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This summer, as many Old Southers took to the streets in protest and solidarity, one of our Old South families teamed up with neighbors to create a Little Free Library (LFL) in their West Roxbury neighborhood! Kristen Lee-Armandt was inspired in particular by an Anti-Racist LFL that she saw being started in Arlington. She points out that West Roxbury is 77% white, and so will continually need access to anti-racist resources if the hope of an anti-racist reality is to come about.

We are a faith community that believes in speaking out, taking a stand and showing up. But what does that look like in a time of social distancing? Well, on October 12th, it looked like a car parade crossing the Fore River Bridge and circling the Weymouth Compressor Station.

Have you ever heard the biblical story of the Fiery Furnace? It’s...a lot.

If you didn’t read it (because again, it’s...a lot), here’s a recap: The king built a statue and commanded his people to bow down and worship it. Three of God’s people (with the best names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) refused. The king tossed the three men into a fiery furnace, but God saved them and did not allow flames to consume them. Then the king changed his ways.

This week, we finish (re)-introducing you to the Willie Sordillo Ensemble! Every week the Ensemble soothes and stirs our souls at our Virtual Coffee House--and before that, Jazz Worship. They are some of the most talented musicians in New England and pastor us with their gifts and artistry. 

This week we meet Doug Rich and Erez Dessel.

DOUG RICH

How long have you been a part of the Willie Sordillo Ensemble?

Renowned biblical scholar, Walter Brueggemann, encourages us to believe that God is with us, bringing comfort, strength and hope in the midst of this pandemic, despite, as some might say, evidence to the contrary.

In his recent book, Virus as a Summons to Faith, Brueggemann looks at several biblical texts from the Hebrew Bible that speak of deep faith in the empowering love of God in the lived experiences of our ancestors who often found themselves in the midst of terrible circumstances.

When I moved to New England, I soon became a fan of Maritime music and sea chanties. New England has always been a seafaring area drawing from our British, Spanish and Portuguese roots.  The shipping industry is always fraught with impending peril but in the early days, if you had trouble on the seas, you were pretty much doomed. There was no Coast Guard to look for you. No airplane searches. Many a widows and orphans have been made from storms on the open seas.

In the harbor of Rockport Massachusetts on Bradley Wharf stands a little red fishing shack. There isn’t much to it, a small two story section at the end of the wharf attached to a shorter addition heading towards Bearskin Neck. This quaint little building stands at the entrance to the inner harbor that is home to the remaining lobstering and fishing boats in town.

In a normal summer, our children’s church school program would constrict a bit. There is nothing normal about this summer, in the grips of COVID-19, when laissez-faire could get you or someone else seriously ill or worse.

I had a Southern country upbringing. Neighbors were important to my family. We helped each other. We cared for each other. Many a time I heard my father say he had to go help someone because they were “a neighbor with an ox in the ditch”. If a neighbor was hurting, you would do anything to help. Physical labor was offered, money given and food cooked and delivered or sometimes a loving presence was needed. But as I look back on this, I know that one qualification of a neighbor was that they looked like us.

Rev. Shawn M. Fiedler tells of his experience officiating a wedding during COVID-19.