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/.