CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK
March 16, 2008
This Week's Sunday Bulletin
Monthly Calendar Page
Thursday, March 13
6:00 pm Jazz Worship Service
6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal
Saturday, March 15
9:00 am Sanctuary Spruce-up
1:00 pm Congregational History Lecture
Sunday, March 16
9:00 am Early Service with Communion
9:30 am Old South Café in Gordon Chapel
9:45 am Adult Education: Bible Study
9:45 am Palm Sunday Breakfast
11:00 am Worship, Quinn G. Caldwell preaching
Monday, March 17
6:00 pm Theological Book Group
Tuesday, March 18
6:00 pm Handbell Rehearsal
7:30 pm Twentysomethings Lenten Bible Study
Thursday, March 20
6:00 pm Maundy Thursday Jazz Service of Shadows
Friday, March 21
10:00 am Easter Bulletin Collating
12:00 pm Good Friday Service
3:15 pm Stations of the City Procession
Saturday, March 22
9:00 am Choir Rehearsal
Sunday, March 23
9:00 am Easter Worship
10:00 am Hot Cross Buns in Mary Norton Hall
11:00 am Easter Worship
Monday, March 24
6:00 pm Theological Book Group
7:00 pm Membership Committee
Tuesday, March 25
6:00 pm Deacons
6:00 pm Handbell Rehearsal
Wednesday, March 26
5:45 pm Operations Committee
Thursday, March 27
10:00 am Calendar Mailing Group
6:00 pm Jazz Worship Service
Sunday, March 30
9:00 am Early Service with Communion
9:30 am Old South Café in Gordon Chapel
9:45 am Adult Education: Bible Study
11:00 am Worship, Jim Crawford preaching
12:30 pm LGBTF Luncheon
1:00 pm Bread for the Spirit
HOLY WEEK & EASTER AT OLD SOUTH CHURCH
Maundy Thursday Jazz Worship Service of Shadows: Thursday, March 20 at 6 pm.
ASL Interpreter.
Good Friday Service: Friday, March 21 at 12 noon.
Easter Worship: Sunday, March 23 at 9 and 11 am. Includes music for brass,
timpani, organ and choir. Hallelujah Chorus for choir and congregation. ASL
Interpreter.
WORSHIP
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES:
9:00 am Early service in the Gordon Chapel. 11:00 am Worship in the
Sanctuary.
JAZZ WORSHIP: 6:00 pm Thursdays in the Gordon Chapel.
HEALING PRAYER SERVICE: 10:00 am Every second Sunday of the month in the
fourth floor Tower Room. Contact Ken Orth at 781/643-1112 or
<ken.orth@comcast.net> for more information.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM: Sundays, April 20 and May 25. Those seeking Christian
baptism for themselves or for their children should contact Senior Minister
Nancy Taylor.
SUNDAY FLOWERS: The Sunday Flower Calendar for 2008 is up in the elevator
lobby. Donating Sunday flowers is a special way to remember loved ones and
special events. The cost is $50. Put your name by the date you want and send
the message you wish to appear in the bulletin to Helen McCrady at
<helen@oldsouth.org>. Donors are needed for May 4, June 1, July 20 and July
27.
EASTER LILIES AND TULIPS: DEADLINE IS TODAY. Donations for the Easter
display of lilies and tulips in honor or memory of loved ones and events
will be accepted through today. The cost is $15. Cards are available at the
Front Desk and were included in the March edition of the Calendar. They are
also included in today’s bulletin. If you have questions, contact Helen
McCrady at 617/425-5145.
LEARNING
THEOLOGICAL BOOK GROUP: Beginning Monday, March 17 at 6 pm in the Sam
Johnson Room. Worthy to Raise Issues by James W. Crawford. Rev. Jim Crawford
was Senior Minister of Old South Church in Boston for 28 years; by all
accounts, he preached any number of remarkable sermons during that time.
Included in this collection are some of his very best. Come join us as we
delve into the thinking and preaching of one of our own! Books and reading
schedules are available at the Front Desk for $13. Please be in touch with
Associate Minister Quinn Caldwell if this cost is prohibitive for you.
ADULT BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 9:45 am in the Sam Johnson Room. Prepare to
experience worship more deeply by studying and reflecting on the preaching
text(s) for the day. Led by Old South clergy.
TWENTYSOMETHINGS LENTEN BIBLE STUDY: Tuesdays through March 18 at 7:30 pm.
Attention young adults: you've barely celebrated Christmas, and now it's
time for Lent! Think you'll have a hard time finding the “Easter Spirit”?
Join Abby Henderson, Field Education Intern, for a Twentysomethings Lenten
Bible Study series. All are welcome to attend any or all of the sessions,
which are informal and require no prior knowledge. Beverage and snacks will
be served.
ADULT EDUCATION: RACIALIZING WHITENESS: Sundays, April 13 and 20 at 9:45 am.
Led by Old South member and Harvard Divinity School Professor Nancy
Richardson. Within the dominant “white” society in the United States,
conversations about race generally focus on the race of people of color
rather than on that of white people. This series will explore the notion of
“whiteness.” What does it mean to be “white?” How has the notion of
“whiteness” shaped understandings of “self” and “other” in religious,
political and community settings, and what are the implications for our
understandings of our faith commitments? These sessions are designed to
prepare us for viewing Traces of the Trade, but can also stand alone.
Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North: Sunday, April 27 at 12:45
pm in the Sanctuary. The DeWolf family was the largest slave-trading family
in U.S. history. Their hometown was not Raleigh or Savanna; it was Bristol,
Rhode Island. Traces of the Trade follows ten modern-day, northern DeWolf
descendants as they follow the route of the Triangle Slave Trade. The film
asks, “What, concretely, is the legacy of slavery—for diverse whites, for
diverse blacks, for diverse others?... How does Northern complicity change
the equation? What would repair—spiritual and material—really look like and
what would it take?” The film will be followed by a group discussion with,
we hope, a member of the DeWolf family.
PALM SUNDAY BREAKFAST
TODAY at 9:45 am in Mary Norton Hall
Come to church early and hungry on Palm Sunday! We will gather in Mary
Norton Hall and break bread together at our traditional breakfast which
marks Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and our start of Holy Week.
GROUP ACTIVITIES
LGBT AND FRIENDS: LGBT and Friends at Old South is a fellowship group of
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and their allies. ALL ARE
WELCOME. For more information, contact Mark Schueppert at
<mschueppert@yahoo.com>.
Monthly Luncheon: Sunday, March 30 at 12:30 pm. Join us for good
food and equally good conversation during our monthly luncheon.
REACHING OUT
CALL FOR OLD SOUTH BOOKSTORE VOLUNTEERS: City Mission Society, the service
arm of the Metropolitan Boston Association of the UCC, is opening a
bookstore at Old South. For months now, CMS volunteers have been collecting,
sorting, and shelving used books in our basement Club Room. Some of the
books have been sent to the Prison Book Program in Dorchester, while many of
the children’s books have been sent to libraries destroyed by Hurricane
Katrina. The rest will be sold from a bookstore in the Club Room, to be open
three days per week. Proceeds will support local ministries as well as
library rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast. CMS is looking for
volunteers from Old South interested in staffing the bookstore; please be in
touch with Associate Minister Quinn Caldwell if you are interested.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING: One Great Hour of Sharing is the special mission
offering of the United Church of Christ that channels resources to
international programs for sustainable development, emergency relief, social
services, and refugee advocacy and resettlement. Offerings are still being
accepted. Contact Helen McCrady for more information.
REACHING IN
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU: Sunday, March 30 during Fellowship Hour following 11
am worship. All members and friends of our congregation who celebrate their
birthdays in March are invited to find and meet others who are March-born!
We will celebrate with candles, cake and song. The Congregational Care &
Support Committee hosts this monthly celebration.
BREAD FOR THE SPIRIT: Sunday, March 30 at 1 pm. Hungry for “Holy
Conversation” with others at OSC? Interested in talking with others about
our diverse experiences with God? You are invited to join us for
conversation and discussion.
CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER: Are you aware of someone in our congregation who
might appreciate a note of encouragement, a home-cooked meal, a phone call,
visit or ride? Contact Congregational Care & Support Co-Chairs Anna Yoder at
<anna.yoder@verizon.net> and Carolyn Arrington at <cottages@verizon.net>.
GOT PRAYERS?: Upholding one another in prayer is one of the best ways the
church can care for one another. We would love to care for you or ones you
love in this way by praying with you in the Pastoral Prayer on Sunday
mornings. The best way to communicate your prayer requests is to email Quinn
at <quinn@oldsouth.org> or Nancy at <nst@oldsouth.org>, or to be in touch
with one of us by phone at 617/536-1970. We publicly pray only first names
to protect privacy, but of course welcome your account of the fuller names
and stories as you communicate your requests. Please do not use the prayer
box in the back of the sanctuary if your prayer is urgent.
REACHING FORWARD
CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP: Have you ever wondered “How much should I give to
denominational offerings?” I have. In the past I haven't planned my gifts to
One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) or Neighbors in Need (NIN). The Stewardship
Committee has been asking us all to think very purposefully about our
giving. We have also been encouraged to think about proportional giving. In
the past two or three years I have made a commitment to myself to give 1/2
month’s pledge to both OGHS and NIN. The UCC can assist people nationwide
and worldwide with these gifts. Sometimes when one of these offerings comes
around, my commitment is a stretch, but I can tell you I am glad that I have
made the commitment and honored to fulfill it.
–Vicki Newman (Old South member for 21 years and our Pledge Secretary)
GIVING ENVELOPES: You can still receive 2007 stewardship envelopes. Contact
Helen McCrady at <helen@oldsouth.org> or 617/425-5145. Pledge cards and
envelopes are available in the literature rack in the back of the Sanctuary.
OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON
MINISTERS, OFFICERS AND STAFF
Nancy S. Taylor, Senior Minister - Quinn G. Caldwell, Associate Minister
Harry L. Huff, Minister of Music - James W. Crawford, Senior Minister Emeritus
Calvin Genzel, Wedding Outreach Minister v Janet Butler, Wedding Coordinator
Ken Orth, Healing Prayer Service Minister
Robert W. Brown, Ministerial Intern - Abigail G. Henderson, Field Education Intern
Mark S. Burrows, Theologian in Residence
Patricia Hazeltine, Church School Director v Rolanda Ward, Youth Worker
Carolyn Davis, Director, Old South Preschool
George Sargeant, Assistant Organist & Choir Director
Willie Sordillo, Jazz Service Music Director
Peter Coulombe, Director, Old South Ringers
Amy Budka & Phil Stern, Children’s Music Directors
Wayne Davis, Moderator - Pamela Holland, Clerk - James Monsma, Treasurer
Phil Stern, Chair, Board of Trustees - Susan T. Campbell, Historian
Diane Gaucher, Senior Deacon - Vicki A. Newman, Pledge Secretary
Helen McCrady, Senior Church Administrator
Amy Perry, Administrative Assistant - Rosemary Clarke, Accountant
Elias Perez, Senior Sexton - Ozo Nwodo & Robert Blenman, Sextons
Jessica Goodknight, Rubia Reyes & Jim McDonnel, Receptionists
www.oldsouth.org - 617/536-1970
A NOTE ON THE INCLUSIVE DIMENSIONS OF GOD’S GRACE
Old South Church in Boston, in the name of its host, Jesus Christ, and in the spirit of Christ’s invitation carved into the stone of this church’s portico, “Behold I Set Before You an Open Door,” welcomes all who seek to know God.
Following the One who we believe is Sovereign and Savior, we affirm that each individual is a child of God, and recognize that we are called to be like one body with many members, seeking with others of every race, ethnicity, creed, class, age, gender, marital status, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to journey together toward the promised realm of God.
We invite everyone to join in the common life and mission of our reconciling community through participation and leadership in this congregation, and by fully sharing in the worship, rites and sacraments of this church.
As we all move forward with the work of this church, we commit ourselves to making justice and inclusivity a reality in this congregation and in the world. On the threshold of Christ’s open door, we rely upon the healing, unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide.
