the preliminary proposal into more specific plans. The discussion considered such elements as the organ, the central chandelier medallion, the star-shaped escutcheon above the sounding board, and the chancel. A key issue is to minimize work near the organ, and the artist is considering several options. The Committee has already consulted acoustic experts who will be testing a sample of the materials to be used. Every effort is being made to integrate the mural within the sanctuary and minimize any impact on the organ or acoustics. Discussions regarding the bronze statue focused on size and siting. Here, too, the conversation will lead to a more specific proposal to be reflected in a preliminary maquette. The group prefers a site left of the entrance where the Chevalier monument now stands, so efforts are underway to assess the feasibility of moving that obelisk. No decisions have yet been made for placement of the bronze birds on the outside of the church building. Scheduling of the work is still under discussion, with the hope of completion by summer 2025. The Committee has also been addressing a host of technical matters and other concerns. It has received professional opinion with respect to Landmark status and is attentive to accessibility issues. The goal, of course, is to ensure that final plans for the Memorial will be aligned with the expectations of the congregation, the leadership, and those who visit King’s Chapel. Moreover, efforts to improve the Memorial website have been initiated, the Living Memorial Committee is moving forward, and, as might be expected, a fundraising plan is in development. We work in the love of truth consistent with our Christian Unitarian heritage and trust that our efforts will contribute meaningfully to the future of God’s beloved community both within our congregation and beyond. From the Environment Committee: Some of you may have noticed that we have a new banner flying at the chapel. It’s been almost 4 years since the first meeting of what was initially called the Environmental Action Initiative at King’s Chapel. Our ad hoc group engaged with the congregation and, among other things, organized a get-out-the-vote initiative and celebrated Earth Day with an art show and group cleanups on the Charles. Recordings from our series of speakers on climate change are available on our web page, where you can also read about the environmental work that so many of our members are doing through our member action initiative. This year we became an official committee at King’s Chapel, and with the senior minister we are hosting a monthly discussion series on spirituality and the environmental crisis. Our first reading is from Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. It's time we had a banner on our church, don’t you think? Why “Heal the Earth”? Our group considered other candidates for our motto including “Love the Planet” and “11th Hour.” “Love the Planet” was one we all loved, but it didn’t convey that our mission starts with love but must go on to action. “11th Hour” conveyed the urgency of our task (which is what our bell ringing has been attempting), but the phrase does not include what the task is. We also considered the variant “Heal our Planet.” Some of us liked the inclusiveness of “our”, but others felt that it implied possession. Possession is arguably the root problem of our current predicament, i.e., the view that we humans own the earth and it is here for our exclusive benefit. Aren’t we ourselves part of the earth? We like to think that when we say “Heal the Earth,” it includes healing ourselves along with the rest of creation. Why a banner? We have two other banners on the church: “Black Lives Matter” and “All are welcome at King’s Chapel.” These express some of our members’ deepest convictions consistent with our mission. We invite all our congregation to embrace “Heal the Earth” as part of our fundamental mission as well. Now everyone else can see it, too. King’s Chapel Environment Committee: Julie Hyde Cynthia Perkins Sylvia Soderberg Kent Wittenburg, chair Former members: Gary Riccio Dorie Seavey Bill Wilson Our Living Memorial is a natural extension of our Physical Memorial. We acknowledge the harm to the enslaved persons who were connected to our church, and we seek to repair that history as we move forward. Our intent is to work closely with communities that have been impacted by the history of slavery and to be guided by them. We hope to transform lives by bringing fundamental change to people, relationships, and communities.
As to determining who our community partners might be, we have received suggestions from members of our congregation in their responses to our congregational inquiry, as well as from individual conversations and emails. Currently, potential partners fall into five categories: housing, education, environmental justice, criminal justice, and culture/art. Research has been done into the work of all the potential partners. The committee has gathered information about additional potential partners, and the work of dozens of denominations and churches around the country that are engaged in restoring justice and equity. The Living Memorial Committee will make its report available to all members of the congregation this month. Once we have received responses from the congregation, any new partners suggested to us will be added to the list of potential partners. After additional research and discussion, the committee will reach out to those organizations whose work is aligned with our efforts to restore racial justice and equity. In doing so we will be seeking guidance as to how we can assist in their work. This additional information will be shared with the congregation. After reading our report, we encourage additional comments and suggestions, especially concerning our potential partner or partners and how we can best obtain the funds needed to create an initial pool of $1 million to generate investment income for our reparations trust fund. To this initial pool we urge members and friends of King’s Chapel to make their own financial contributions. Please direct any questions to Cliff Allen at allencliff47@aol.com. As you might imagine, since the approval of the Memorial Project proposed at the annual meeting on June 4th, the Memorial Committee has been busy moving both the living and physical components of the project forward.
Under the leadership of Cliff Allen, the Living Memorial team has drafted an overarching statement of purpose, added to its list of potential partner organizations, and participated in the ongoing “RoxTalks” conversations sponsored by Children’s Services of Roxbury in concert with other providers of social services to the Roxbury community. As a result, the Living Memorial team has expanded both its network and its sense of the possibilities as they move forward. Likewise, under the leadership of Miguel Gomez Ibanez, the Physical Memorial team has collaborated with MASS Design and the Evergreen Group representing the artist, Harmonia Rosales, to align and refine their respective contracts, ensuring that development timelines are synchronized and that related issues raised by members of the congregation are addressed as we move forward. As a result, the Physical Memorial team has intensified the level of collaboration among its partners to ensure the success of the installation on time and within budget. To respond to the increased intensity of the Memorial Committee’s work, Dean Denniston has also focused us all on two additional areas: fundraising and communications. Over the course of the past two months, the fundraising initiative has benefitted substantially from the support of MASS Design and consultation with experienced professionals specializing in non-profit and church-related initiatives. Similarly, the communications initiative has benefitted from the assistance of MASS Design with the development of a brochure on the proposed project and responded to a host of inquiries from local media. You may have heard the radio story by the local NPR affiliate WGBH aired on June 15th , and seen the front page Boston Globe article of June 19th as well as a host of other references to the King’s Chapel initiative in related stories and articles produced in and around Boston. To support these efforts, members and friends who made substantive preliminary pledges are now donating. Additionally, the King's Chapel website now provides a means of contributing to the Memorial Fund, allowing donors to designate their gifts for the project in its entirety, to the Living Memorial, or to the Physical Memorial. Going forward these opportunities will be expanded to ensure that everyone – particularly members and friends - who wishes to support the project can do so at will. Needless to say, it has been a busy two months as we move the project forward, one step at a time. If you have questions or are interested in joining us, please contact Dean Denniston at deandenniston@rcn.com …we are sure to have a place for you to assist in this amazing initiative. And if you simply want to know how the project is progressing, stay tuned for periodic updates on our progress. We thank you for your encouragement and support! Members of the Memorial Committee: Dean Denniston, Cliff Allen, Miguel Gomez Ibanez, Joy Fallon, Mary Katherine Morn, Marissa Cheifetz and Kathe German. 8-2-23 Nine years ago last month I preached my last regular sermon as a parish minister after 27 years of Sundays. Since then I’ve preached many times as a visiting minister in congregations as I represent the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee around the country. But preaching this coming Sunday at King’s Chapel is a particular delight and honor. Since joining four years ago I’ve been very grateful for the gift of being in the pew (and online!) as part of a church so ably led in worship by Joy and David.
As an infrequent lectionary preacher, I confess I looked with trepidation when Laura sent me the lectionary selections. Though Matthew's telling of the Fishes and Loaves story is not the one most familiar to me--I have found this particular miracle deeply meaningful. I learned this week that many consider this version more of a story about Jesus and his disciples, rather than a story about the crowd. Perhaps even a cautionary tale about compassion fatigue. I am personally drawn to the radical possibility that the story suggests--that there is enough. My reflections have drifted toward all of those times when I've struggled because I believed there wasn't (I wasn't) enough. In the midst of grief and pressure and doubt from those around him, Jesus showed another way. And it was a miracle. I hope to see you--and whoever is moved and able to join worship this week, it will be enough! When I was in divinity school, I often attended the weekly ecumenical church service on Thursday mornings. What I remember most is what we happened after confession. The service leader would say: Rise, people of God, as you are able, and say these words of assurance, that we are forgiven.
Together, every week, we’d say: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God. The words are from Paul’s letter to the Romans: Nothing, nothing, nothing can separate us from God’s love. The best or the worst that might happen to us -- marriages failing, children lost to us, fear of death, unfair accusations – none of these things can ever separate us from God’s love. Losing a job, a terrifying diagnosis, the climate out of control: nothing can separate us from God’s love. The shame we bear, the pain we’ve caused but can’t undo: even these cannot separate us from God’s love. Paul was “convinced of it”. Are we? This scripture from Romans is now the Assurance of Confession we use at our 9 AM Morning Light service. It’s also the scripture we’ll read this Sunday. With many blessings, Joy Can you write an illustration or story that might encompass these two
scriptures, Genesis 28:10-19a and Romans 8: 18-27 with a focus on the future? ChatGPT “Once upon a time, in a world where the past and future danced in a delicate balance, there lived a young dreamer named Jacob. Jacob was a seeker, curious about the mysteries of life and the connections between heaven and earth. One night, as the world slumbered, Jacob found himself enveloped by a profound dream. In his dream, he stood at the threshold of a breathtaking ladder that seemed to bridge the realms of the divine and the earthly. Each rung shimmered with ethereal light, beckoning him to ascend. Inspired and guided by this celestial vision, Jacob awoke with a renewed sense of purpose. He embarked on a journey, traversing lands and encountering people of diverse backgrounds, all the while carrying the remembrance of the dream deep within his heart. Years passed, and Jacob's quest led him to a city bustling with life. It was a place where diverse cultures intertwined, where the old and new collided, and where stories of the past whispered secrets of the future. Amidst the vibrant city, Jacob encountered a wise elder who shared stories of ancient times. The elder spoke of Genesis 28:10-19, recounting a vision of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven. Isaac listened intently, his heart resonating with the connection between his own dream and this sacred narrative. Intrigued, Jacob sought further wisdom and sought out a community of faith. There, he discovered a group of individuals who cherished the scripture of Romans 8:18-27. The words spoke of the present sufferings and the future glory, highlighting the intertwining of creation's longing and the hope of redemption. Guided by the wisdom of both scriptures, Jacob realized that the ladder he had dreamt of was not merely a physical ascent but a metaphor for the journey of humanity. It symbolized the longing for connection, transformation, and the continuous exploration of the divine…and the simple wisdom of Piglet and Pooh." |
King's Chapel Parish Community BlogThese are the thoughts and reflections of the King's Chapel community. Categories |