Category: Uncategorized

Sermon:”Giving Your Two Cents Worth”
Scripture: Mark 12:38-44

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

“Embracing Differences” – Church Nave Gallery
Once a year, the Nave Gallery collaborates with the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church to create a social justice gallery show, underscoring the assertion that art is a vehicle through which conversations on social change can be held, compelling people to action. The exhibition will be part of the Learn to Talk Social Justice Series organized by the CHPC from September through November, including opportunities for action, education and reflection. The show will be up from October 4th through October 31st.

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours.
Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

CHPC Fellowship: All Saints Dinner
Saturday, November 7th, 5:00 p.m., Salvatore’s Restaurant, 55 High Street, Medford, MA. In honor of former “saint” Sal Fazzolari, we will meet at the Italian restaurant, where we can talk about the people in our lives who helped us on our faith journey – whether it is relatives, friends, fellow church members, pastors, youth group leaders, Sunday school teachers, etc. That will be the starting point for our conversation, but certainly not the only topic! We’d like to make reservations, so please RSVP by Friday, November 6th at 3:00 p.m., to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). If you have questions, or need a ride, please get in touch with Ellen. Everyone is welcome!

Guest Preacher – Denis Sullivan
Sunday, November 15th. Denis will be speaking on the refugee crisis. We will be collecting items to send to Syrian mothers and infants/children via a container on a ship, through the local organization NuDay Syria. (http://www.nudaysyria.net/home.html). Under projects, you can find more information about containers. Examples of much needed items are clothes, coats, shoes, boots, new underwear and socks, female hygiene products, diapers, soap, powdered detergent, sleeping bags, blankets, soccer balls, stuffed animals, non-battery operated toys.
Food items needed include rice, flour, cooking oil, sugar, cans or bags of tuna, food high in protein such as peanut butter or nutella, energy bars, protein drinks, powdered and liquid milk and *always* infant milk in any form. All food items must be unexpired and in non-breakable packaging.
You can also get online and order items for containers from Amazon where you get free shipping and great pricing. We have a wish list there and it is very straight-forward to order from them.
Financial donations or full or partial sponsorships of containers are always appreciated. If you are interested in a financial donation, or have questions, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). We don’t have an exact deadline date yet, but feel free to start collecting and bringing in items to church.

CHPC Fellowship: After Church Potluck
Our next fellowship event will be on Sunday, November 15th after the service, with a Thanksgiving potluck. Please bring an appetizer, soup, salad, side dish, main dish or dessert (NO NUTS, PLEASE!) If you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish, consider this an invitation to bring it. Come celebrate Thanksgiving with your church family!

Somerville’s Early Head Start Program
We will helping to bring Christmas to several Somerville families this year through Somerville’s Early Head Start program. If you’d like to help coordinate a portion of this effort, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). The tree with gift suggestions will be at the back of sanctuary on the Sunday before Thanksgiving; look for it on November 22nd.

The Advent Meditations
As part of our tradition at Clarendon Hill, we will be producing another booklet of Advent Meditations from members and friends of the church, based on the Advent season lectionary. Craig Milanesi and Jaja Kumpa will be seeking volunteers to sign up for a 1 – 3 paragraph reflection or some creative artwork (painting, song, poetry, photograph) relative to the reading, this Sunday, November 8th, during fellowship. If you won’t be at church, but would like to participate, please contact Craig (craze@mit.edu). The deadline for submissions will be Sunday, 22nd (and last minute submissions no later than Wednesday, November 25th). We hope to have the printed versions on Sunday, November 29th.

CHPC Fellowship: Christmas Caroling
Our December fellowship event will be caroling, on Sunday, December 13th, after coffee hour. We will visit local members and friends, and warm up with some hot chocolate afterwards!

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

Sermon:”Soul Faith”
Scripture: (cf. Leviticus 19:9-18 and Deuteronomy 6:46)
The translation (of which there are many) of how Jesus responds to the scribe in v.34 is at question in this passage. I suggest that we get at the heart of it if we take it for what it says most directly, which has it that Jesus “sees” that the scribe answers “intellectually” — with his mind (not his heart, soul, strength, etc. — compare v.30). Many commentators note that Jesus is “sort of” commending the scribe (or so it seems on the surface). It is likely that this scribe thought that he “nailed it” and was hoping for Jesus to say “you got it”! Jesus does less than that. What is the scribe not saying or doing here that shows Jesus that he is not quite getting the point of the scripture he just quoted? What is it that might be missing in our own personal “heady” versions of Presbyterian-esque faith?

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

“Embracing Differences” – Church Nave Gallery
Once a year, the Nave Gallery collaborates with the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church to create a social justice gallery show, underscoring the assertion that art is a vehicle through which conversations on social change can be held, compelling people to action. The exhibition will be part of the Learn to Talk Social Justice Series organized by the CHPC from September through November, including opportunities for action, education and reflection. The show will be up from October 4th through October 31st.

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours.
Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

CHPC Fellowship: All Saints Dinner
Saturday, November 7th, 5:00 p.m., Salvatore’s Restaurant, 55 High Street, Medford, MA. In honor of former “saint” Sal Fazzolari, we will meet at the Italian restaurant, where we can talk about the people in our lives who helped us on our faith journey – whether it is relatives, friends, fellow church members, pastors, youth group leaders, Sunday school teachers, etc. That will be the starting point for our conversation, but certainly not the only topic! We’d like to make reservations, so please RSVP by Friday, November 6th at 3:00 p.m., to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). If you have questions, or need a ride, please get in touch with Ellen. Everyone is welcome!

Guest Preacher – Denis Sullivan
Sunday, November 15th. Denis will be speaking on the refugee crisis. We will be collecting items to send to Syrian mothers and infants/children via a container on a ship, through the local organization NuDay Syria. (http://www.nudaysyria.net/home.html). Under projects, you can find more information about containers. Examples of much needed items are clothes, coats, shoes, boots, new underwear and socks, female hygiene products, diapers, soap, powdered detergent, sleeping bags, blankets, soccer balls, stuffed animals, non-battery operated toys.
Food items needed include rice, flour, cooking oil, sugar, cans or bags of tuna, food high in protein such as peanut butter or nutella, energy bars, protein drinks, powdered and liquid milk and *always* infant milk in any form. All food items must be unexpired and in non-breakable packaging.
You can also get online and order items for containers from Amazon where you get free shipping and great pricing. We have a wish list there and it is very straight-forward to order from them.
Financial donations or full or partial sponsorships of containers are always appreciated. If you are interested in a financial donation, or have questions, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). We don’t have an exact deadline date yet, but feel free to start collecting and bringing in items to church.

CHPC Fellowship: After Church Potluck
Save the date: Our next fellowship event will be on Sunday, November 15th after the service, with a Thanksgiving potluck. Come celebrate Thanksgiving with your church family.

Somerville’s Early Head Start Program
We will helping to bring Christmas to several Somerville families this year through Somerville’s Early Head Start program. If you’d like to help coordinate a portion of this effort, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). The tree with gift suggestions will be at the back of sanctuary on the Sunday before Thanksgiving; look for it on November 22nd.

CHPC Fellowship: Christmas Caroling
Our December fellowship event will be caroling, on Sunday, December 13th, after coffee hour. We will visit local members and friends, and warm up with some hot chocolate afterwards!

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

We welcome the Rev. Michael Trautman of First Presyterian Church in Ferguson, MO as our guest preacher.
Sermon: “Lions, Tigers, Bears, and Every Ism Under the Sun”
Scripture: Job 42:1-6, 10-17 and Mark 10:46-52

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

“Embracing Differences” – Church Nave Gallery
Once a year, the Nave Gallery collaborates with the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church to create a social justice gallery show, underscoring the assertion that art is a vehicle through which conversations on social change can be held, compelling people to action. The exhibition will be part of the Learn to Talk Social Justice Series organized by the CHPC from September through November, including opportunities for action, education and reflection. The show will be up from October 4th through October 31st.

Guest Preacher – Rev. Michael Trautman
Visiting from Ferguson Missouri, Rev. Michael Trautman of First Presbyterian Church in Ferguson will share about the work of “One Ferguson”, a diverse gathering of people and organizations dedicated to re-creating the Ferguson community through “citizen engagement, empowerment, and accountability.” (oneferguson.com) And from here in Boston, Rev. Laura Ahart of the United Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain will share about ministries at the Nashua Street Jail, her church, and the work of the Criminal Justice Committee for the Black Ministerial Alliance in Boston. (bmaboston.org) Both will engage each other and the audience concerning religious groups responding to race and injustice in our communities.
Douglas S. Kress, Director of Health and Human Services for the City of Somerville, will also be present on October 25th to share information about Somerville’s efforts to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Learning to Talk in Ferguson and Boston” – Presentation and Panel
Sunday, October 25th, community reception, 5:00 p.m.; presentation 5:30-7:00 p.m. Visiting from Ferguson Missouri, Rev. Michael Trautman of First Presbyterian Church in Ferguson will share about the work of “One Ferguson”, a diverse gathering of people and organizations dedicated to re-creating the Ferguson community through “citizen engagement, empowerment, and accountability.” (oneferguson.com) And from here in Boston, Rev. Laura Ahart of the United Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain will share about ministries at the Nashua Street Jail, her church, and the work of the Criminal Justice Committee for the Black Ministerial Alliance in Boston. (bmaboston.org) Both will engage each other and the audience concerning religious groups responding to race and injustice in our communities.
Douglas S. Kress, Director of Health and Human Services for the City of Somerville, will also be present on October 25th to share information about Somerville’s efforts to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours.
Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

Guest Preacher – Denis Sullivan
Denis Sullivan will be our guest preacher on Sunday, November 15th. He will be speaking on the refugee crisis. We will be collecting items to send to Syrians via a container on a ship, through the local organization NuDay Syria. (http://www.nudaysyria.net/home.html). Stay tuned for more information.

CHPC Fellowship: After Church Potluck
Save the date: Our next fellowship event will be on Sunday, November 15th after the service, with a Thanksgiving potluck. Come celebrate Thanksgiving with your church family.

Somerville’s Early Head Start Program
We will helping to bring Christmas to several Somerville families this year through Somerville’s Early Head Start program. If you’d like to help coordinate a portion of this effort, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). The tree with gift suggestions will be at the back of sanctuary on the Sunday before Thanksgiving; look for it on November 22nd.

CHPC Fellowship: Christmas Caroling
Our December fellowship event will be caroling, on Sunday, December 13th, after coffee hour. We will visit local members and friends, and warm up with some hot chocolate afterwards!

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

Sermon: “Steeled for the Journey Ahead”
Scripture: Mark 10:35-45
We are still in the second teaching cycle of Mark, so these teachings are about our inner life and faith (less so about external, social justice teachings). In this seeming hodgepodge of scriptural sayings, there is a connection. As we prepare for this coming Sunday, note that the word translated for stumbling block is the Greek word for scandal (eskandolos). Also, the things that Jesus mentions as “better than being in hell” represent some of the worst fears that people in Jesus’ time would have had. Each of the sufferings that Jesus mentions (drowning and physical maiming) would have had huge social consequences for them. What are the anxieties that we bring to our faith life? How do we allow or create our own stumbling blocks? Note that the end of these sayings is the word of Peace.

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

Nicole Terez Dutton – Poetry Readings
Somerville Poet Laureate Nicole Terez Dutton will give a reading on Sunday October 18th, in the Nave gallery during the afternoon from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. A community reception will follow.
Nicole Terez Dutton’s work has appeared in Callaloo, Ploughshares, 32 Poems, Indiana Review, and Salt Hill Journal. Nicole earned an MFA from Brown University and has received fellowships from the Frost Place, the Fine Arts Work Center, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her collection of poems, If One Of Us Should Fall, was selected as the winner of the 2011 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts where she serves as the city’s inaugural poet laureate, and she teaches in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program. All are invited to attend.

“Embracing Differences” – Church Nave Gallery
Once a year, the Nave Gallery collaborates with the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church to create a social justice gallery show, underscoring the assertion that art is a vehicle through which conversations on social change can be held, compelling people to action. The exhibition will be part of the Learn to Talk Social Justice Series organized by the CHPC from September through November, including opportunities for action, education and reflection. The show will be up from October 4th through October 31st.

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours.
Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

Guest Preacher – Rev. Michael Trautman
Our guest preacher on Sunday, October 25th will the Rev. Michael Trautman, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Ferguson, Missouri.

“Learning to Talk in Ferguson and Boston” – Presentation and Panel
Sunday, October 25th, community reception, 5:00 p.m.; presentation 5:30-7:00 p.m. Visiting from Ferguson Missouri, Rev. Michael Trautman of First Presbyterian Church in Ferguson will share about the work of “One Ferguson”, a diverse gathering of people and organizations dedicated to re-creating the Ferguson community through “citizen engagement, empowerment, and accountability.” (oneferguson.com) And from here in Boston, Rev. Laura Ahart of the United Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain will share about ministries at the Nashua Street Jail, her church, and the work of the Criminal Justice Committee for the Black Ministerial Alliance in Boston. (bmaboston.org) Both will engage each other and the audience concerning religious groups responding to race and injustice in our communities.
Douglas S. Kress, Director of Health and Human Services for the City of Somerville, will also be present on October 25th to share information about Somerville’s efforts to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Guest Preacher – Denis Sullivan
Denis Sullivan will be our guest preacher on Sunday, November 15th. He will be speaking on the refugee crisis.

CHPC Fellowship: After Church Potluck
Save the date: Our next fellowship event will be on Sunday, November 15th after the service, with a Thanksgiving potluck. Come celebrate Thanksgiving with your church family.

CHPC Fellowship: Christmas Caroling
Our December fellowship event will be caroling, on Sunday, December 13th, after coffee hour. We will visit local members and friends, and warm up with some hot chocolate afterwards!

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

Fellowship: Apple Picking
Our apple picking trip to Shelburne Farm in Stow, MA has been rescheduled for this coming Sunday, October 11th. We’ll meet at the church at 12:15 p.m., and leave shortly after that. (We’d love to have you join us for our worship service at 10:30 a.m.!) We should have sunny and cool weather for our adventures!

Visit the website at: http://www.shelburnefarm.com/.

If you have questions, or need more information, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com).

Everyone is invited!

 

Gallery Sitters Needed for Embracing Difference Exhibit

Hi all,

Sermon: “Patriarchy, Privilege, and the Poetry of Peace”
Scripture: Mark 10:2-16
We are still in the second teaching cycle of Mark, so these teachings are about our inner life and faith (less so about external, social justice teachings). In this seeming hodgepodge of scriptural sayings, there is a connection. As we prepare for this coming Sunday, note that the word translated for stumbling block is the Greek word for scandal (eskandolos). Also, the things that Jesus mentions as “better than being in hell” represent some of the worst fears that people in Jesus’ time would have had. Each of the sufferings that Jesus mentions (drowning and physical maiming) would have had huge social consequences for them. What are the anxieties that we bring to our faith life? How do we allow or create our own stumbling blocks? Note that the end of these sayings is the word of Peace.

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

World Communion Sunday
On Sunday, October 4th, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday. The collection of the Peace and Global Witness Offering (formerly know as the Peacemaking Offering) takes place on that day also. The scripture for this year’s offering is from Ephesians 6:23: “Peace be to the WHOLE community, and love with faith.” Gifts to the 2015 offering will support Syrian refugees, specifically, for the children to resume their education in camps in Lebanon. Please give as generously as you are able.

Deacons’ Meeting
The Deacons will meet on Sunday, October 4th, after coffee hour in the Green Room.

“Embracing Differences” – Church Nave Gallery Opening Reception
Once a year, the Nave Gallery collaborates with the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church to create a social justice gallery show, underscoring the assertion that art is a vehicle through which conversations on social change can be held, compelling people to action. The exhibition will be part of the Learn to Talk Social Justice Series organized by the CHPC from September through November, including opportunities for action, education and reflection. The reception for the opening of the show “Embracing Differences” will be in the Nave Gallery on Sunday, October 4th, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. The show will be up from October 4th through October 31st.

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours.
Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

Fellowship Event: Apple Picking
Our next fellowship event will be apple picking, Date TBD in October. We’ll meet in Stow, MA at Shelburne Farm at 1:00 p.m. We’ll meet by the entrance to the store to enjoy apple picking, cider doughnuts, ice cream, music, farm animals, a hayride and a chance to pick out a pumpkin! For the kids, there is a moon bounce, pony rides, a tractor playground, or a hay climbing mountain. See more at http://www.shelburnefarm.com/. If you need more information, or a ride to this event, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Everyone is invited!

“Community Conversations” – Organized Series by City of Somerville
Monday, October 5th — hosted by Clarendon Hill, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The City of Somerville is organizing a series of community conversations around racism and discrimination that have been brought to the fore by recent violent events and the work of the Black Lives Matter movement. We are hosting one of the first conversations here at our church, moderated by our pastor. Please attend if you can, as we expect many of our neighbors in the neighborhood to come and be part of this important time.

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

Session Meeting
On Wednesday, October 14th, the Session will meet at 7:30 p.m., in the Green Room.

Nicole Terez Dutton – Poetry Readings
Somerville Poet Laureate Nicole Terez Dutton will give a reading on Sunday October 18th, in the Nave gallery during the afternoon from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. A community reception will follow.
Nicole Terez Dutton’s work has appeared in Callaloo, Ploughshares, 32 Poems, Indiana Review, and Salt Hill Journal. Nicole earned an MFA from Brown University and has received fellowships from the Frost Place, the Fine Arts Work Center, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her collection of poems, If One Of Us Should Fall, was selected as the winner of the 2011 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts where she serves as the city’s inaugural poet laureate, and she teaches in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program. All are invited to attend.

Guest Preacher – Rev. Michael Trautman
Our guest preacher on Sunday, October 25th will the Rev. Michael Trautman, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Ferguson, Missouri.

“Learning to Talk in Ferguson and Boston” – Presentation and Panel
Sunday, October 25th : Presentation and Panel Discussion (5:30 to 7:00; reception at 5:00): “Learning to Talk in Ferguson and Boston: Critical conversations among faith communities”. Rev. Michael Trautman (First Presbyterian Church of Ferguson, Missouri) and the Rev. Laura Ahart (Pastor of Jamaica Plain United Baptist Church).

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

Sermon: “Stumbling toward Peace”
Scripture: Mark 9:38-50
We are still in the second teaching cycle of Mark, so these teachings are about our inner life and faith (less so about external, social justice teachings). In this seeming hodgepodge of scriptural sayings, there is a connection. As we prepare for this coming Sunday, note that the word translated for stumbling block is the Greek word for scandal (eskandolos). Also, the things that Jesus mentions as “better than being in hell” represent some of the worst fears that people in Jesus’ time would have had. Each of the sufferings that Jesus mentions (drowning and physical maiming) would have had huge social consequences for them. What are the anxieties that we bring to our faith life? How do we allow or create our own stumbling blocks? Note that the end of these sayings is the word of Peace.

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st, 3rd and 5th Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Please note that Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours. Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

Fellowship Event: Apple Picking
Our next fellowship event will be apple picking, on Saturday, October 3rd. We’ll meet in Stow, MA at Shelburne Farm at 1:00 p.m. We’ll meet by the entrance to the store to enjoy apple picking, cider doughnuts, ice cream, music, farm animals, a hayride and a chance to pick out a pumpkin! For the kids, there is a moon bounce, pony rides, a tractor playground, or a hay climbing mountain. See more at http://www.shelburnefarm.com/. If you need more information, or a ride to this event, please contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Everyone is invited!

World Communion Sunday
On Sunday, October 4th, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday. The collection of the Peace and Global Witness Offering (formerly know as the Peacemaking Offering) takes place on that day also. The scripture for this year’s offering is from Ephesians 6:23: “Peace be to the WHOLE community, and love with faith.” Gifts to the 2015 offering will support Syrian refugees, specifically, for the children to resume their education in camps in Lebanon. Please give as generously as you are able.

Deacons’ Meeting
The Deacons will meet on Sunday, October 4th, after coffee hour in the Green Room.

“Embracing Differences” – Church Nave Gallery Opening Reception
Once a year, the Nave Gallery collaborates with the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church to create a social justice gallery show, underscoring the assertion that art is a vehicle through which conversations on social change can be held, compelling people to action. The exhibition will be part of the Learn to Talk Social Justice Series organized by the CHPC from September through November, including opportunities for action, education and reflection. The reception for the opening of the show “Embracing Differences” will be in the Nave Gallery on Sunday, October 4th, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. The show will be up from October 4th through October 31st.

“Community Conversations” – Organized Series by City of Somerville
Monday, October 5th — hosted by Clarendon Hill, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The City of Somerville is organizing a series of community conversations around racism and discrimination that have been brought to the fore by recent violent events and the work of the Black Lives Matter movement. We are hosting one of the first conversations here at our church, moderated by our pastor. Please attend if you can, as we expect many of our neighbors in the neighborhood to come and be part of this important time.

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

Session Meeting
On Wednesday, October 14th, the Session will meet at 7:30 p.m., in the Green Room.

Nicole Terez Dutton – Poetry Readings
Somerville Poet Laureate Nicole Terez Dutton will give a reading on Sunday October 18th, in the Nave gallery during the afternoon from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. A community reception will follow.
Nicole Terez Dutton’s work has appeared in Callaloo, Ploughshares, 32 Poems, Indiana Review, and Salt Hill Journal. Nicole earned an MFA from Brown University and has received fellowships from the Frost Place, the Fine Arts Work Center, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her collection of poems, If One Of Us Should Fall, was selected as the winner of the 2011 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts where she serves as the city’s inaugural poet laureate, and she teaches in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program. All are invited to attend.

Guest Preacher – Rev. Michael Trautman
Our guest preacher on Sunday, October 25th will the Rev. Michael Trautman, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Ferguson, Missouri.

“Learning to Talk in Ferguson and Boston” – Presentation and Panel
Sunday, October 25th : Presentation and Panel Discussion (5:30 to 7:00; reception at 5:00): “Learning to Talk in Ferguson and Boston: Critical conversations among faith communities”. Rev. Michael Trautman (First Presbyterian Church of Ferguson, Missouri) and the Rev. Laura Ahart (Pastor of Jamaica Plain United Baptist Church).

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Deacon Meeting
The next Deacons meeting will be on Sunday, October 4th, after coffee hour, in the Green Room.

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

– – – Community News – – –

The Cuatro Puntos concert, “From Damascus to Kabul” 
Sunday, September 27th at 3:00 pm in the sanctuary, as the second concert of the Nave Gallery Music series for this fall. The members of the group are musical diplomats, having spent time this summer developing a music school for orphaned girls in Afghanistan. They are highly accomplished musicians, and they will be featuring a world premiere of Gullistan-e Nur “The Rosegarden of Light” by British composer Sadie Harrison, performed on traditional Afghan instruments with string quartet. For more information on this group and their mission, seehttps://www.facebook.com/navemusicsomerville and/orhttp://www.cuatropuntos.org/.

 

Sermon:”Embraced by Christ”
Scripture: Mark 9:30-37; 10:13-16

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st, 3rd and 5th Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Please note that Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours. Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

Prayer Group Meeting
Sunday, September 20th: We will meet in the Green Room after coffee hour. 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 to attend.

Fellowship Event: Apple Picking
Our next fellowship event will be apple picking, with a tentative date of Saturday, October 3rd. Everyone is invited! Save the date, and look for details to follow.

World Communion Sunday
On Sunday, October 4th, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday. The collection of the Peace and Global Witness Offering (formerly know as the Peacemaking Offering) takes place on that day also. The scripture for this year’s offering is from Ephesians 6:23: “Peace be to the WHOLE community, and love with faith.” Gifts to the 2015 offering will support Syrian refugees, specifically, for the children to resume their education in camps in Lebanon. Please give as generously as you are able.

Deacons’ Meeting
The Deacons will meet on Sunday, October 4th, after coffee hour in the Green Room.

Session Meeting
On Wednesday, October 14th, the Session will meet at 7:30 p.m., in the Green Room.

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Deacon Meeting
The next Deacons meeting will be on Sunday, October 4th, after coffee hour, in the Green Room.

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

– – – Community News – – –

The Cuatro Puntos concert, “From Damascus to Kabul” 
Sunday, September 27th at 3:00 pm in the sanctuary, as the second concert of the Nave Gallery Music series for this fall. The members of the group are musical diplomats, having spent time this summer developing a music school for orphaned girls in Afghanistan. They are highly accomplished musicians, and they will be featuring a world premiere of Gullistan-e Nur “The Rosegarden of Light” by British composer Sadie Harrison, performed on traditional Afghan instruments with string quartet. For more information on this group and their mission, seehttps://www.facebook.com/navemusicsomerville and/orhttp://www.cuatropuntos.org/.

 

Sermon:”Purposeful Living”
Scripture: Mark 8:27-38
Is life purposeful? What kind of life has meaning? I think these questions are at the heart of the encounter of Jesus with his disciples and the “crowd” in today’s scripture. In particular, focusing on the notion of suffering and what personal and collective suffering might mean for purposeful living is useful preparation for this week’s worship.

Text and Context Notes: In preparation for this week’s sermon, it is good to note that this passage marks the beginning of a “gentile/greek ministry cycle” (7:24 to 8:9) in the gospel, whereby Jesus reaches out to non-Jews in a direct way. The passage occurs in what we would call Lebanon today, and then Jesus and the disciples travel around the northern part of Galilee to reach the region of the Decapolis (a gentile area on the other side of where Jesus’ ministry has occurred to this point). The “second” feeding of the multitudes in this Gospel is to a large crowd of Gentiles. The direct parallels in the preceding Jewish Galilean ministry cycle are 5:21-43; 6:30-44. The healings of the daughter of Jairus and the “daughter” suffering from hemorrhaging are instructive to the healing of the Syro-Phoenecian’s daughter. Also note how Jesus affirms the rights of women in these passages.

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st, 3rd and 5th Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Please note that Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours. Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

Prayer Group Meeting
Sunday, September 20th: We will meet in the Green Room after coffee hour. 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 to attend.

Fellowship Event: Apple Picking
Our next fellowship event will be apple picking, with a tentative date of Saturday, October 3rd. Everyone is invited! Save the date, and look for details to follow.

World Communion Sunday
On Sunday, October 4th, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday. The collection of the Peacemaking Offering takes place on that day also.

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Deacon Meeting
The next Deacons meeting will be on Sunday, October 4th, after coffee hour, in the Green Room.

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

– – – Community News – – –

The Cuatro Puntos concert, “From Damascus to Kabul” 
Sunday, September 27th at 3:00 pm in the sanctuary, as the second concert of the Nave Gallery Music series for this fall. The members of the group are musical diplomats, having spent time this summer developing a music school for orphaned girls in Afghanistan. They are highly accomplished musicians, and they will be featuring a world premiere of Gullistan-e Nur “The Rosegarden of Light” by British composer Sadie Harrison, performed on traditional Afghan instruments with string quartet. For more information on this group and their mission, seehttps://www.facebook.com/navemusicsomerville and/orhttp://www.cuatropuntos.org/.

 

Sermon: “Crumb(l)y Grace”
Scripture: Mark 7:24-30
There are things to be gathered from this passage about grace falling from the table (i.e. the communion table) that is at the heart of our status before God. In this and many related passages, the focus is on being “satisfied” (see notes below) by God’s “bread”. How does God feed us this bread? Do we receive it every day? At all times? How are we sustained by God’s bread?

Text and Context Notes: In preparation for this week’s sermon, it is good to note that this passage marks the beginning of a “gentile/greek ministry cycle” (7:24 to 8:9) in the gospel, whereby Jesus reaches out to non-Jews in a direct way. The passage occurs in what we would call Lebanon today, and then Jesus and the disciples travel around the northern part of Galilee to reach the region of the Decapolis (a gentile area on the other side of where Jesus’ ministry has occurred to this point). The “second” feeding of the multitudes in this Gospel is to a large crowd of Gentiles. The direct parallels in the preceding Jewish Galilean ministry cycle are 5:21-43; 6:30-44. The healings of the daughter of Jairus and the “daughter” suffering from hemorrhaging are instructive to the healing of the Syro-Phoenecian’s daughter. Also note how Jesus affirms the rights of women in these passages.

Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!

Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st, 3rd and 5th Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Please note that Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours. Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.

 

– – – Upcoming Events – – –

CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)

Prayer Group Meeting
Sunday, September 20th: We will meet in the Green Room after coffee hour. 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 to attend.

Fellowship Event: Apple Picking
Our next fellowship event will be apple picking, with a tentative date of Saturday, October 3rd. Everyone is invited! Save the date, and look for details to follow.

World Communion Sunday
On Sunday, October 4th, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday. The collection of the Peacemaking Offering takes place on that day also.

 

– – – Deacons News – – –

Deacon Meeting
The next Deacons meeting will be on Sunday, October 4th, after coffee hour, in the Green Room.

Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.

 

– – – Community News – – –

Embracing Differences: Mending the Isms and Schisms
Here’s more information about the art show, curated by members of the congregation, as part of Clarendon Hill’s Learn to Talk Series, this coming fall. We encourage anyone who is interested to submit artwork for this show!
We want artists whose work speaks to: racism, sexism, LGTB,environment, homelessness, or poverty, and so much more!

DEADLINE:September 8, 2015
EXHIBITION DATES: October 4-31, 2015
LOCATION: Nave Gallery, 155 Powder House Blvd, Somerville, MA
CURATED BY: Claire Roll, Craig Milanesi

Is inequality the defining issue of our time? How does injustice show its face in our community? What impossible heights can we achieve as a society by embracing difference as strength? Racism, sexism and economic inequality are still systemic and deeply personal in America today, both influencing and influenced by global inequities. What does it take to mend the things that divide us? How do we let in the light?

The Nave Gallery seeks submissions that express an appreciation of the complexities of our differences, expose societies isms/schisms, and reflects the dreams for peace with justice in this world. We will consider works in the following media: painting, sculpture, photography, digital, mixed media, installation and performance.

For more information see: http://navegallery.org/…/embracing-differences-mending-the…/