Month: November 2013

Sermon:   “Jesus is in the House!”

Scripture:   Matthew 24:36-44;   Psalm 122

We enter into Advent in a spirit of hopefulness, and our scriptures today proclaim a special presence of God/Christ that is coming into our individual and collective lives.  What does it mean for Jesus to be present in your personal life?   What does it mean to be prepared for Jesus coming to visit?!   Do we really hope for these special moments where clarity is suddenly upon us, or times when we know (unexpectedly perhaps) that “all will be well”?  I invite you to read these passages with a sense of expectation, in preparation for this week’s worship experience.

Join us for worship on Sunday, December 1st at 10:30 a.m. and for coffee and fellowship after the service.   We will celebrate Communion on this first Sunday of Advent.

Coming soon:  Advent Meditations Booklets!
Every year we look forward to reading the meditations written by members and friends of the church as they reflect on the daily scriptures during Advent.  Make sure you get your copy.

We will once again be sponsoring two families for Christmas,
purchasing presents for them.  Our families this year are living in a shelter.  Look for the mini-tree in the back of the sanctuary this Sunday, which will have slips of paper with gift suggestions, along with instructions.  If you have questions, or need more information, contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com).

Decorate the Church for Christmas
Sunday December 1st, after coffee hour, we will decorate the church for Christmas. Join us and help to make the exterior of the building and the sanctuary ready.

Men’s Bible Study:
Wednesday, December 4th at 6:30 p.m. at Panera Bread at Porter Square.  Please contact Kevin, Josh, Solimar or Pierre for more details.

Thursday, December 5th, 7:30 p.m. : Nave Gallery Music Series: New Music of Viola D’Amore.
Marco Fusi and Davide Ianni.  World premiere of a new work by Davide Ianni.  U.S. premieres: “un uori con dentro un dentro (2013) by Clara Iannotta.  “Cinque notturni da braccio” (2013) by Federico Gardella.  For more information see https://www.facebook.com/events/213659032149065/.

There will be a prayer meeting
on Sunday, December 8th right after coffee hour in the Green Room.  Jesus said, ‘When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” Bring your prayers about whatever joys or concerns you may have on your mind and in your heart. All are welcome.

Session
will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 9th.

Horizons Bible Study
will meet on Friday, December 13th at 3:30 p.m. at the home of a church member.  For more information, please contact Salam (salamlebbos@hotmail.com).

Advent Fellowship Potluck
Please join us on Saturday,  December 14 for a trip to Zoolights at the Stone Zoo followed by a potluck dinner. Zoolights is a winter wonderland of tree lined paths decorated with holiday lights. In addition to being able to see some of the animals of the Yukon Creek section of the zoo, there is also Santa’s Castle, along with fairy tale characters and dancing plush animals.
Tickets cost $7.00 for non-members and $6.00 for zoonewengland members. Children under 2 years old are free. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.zoonewengland.org/StoneZoo or at the zoo. It is recommended to avoid long lines buying tickets online.
We will meet at the Stone Zoo, 149 Pond Street, Stoneham, MA at 5pm. After enjoying Zoolights we will travel to the home of church members for the potluck portion of the evening. Feel free to attend one or both parts of the evening. For those who are attending the potluck only please meet us at the home of church members  at 6:30pm and bring a main dish or appetizer. For those attending Zoolights first, please bring a dessert or item like a salad that will be ok sitting in a car.  For more information, or if you would like to carpool, please call Ruth at Ruth.rhoads.allen@gmail.com. See you there!

Sunday, December 15th – It’s a Wrap!
party…join us during coffee hour after the service, as we wrap Christmas gifts for the families that we are sponsoring from Somerville Early Head Start.

Sermon:  “This (age) and That (age):  Part 2”

Scripture:   2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Last week’s scripture and sermon focused on how people tend to think of eternal life as a future “age to come”, while Jesus brought the concept of “that age” as a way of living that can transform “this age”.   In the passage this week, Paul is addressing some people who thought of their Christian life as something that would really occur at the return of Christ (that age), and were therefore living in “idleness” in this age — …. What is Paul meaning when he uses the Greek word that is often translated as “idle” (it can also be described as disorderly or disruptive)?   What does it mean to “work” in the church?  I am reminded of Bonhoeffer’s notion of “cheap grace”….. What message does this offer for our “modern age” and how we find meaning (or not) through a work beyond ourselves?

Join us for worship on Sunday, November 17th at 10:30 a.m. and for coffee and fellowship after the service.

The Horizons Bible Study
The Horizons Bible Study group will meet in the home of a member on Friday, November 15th at 3:30 p.m. (the event was postponed from November 8th.)  For more information, please contact Salam (salamlebbos@hotmail.com).

The Nave Gallery Wrap Around Sale 
The Nave Gallery Wrap Around Sale starts with a Cupcake Reception this Saturday, November 16^th from 1-5 p.m. The sale itself runs from November 16th -December 15^th on Saturdays and Sundays, from 1-5 p.m.(but will be closed on Thanksgiving weekend.

Each November, the Nave Gallery hosts the Wrap Around Sale, a sale of handmade knitted/crocheted/sewn goods to benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition (SHC).

It’s a great way to buy some unique and handmade gifts, and support a wonderful local organization.

Last year they raised almost $3,000 for SHC. Can they raise $5,000 this year?

Nave Gallery Music Series: The New England Tuba Quartet
Saturday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. Nave Gallery Music Series: The New England Tuba Quartet is performing music of Renaissance through to today at The Nave Gallery in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Douglas Ruby – euphonium
Travis Anderson – euphonium
Bill Gray – tuba
Nick Cotton – tuba

ADMISSION FEE:
Suggested donation for this event is $10 or $5 with purchase of a handmade knitted/crocheted/sewn article from the Wrap Around Project. Sales from the Wrap Around Project support the Somerville Homeless Coalition.
For more info, see http://navegallery.org/wp/the-new-england-tuba-quartet-concert/.

Prayer Group
There will be a prayer meeting in the Green Room right after coffee hour on Sunday, November 17th. Jesus said, ‘When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” Bring your prayers about whatever joys or concerns you may have on your mind and in your heart. All are welcome.

Coming soon:  Advent Meditations Booklets! 
Every year we look forward to reading the meditations written by members and friends of the church as they reflect on the daily scriptures during Advent.  If you would like to write a meditation for this year’s booklet, please contact Craig (craze@mit.edu).

The Outreach Committee
will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 18th.

Men’s Bible Study
Wednesday, November 20th at 6:30 p.m. at Panera Bread at Porter Square.  Please contact Kevin, Josh, Solimar or Pierre for more details.

Sponsoring a Family for Christmas
We will once again be sponsoring a family for Christmas, purchasing presents for them.  Look for the mini-tree in the back of the sanctuary in mid-November, which will have slips of paper with gift suggestions.  For more information, contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com).

Decorate the Church for Christmas
On Sunday, December 1st, after coffee hour, we will decorate the church for Christmas.  Save the date and look for more details to follow.

Session will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 9th.

Advent Fellowship Potluck
Please join us on Saturday,  December 14 for a trip to Zoolights at the Stone Zoo followed by a potluck dinner. Zoolights is a winter wonderland of tree lined paths decorated with holiday lights. In addition to being able to see some of the animals of the Yukon Creek section of the zoo, there is also Santa’s Castle, along with fairy tale characters and dancing plush animals.
Tickets cost $7.00 for non-members and $6.00 for zoonewengland members. Children under 2 years old are free. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.zoonewengland.org/StoneZoo or at the zoo. It is recommended to avoid long lines buying tickets online.

We will meet at the Stone Zoo, 149 Pond Street, Stoneham, MA at 5pm. After enjoying Zoolights we will travel to thehome of church members for the potluck portion of the evening. Feel free to attend one or both parts of the evening. For those who are attending the potluck only please meet us at the home of church members  at 6:30pm and bring a main dish or appetizer. For those attending Zoolights first, please bring a dessert or item like a salad that will be ok sitting in a car.  For more information, or if you would like to carpool, please call Ruth atRuth.rhoads.allen@gmail.com. See you there!

Nave Music Series: Improvise, Hypothesize and Otherwise
Friday, November 1st at 8:00 p.m.: Nave Music Series: Improvise, Hypothesize and Otherwise: An exploration of new music and performance. Featuring Joe Burgio and Paul Kafka-Gibbons, dance; Ricochet (Steve Norton, reeds and misc., Noell Dorsey, voice), Tom Plsek and Randy Pingree trombone duo, Lee Todd Lacks, poetry,Tom Swafford, violin and Steve Norton,celeste. Special guests: David Pate, saxophonist from Tampa, FL, and two time national champion and Croquet Hall of Famer Bob Kroeger. For more info, see  https://www.facebook.com/events/1406889966207073/.

Nave Music Series: “In the Jerusalem Hills”
Saturday, November 2nd at 8:00 p.m: Nave Music Series: “In the Jerusalem Hills” features voice, movement, cymbals, flute and synth sounds with Leah Hennessy, Melissa Huser, Matt Samolis and Peter Gumaskas. For more info, see https://www.facebook.com/events/1406889966207073/.

November 1st is All Saints Day in the Christian calendar, and we will celebrate this occasion at our Sunday worship service on November 3rd.   At this service, I invite you to bring photos or other mementos of friends or family members who have passed away but were (and maybe still are) important to your life.   We will place these photos/mementos in the sanctuary and say a blessing for their lives.  If you feel so inclined, please place a card with an indication of who the person is and their relationship to  you.  The person you wish to have remembered and celebrated need not have passed away recently, but rather is anyone who was special to you in your personal and/or faith development — in other words, a saint of some sort for you.       Blessings upon you this week!    Rev. Allen

Sermon:   Sight and Insight
1st Lesson:   Ephesians 1:15-23
2nd Lesson:   Luke 19:1-10
In preparing one’s mind and heart for this week’s sermon, it is good to note the phrase Paul uses in Ephesians about the “eyes of the heart.”  This phrase was a cultural way in the Greek world for connecting emotions and understanding — they were not separate things.   Interestingly, there is a connection with the story of Zaccheus in Luke, when the scripture tells us he “could not see Jesus”, and then later when it says he “stood up” and revealed his new identity before Jesus and the crowd.   What happened to Zaccheus?  Note the context when he says this to Jesus (imagine all these people crowding his courtyard and house and him providing a dinner for all of the followers of Jesus).  What insights about the work of Christ have been key in your own life?

Join us for worship, which includes Communion, on Sunday, October 3rd at 10:30 a.m. and for coffee and fellowship after the service.

We have a date for the installation service of Rev. Fairfax, so mark your calendars! The service will be at 3:00 p.m. in the sanctuary on Sunday, November 3rd, with a reception to follow. Please contact Ellen at ellends1313@gmail.com if you would like to help with food, decorations, set up or any other aspect of the reception. The installation service marks the official beginning of Allen’s ministry with us. It will include members of the Presbytery of Boston, as well as those who have been important to Allen in his faith journey and his pastoral career. All are welcome and we hope you will join us!

On Monday, November 4th at 7:30 p.m., the Session will meet.

CHPC Men’s Bible Study
The new CHPC Men’s Bible Study  takes place every second Wednesday at Panera’s Bread at Porter Square. Our next meeting is on November 6th at 6:30 p.m. Please contact Kevin, Josh, Solimar or Pierre for more details.

Horizons Bible Study
The Horizons Bible Study group will meet on Friday, November 8^th at 3:30 p.m. at the home of a church member. For more information, please contact Salam.(salamlebbos@hotmail.com) 

Attention all Knitters, Crocheters, and Stitch-makers!
The Nave Gallery is seeking knitted, crocheted, and sewn donations of gloves, hats, bags, blankets, decorative pieces, etc., for the 6th annual Wrap Around, our sale of affordable handmade goods to benefit theSomerville Homeless Coalition (SHC). Last year we raised almost $3,000 for SHC. Can we hit $5,000 this year? Please include your name and contact info with your donation so that we can thank you, and a list the materials used (e.g. wool, cotton, etc.).

Donations can be dropped off from October 26-Nov 8 at:
Nave Gallery, 155 Powderhouse Blvd, Somerville
Nave Gallery Annex, 53 Chester St, Somerville
Blue Cloud Gallery, 713 Broadway Ave, Somerville
Magpie, 416 Highland Ave, Somerville
SCATV, 90 Union Square, Somerville

Looking for a knitting/crocheting circle to join? Check out Knit & Sip Crochet Soirees, our twice-monthly meetup group, for some conversation and craft.

If you have any questions, contact Tori Costa at tori [dot] costa [at] gmail.com. Items not sold during the sale will be donated to the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

‘A Thanksgiving for Veterans’ dinner and concert!
Saturday, November 9th, 6-10pm – Please join us for an evening of entertainment, to give thanks for our veterans and to support the work of two important local organizations – the Somerville Homeless Coalition and the Volunteers of America’s new Massachusetts Bay Veteran’s Center opening in Somerville. CHPC and the Nave Gallery are co-sponsoring this public event that is FREE for veterans and their families.  For all others, tickets will be available at the door, with a suggested donation of $20 for dinner and the concert (or $10 for either dinner or the concert). Dinner will be available from 6-7:30pm and the concert will kick off at 8pm, featuring music by Lenny Solomon and The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band.  If you would like to volunteer to help with set up or during the event or if you have any questions, please contact Ruth Allen at ruth.rhoads.allen@gmail.com   More information and to share the event with friends, go to: http://navegallery.org/wp/a-thanksgiving-for-veterans/

Nave Gallery Music Series:  The New England Tuba Quartet
Saturday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. Nave Gallery Music Series:  The New England Tuba Quartet – exploring the theme of Wrap Around.  For more info, see http://navegallery.org/wp/the-new-england-tuba-quartet-concert/.

Prayer Group
There will be a prayer meeting in the Green Room right after coffee hour on Sunday, November 17th. Jesus said, ‘When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” Bring your prayers about whatever joys or concerns you may have on your mind and in your heart. All are welcome.

The Outreach Committee will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 18th.