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A monthly publication of the Church of the Redeemer— Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Vol. LVIII May 2012 No. 5
Redeemer News
Inside
Formation Pg 6
Fellowship Pg 8
Mission Pg 12
Worship Pg 19
Music Pg 21
Dear Friends in Christ;
By now I think you know that, on April 22nd, I was elected eighth Bishop of Pittsburgh by a special convention of that diocese. Though I will not take up this post formally until September, my last Sunday at
the Redeemer will be June 3rd.
That will also be the first Sunday for our new curate, the Reverend Margery Kennelly, who will have been ordained to the diaconate just the day before. So it will be a day of Welcome and Farewell.
I am grateful that the Reverend Beth Maynard has offered to be available for many Sundays during the summer. Obviously the War-dens and Vestry, in conversation with Bishop Shaw, will need to de-termine what the specific shape of interim ministry in the parish will look like, and I am deeply thankful for Beth’s flexibility as this un-folds.
As I said in my sermon on the day after the election, the image that seems to be governing my life right now, more than any other, is the meeting of the risen Jesus with His disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35).
Upcoming Dates
“It’s Your Move” Talk Sunday, May 6th, 11:15 am
Parent Survivors’ Dinner Friday, May 11th, 6:30 pm
Confirmation at Trinity Church-Boston Saturday, May 12th, 10:30 am
Evensong Sunday, May 13th, 5:00 pm
Youth Sunday Sunday, May 20th, 10:00 am
The Road from Emmaus to Pittsburgh
From the Rector’s Desk:
The Rev. Dorsey W. M. McConnell
Road to Emmaus by Duccio di Buoinsegna (c. 1308-1311)
Page 2 May 2012
Letters Redeemer News
Like them, I find myself in these days shaken, uncer-tain, trying to make sense of what has happened. Then I pray, and allow the Lord once again to teach me, in the depths of my soul, the truth of His mercy, His pro-vision for me, His victory over death. And I take a deep breath and walk with Him. I can go through this little cycle a dozen times in a day, even more. It always comes out in the same place: Jesus Christ is alive and well and leading me on the road. There really is eve-rything to look forward to and nothing to fear.
And there is only one road. Even when I am in Pitts-burgh and you continue here, we will be on the same road, led by Him.
The next few weeks will be a time of thanks and tears and I hope a good measure of joy, and even awe, over what God has done with us all over the last eight years. And I’ll have plenty to say about where I think we’ve gotten to, and where the Redeemer might be going from here. (I do, after all, have in me a few
more sermons and one more issue of the News!)
But mainly I pray that we will live the time from now through May with a deep and holy inten-
tion, as we take stock of all the blessings God has given us and the many more that He wants to bestow upon us at this threshold, this new beginning to our lives.
Betsy and I continue to hold you all in our prayers with deep gratitude for our life among you.
Faithfully in the Risen Christ,
And there is only one road. Even when I am in
Pittsburgh and you continue here, we will be on the same
road, led by Him.
All recent sermons (including Dorsey’s announcement sermon) are online at:
http://www.redeemerchestnuthill.org/calendar/sermons
Save the date!
The End-of-Year Picnic is now June 3rd after the 10:00 am service and will be a Hello Margery/Goodbye Dorsey fête organized by the
Church Service League, Sunday School and Fellowship.
For questions or to HELP OUT contact Amy Weed at [email protected]
An article on the election is included on Page 20 of the Redeemer News.
Letters
Page 3 May 2012
Redeemer News
The benefits of letting the Spirit act
From the Assisting Priest’s Desk:
The Rev. Beth Maynard
“I have considered my ways, but I turned my feet towards your testimonies” (Ps 119:59)
The anti-religious home where I grew up actually did contain one Bible. Not surprisingly, it was a large, aging, black leather-covered King James Version; I believe my mother had received it as a presentation piece for some occasion earlier in her life. Although I loved reading in general, I was slightly frightened by this Bible as a child. It didn’t look like any other books I had seen, the pages seemed fragile, and I understood dimly that this book had to do with big opinions that my family did not en-dorse and that it was best not to mention. Fortunately, it almost never left the shelf.
One day, though, my mother came to show me some-thing she had found in the Bible. I have no idea why she was reading it, but on a page near the middle, centered in one of the two columns of type, she had discovered my name in all caps: BETH.
Especially since I was already a little scared of the big black book, I asked her with some concern why my name would be in there. (This was, of course, long before Wikipedia.) She said something like, “Oh, there’s all sorts of nonsense in the Bible that there isn’t any reason for. It’s just superstition. I guess someone said to him-self, ‘Why not throw in some random names?’” She laughed, so I laughed.
My mother got a red pencil, and I watched as she drew a square around my name on the page. “So I can find the one thing in the Bible I’d care about,” she told me.
Later in life, when I discovered that Jesus was real and began to study Scripture, I realized that she had opened
to Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the Psalter. This rap-turous poem of delight in God’s Word is what is called an alphabetic acrostic, divided into 22 stanzas that corre-spond with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Within each stanza, every line begins (in Hebrew) with the ap-propriate letter (in other words, if it were an English poem, every line in the first stanza would start with A, and so on through Z.) According to pious legend, King David used this psalm to teach Solomon the alphabet.
The King James Bible (like the Book of Common Prayer) prints Psalm 119 with the relevant Hebrew let-ters over their matching stanzas. Since “Beth” is the sec-ond letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the stanza after ALEPH and before GIMEL in our copy was, of course, headed BETH.
A very simple explanation, really, but until you find out what it is, it’s no wonder you are completely un-equipped to make any reliable assessment of what’s going on. But, given human nature, you’ll probably make an assessment anyway.
05-23-05 © Tobias Lauchenauer
Page 4 May 2012
Redeemer News Letters
Beth’s is now in the office on Wednesdays
She can be reached at [email protected] or cell: 978-578-8034.
It strikes me that this kind of confusion is some-thing we come up against fairly of-ten. We devise an answer based on what we know, or think we know, when in fact there
is a whole other context that makes much better sense of the piece of data. This is especially so in the spiritual life, where our perspective often needs to take several breaths and make room to take in God’s perspective. It’s a particular challenge in times of change, uncertainty, or discernment, when we are seeking light on how God wants us to proceed or what God’s will is.
The temptation is to rush to a conclusion. This usually means that we hammer out our own solution from within the context we already know and the competen-cies we already have, and then hastily ask God, ex post facto, to give it a stamp of approval. (“Bless my plans, O Lord!”)
Yielding to that temptation is most often a great re-lief. The human mind loves to identify patterns and de-clare problems solved, even when all the pieces of infor-mation needed to complete the pattern or resolve the problem may not yet be in. It is almost always less stressful (in the short term!) to say “finished!” than to stay open to the possibility that God may not yet be fin-ished and is still doing something that we cannot see unless we wait for it.
Perhaps he is bringing data together at a much more leisurely pace than we’d prefer for excellent reasons we will not find out until later. Perhaps he is offering us a chance to learn to accept help from others in the Body of Christ by giving someone else a piece of what we need. Perhaps we just need to learn how to let go. (Let go? Me?) We noticed a pattern and were ready to declare it a five-pointed-star; what if it’s meant to be the whole Eagle Nebula?
Sometimes, when I have rushed to “fix” an issue ac-
cording to my lights, I’ve been given the opportunity to glimpse what far more creative and interesting grace I missed by doing so -- or even, a few times, lovingly res-cued into that grace in spite of myself. More often, though, I suspect that I never knew what I was missing. It is possible to live all of our lives in the church this way, grabbing our red pencils to draw neat boxes around things we think we’ve got figured out as we tell the Holy Spirit, “Don’t need your help on this one, thanks.”
Or, of course, it’s possible not to.
I once saw an intractable situation in a parish trans-formed into a dream come true overnight as a result of nothing more than a few unplanned sentences spoken at a deanery meeting, followed by a similarly impromptu prayer by the bishop, followed by a highly implausible phone call from a Jewish agnostic. We were all wildly grateful that we’d just barely managed to keep ourselves from seizing any of the second-best deadlock-resolvers we’d been practically killing ourselves inventing, as well as that we’d forced ourselves, with gritted teeth, to keep praying and affirming that the Holy Spirit was going to solve the problem. And then He actually did!
When Christians let the Spirit act, it has a far bigger payoff than trying to rush to solutions yourself -- in this case, it built up our faith, our parish, and the surround-ing community as well. But on top of that, honestly, when Christians let the Spirit act, this whole enterprise is just way more fun.
It is almost always less stressful (in the short term!) to say
“finished!” than to stay open to the possibility that God may not yet be finished and is still doing
something that we cannot see unless we wait for it.
Letters
Page 5 May 2012
Redeemer News
From the Wardens Steve Mead and Nina Moriarty
Bishop-Elect Dorsey McConnell of Pittsburgh
The Wardens feel, as do so many parishioners, a deep sense of loss, but take comfort in the great joy and hope that Dorsey’s elec-tion brings to so many in Pitts-burgh. Members of the Re-deemer know how much joy and hope the people of Pittsburgh feel because they know the sadness Dorsey’s departure brings to us.
Dorsey has been at the Redeemer close to eight years and over that time the Redeemer has grown in countless ways. Relationships with each other and to God have been strengthened and the Redeemer is now very healthy both spiritually and financially. Throughout the Redeemer’s history it has been blessed by great leader-ship both lay and ordained. It will continue, as it has, to go from strength to strength.
The Vestry will be meeting to discuss the specific steps for the appointment of an Interim Rector and the search process for a permanent replacement.
A celebration and farewell luncheon for Dorsey and Betsy is tentatively being planned for June 3rd.
Vestry Meeting, April 17, 2012
When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. They said to each other. “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24: 30-32)
The Vestry meeting began with a prayer from Debby Hunter Mills and a review of the passage where Jesus makes himself known to the disciples on the road to Em-maus following his resurrection.
The Vestry welcomed soon-to-be Curate Margery Kennelly to the Vestry meeting. Margery will be or-dained the first weekend in June and will start work that following week. Margery is already getting to know the parish. This is Margery’s second Vestry meeting and she has attended several Sunday School and staff meetings.
Altar Guild
Debby Hunter Mills who serves as the Head of the Al-tar Guild gave a report. The Head of the Altar Guild, as does the Head of the Church Service League, serves on the Vestry in an ex-officio, non-voting capacity. The Al-tar Guild is comprised of 31 members who are divided into seven teams each of which has a captain. The Guild cares for all of the altar linens, vessels and decorations and prepares the altar for all services including, funerals, weddings, Evensong, and other special services. Addi-tional volunteers help during Christmas, Easter and the summer.
The Altar Guild maintains its own budget. It receives $1,200 from the church’s Operating Budget but most of its funds come from flower donations. After many years of loyal service Andy Lawson stepped down as Flower Chair and was be replaced by Judy Reece. Carolyn Ross will succeed Nina Moriarty as Treasurer and Alyson Lee is to replace Debby when she steps down in May.
Fellowship, Formation and Vestry
Karla and Margery presented the outline for the formation of “Small Groups”. Groups will be made up of 6 people who have something in common. Three gatherings around a simple meal will be organized. Each gather-
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Formation
Page 6 May 2012
Redeemer News
Sunday School News From the Sunday School Director
Sarah Allen
There is a delight in prayer and a chance to feel God’s delight that we are mak-ing an effort to pray. Prayer can be joy and freedom, the place where we get to play in the presence of our creator… a taste of “the glorious liberty of being a child of God”
—Sybil MacBeth
I pray that this is how many of our children feel while in Sunday School... a community where they know in their bones that they are loved and respected-Where we come together to share each other’s lives and learn from one another on our spiritual journey.
April was the perfect Easter package…beginning with Palm Sunday on the 1st
ing will have a facilitator to lead a discussion around a passage from Scripture. Many parishioners who cannot attend the Men’s or Women’s Bible Study in the morn-ing, have expressed an interest in opportunities to spend time studying and discussing the Bible.
Karla reported that a series of Vestry dinners to be held in the homes of various Vestry members during September and October, are being finalized. Invitations will be sent in August.
Stewardship
Katie McEachern, who is the Vestry Liaison to Stew-ardship, reported that 233 pledges have been received for a total of $684,000. This includes 36 new pledges. 45 parishioners who pledged in 2011 have not yet
pledged in 2012. Stewardship is budgeted at $700,000 for 2012, which should be reached as final pledges come in.
Diocese
The Vestry approved the formation of a Committee whose initial purpose will be to determine how the Re-deemer should work in partnership with other parishes in order to strengthen the Episcopal Church in the Dio-cese of Massachusetts. The committee will be com-prised of the Deanery Representatives, the Diocesan Delegates and 3-5 other parishioners.
The meeting concluded with a prayer for the future by Gordon Cromwell.
Abundance in April
May Calendar
6 9:45 Chapel Walk for Hunger Food Drive
13 9:45 Chapel & Sunday School
20 9:45 Youth Sunday - All children expected to be there
27 Memorial Day weekend (closed)
Formation
Page 7 May 2012
Redeemer News
through the busy Holy Week. What a wonderful way for all of us to experience Dorsey at his best… He led us through the last week of Jesus’ life on earth at the ever-inspiring Good Friday Children’s Liturgy and then the Easter skit of “The Empty Tomb” during the Glorious- Bursting with Joy- 9 o’clock service.
We still had 2 more Sundays in April to tackle The Resurrec-tion, The Road to Emmaus, Doubting Thomas and The Ascension! Wow! I love 5 Sundays in one month!
May will not give us much time to focus on the reality of Dorsey, Betsy and Evan’s imminent departure. We have been blessed with the 3 of them in our midst for 8 years but are also ready and able to embrace the changes and chal-lenges that are coming our way. Our Sunday School has amazing parents, teach-ers, and children!
Blessings to you all,
Sarah
Page 8 May 2012
Redeemer News Fellowship
Renovating? Needing to Simplify? Considering a Move?
But busy with your career and kids?
Come listen to our sorting and moving specialists!
Sunday, May 6th
11:15 - 12:15 pm, refreshments provided Porter Room
Owners of Its Your Move Inc, a Move Management company, Lynn Falwell and Janice Armour, will talk about how to keep the
decisions of a move in your hands while benefiting from the labor and expertise of professionals.
This presentation is brought to you by the Eldercare Committee but the presentation will be aimed at all stages of life.
Page 9 May 2012
Fellowship Redeemer News
Seeking Baptism?
Our next Baptismal Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost on May 27th. (Memorial Day weekend). Please contact the office in advance if you are interested for yourself or your child. [email protected] 617-566-7679
PARENT SURVIVORS / In-Betweeners The inaugural gathering of the “Parent Survivors” or “In-betweeners” was great fun. It was an informal gathering where participants could share and connect with others in a similar stage of life – whether that involves caring for pre-teens, teens, post-teens, or aging parents. The goal of this emerging group is to ensure we care for ourselves and each other, as well as our children and/or our parents. Thank you to everyone who came and participated, especially to newcomer Richard Zielinski who provided music!
If you are the parent of a teenager (or older) and/or caring for aging parents, please join us at our next gathering – it will be fun!
Friday, May 11, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Cindy & John Chambliss’ 3 Caitlin Road, Brookline, MA 02445 617-277-3903
To join our email mailing or to RSVP contact Debby Hunter Mills at [email protected] or Martha Gangemi at [email protected].
Please make a note of the rescheduled date!
Page 10 May 2012
Redeemer News Fellowship
Do you want to nurture your soul? Are there ways you want your faith to grow?
Would you like to connect what you believe with how you live?
If you find yourself wondering about the answer to these ques-tions then small group ministry just might be for you. With the aid of Redeemer’s soon-to-be Curate, Margery Kennelly, and the Fellowship Committee, the church is launching a pro-gram this fall that will help us mull over these questions to-gether. To do this, small groups (8 to 14 people) will gather at parishioner’s homes and mull over the week’s upcoming lec-tionary reading. This isn’t Sunday Night Suppers, Vestry dinners or a class. It’s fellowship with a very brief, but purposeful agenda that in-cludes both the questions and guidance for the group to ex-plore answers around a scripture reading, or, hopefully if this goes well, other topics in the spring. No heavy intellectual lift-ing is necessary unless you chose.
How it works: There will be a host and a facilitator. Each meeting will last 1.5 hours and will end on time. The groups will meet three times dur-ing a six-week period beginning in early October. We hope to have varied times and locales for these gathering and be able to accom-modate even the busiest of schedules. So take a leap of faith and remember that whether or not you call him, God shows up. HOSTS who have already signed up:
Leslie Williams: Starting October XX, will host 3 Wednesday evenings from 7:00 –8:30 pm 132 Bellevue Street, Newton, MA 02458
Martha Gangemi: Starting October XX, will host TBD, from TBD-TBD
96 Lenox Street, Newton, MA 02465 Karla Todd: Starting October XX, will host 3 Tuesday evenings time meetings from 7:00 –8:30 pm
99 Sargent Road, Brookline, MA 02445-7517
We are looking for 6 HOSTS and 6 FACILITATORS.
Please contact Laine if you would like to host or
facilitate a group or join one that has already formed
[email protected] 617-566-7679
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Page 11 May 2012
Fellowship Redeemer News
WISH LIST FOR HOSTS/FACILITATORS:
Host/facilitator for a weekday morning Host/facilitator for a downtown/Back Bay lunch group Host/facilitator for a medical area lunch group Host/facilitator for western suburb group Host/facilitator for a group near the church
An example of how each evening might go:
Let us pray saying together:
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Read out loud Luke 24:13- 35. After a pause for time to reflect silently, a different person reads through the same scripture a second time.
Discussion questions:
What words or phrases or images strike you about this passage?
What is the setting for this passage? Who are the people involved, when is this happening and where is the story unfolding?
Although Luke does not directly tell us, given the political climate in Jerusalem at the time, and the fact that “the two” were arguing, what do you imagine was the topic of their discussion and the reason for their journey? How were they feeling at the time?
What were the expectations of the two and all Israel, for that matter, concerning the work of the Messiah?
How does Jesus reveal the surprising way that God fulfilled his promise?
What happens during the shared meal and what does it inspire them to do (in the middle of the night, no less)?
How does this passage inform or reflect your own faith experience?
Let us pray saying together:
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, orweep this night, and give your angels charge over those whosleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
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Page 12 May 2012
Mission Redeemer News
The Outreach Committee provides funding to a well-rounded slate of non-profit organizations addressing the needs of the homeless, hungry, underprivileged and disabled persons in our area. Funding for these financial grants comes from the proceeds of the Church Service League’s Christmas Market.
Hearth (Committee to End Elder Homelessness) This group provides seed money to rehabilitate apartment buildings and housing in the Brookline and Boston area to provide housing for low-income seniors.
Ecclesia Ministries Ecclesia Ministries was founded in 1994 by Rev. Deborah Little, with the support of the diocese to provide outreach to the homeless. Ecclesia operates the Common Cathedral that provides pastoral counseling to the homeless on the streets of downtown Boston. In addition to pastoral care, Ecclesia Ministries provides access to social services, medical care and counseling. Ecclesia is often the recipient of our ongoing collections of clothing, bags, and toiletries.
Epiphany School Founded with Diocesan support by John Finley IV in 1997 on the model of Nativity Prep, Epiphany is an independent, tuition-free, middle school for children of low-income fami-lies from Boston neighborhoods. It admits children of di-verse faiths, races, cultures, and cognitive profiles, believing in the Episcopal tradition that we find God in and through
each other's presence. The Redeemer has put together gift baskets for the teachers at Christmas.
Food Pantries We provide grants to the Brookline Emergency Food Pan-try, Newton Food Pantry, Centre Street Food Pantry (Newton) The Redeemer also gives food drive contributions to these pantries several times a year.
HomeStart, Inc. Home Start, Inc. was established in 1994 to help homeless people acquire their own permanent housing by making safe and cost-effective housing available.
Nativity Preparatory School Nativity Prep provides care and teaching to 60 boys in grades 5-8 and prepares them for private academies of higher learning. We have also assembled gift baskets for the teachers at Christmas.
On The Rise Cambridge shelter helps women to move beyond homeless-ness, connecting them with other social service agencies and to integrate them back into the mainstream. Our support helps fund the Safe Haven, a large Victorian House in central Cambridge, which provides immediate and safe shelter for women facing the crisis of homelessness. On the Rise is of-ten the recipient of our ongoing collections of clothing, bags, and toiletries.
CENTRE STREET FOOD PANTRY The Annual Sunday School Neighborhood Mini-Walk for hunger is Sunday, May 6th.
Everyone in the Parish is encouraged to donate non-perishable food to the bins out-side the office, which are out this week and will be out through the 6th.
Our walk is during Sunday School after the 9:45 Chapel. Children need to wear comfy and safe shoes.
Here is what the Pantry needs most, although any non-perishable food is welcome:
Canned fruit and veggies, Juice, Peanut butter and jelly, Rice, Breakfast cereal, Coffee & tea.
Please bring in lots and lots of food!
Church Service League Outreach Grants 2012-2013
Page 13 May 2012
Mission Redeemer News
Volunteer to serve lunch at St. Stephen’s B-SAFE
Counselor Training Week!
Server Requirements & Info:
Be available to serve lunch on either Tuesday, June 26; Wednesday, June 27; or
Thursday, June 28th from 11:00 am-1:00 pm. We are committed to all three days. Lunch supplies will be provided by Redeemer team
leaders for each day—there is some prep, but it is mainly serving the meal and cleaning up afterwards
150 grateful, passionate and polite high school students will thank you for serving them lunch
Each day needs 4 people and a team leader to be successful
If you are interested in being a team leader, we need a few! Team leaders buy and bring the pre-made food and paper goods, coordinate reimbursements, keep in touch with our Mission and Outreach Co-chairs, and sometimes provide transportation from the church for our volunteers
B-SAFE training occurs at the Epiphany School in Dorchester
We already have the following volunteers: Velura Perry, Hooker Talcott, Mary Nickerson, Spencer Merz, Chris Wilmerding, Lucia Dolan
To sign up to help one or more days: Contact Redeemer Mission and Outreach Co-Chairs Chris Wilmerding ([email protected] or 617-261-2579) or Spencer Merz ([email protected] or 617-731-5036).
B-SAFE is a wonderful day summer program for low-income inner
city children, and serving lunch to their
counselors is a rewarding way to help
B-SAFE!
Last year Redeemer volunteers served lunch to the B-SAFE counselors two days in June. This is a photo of one of the groups in the Epiphany School dining room.
The Second Step The Second Step is a shelter for battered women in New-tonville that focuses on providing counseling and vocational help to transition residents back into the mainstream.
Trinity Education for Excellence Program-Roxbury (TEEP) TEEP is a tuition-free, out-of-school time program for Bos-ton Public middle and high school students (7th-12th grades). Our mission is to create a safe community where every member is inspired to discover, empowered to en-
gage, and individually affirmed. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church St. Stephen’s Church on Shawmut Avenue in Boston is an Episcopal parish committed to rebuilding, growing, and becoming a vibrant and relevant force in its commu-nity. Through innovative partnerships with resourceful parishes like Church of the Redeemer, St. Stephen’s now offers an after-school program, a summer day camp (B-SAFE), a food pantry, and a series of lunches to its parish-ioners and neighbors.
Mission
Page 14 May 2012
Redeemer News
Tackling one of modern Africa’s biggest demons
Parishioner Hallie DeLorey counsels Ugandans on alcoholism prevention
First and foremost I want to thank the Church of the Redeemer, Betsy McCon-nell and Pilgrim Africa for a once in a lifetime experience.
Through connections with Betsy and help from the Redeemer, in March I was blessed to go to Pilgrim Africa in Uganda to educate the local counselors, pastors and teachers about alcoholism.
Alarmingly, through my research, I found out there is more of a problem with alcohol in Uganda then anywhere in the world, at an annual consumption rate of 19.47 liters (a little over 5 gallons) per person over 15 years of age.
The staff of Pilgrim Africa and all the chaplains, teachers and counselors that came to the workshop were beauti-ful people inside and out. The 60 partici-pants greeted me each morning with prayers smiles and songs that were heart-warming.
I taught them about the disease of alcoholism and how it affects people mentally, physically and spiritually. They were unaware that alcoholism is a disease and that there is help available. We did role playing and experiential exer-cises that showed them what it was like to be an alcoholic and how to help people suffering with this disease. We re-enacted AA meetings and provided them literature and support to get AA started in Soroti. I was fortunate to visit a hospital, medical center, and the Beacon of Hope school where I taught 500 students about drug and alcohol preven-tion education. We discussed how it affects their lives and families. They were very receptive and had some great questions. We had wonderful conversations and they communicated their hopes and fears.
From what I observed and heard, East African society is essentially cashless, and the woman raise the children, do the housework, as well as raise the crops yielding “ewaragi” a cassava-based gin, and a malt beverage called “ajono” which the men drink in small groups at their leisure. Family violence of all sorts is rampant due to alcoholism and chronic poverty.
Everyone I talked with was very receptive and really wants to carry the message to others and help overcome this obstacle to a healthy life, like the strides they have made with HIV/AIDS and Malaria.
Parishioner Hallie DeLorey taught 500 of Beacon of Hope’s students about alcohol abuse and prevention education in the course of her two-week trip to help counselors, teachers and pastors understand alcoholism as a disease. Hallie is a drug and alcohol counselor here in the States.
Mission
Page 15 May 2012
Redeemer News
Hallie meets with a few students (those who came to perform at the Redeemer last year, actually) who had additional questions after her all-school presentation.
This trip was life-changing for me—I learned and grew so much. I am forever grateful for this experience and op-portunity to go to Uganda and share my experience strength and hope with these lovely people. They have so few material resources and have so much faith, hope and promise and smiles and it really makes your heart sing and puts all of life into perspective.
Life in East Africa
Soroti, Uganda is very close to the equator and possesses limited water, electric power, sewage systems and mosquito control, which contributes to an adverse public health environment.
Many young people suffer from malaria, which claims 100,000 people annually according to the Pil-grim Africa website: http://www.pilgrimafrica.org/
Hallie found no general knowledge of the causes or effects of alcoholism, although there was great curiosity and need for this information in any form. In order to make the biggest impact, she held few one-on-one counseling sessions but a great number of group information-dissemination talks.
Trip logistics
Hallie made this trip by herself, meeting and working with three trauma faculty from the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in NYC who have trained many counselors in Soroti with Betsy on previous trips. The journey itself is a three-day affair from Boston via Heathrow, then to Entebbe, Uganda, (all by air), followed by two lengthy trips by van from Entebbe to Soroti.
The Bishop’s Wife...soon to be Betsy McConnell!
Let’s celebrate Betsy’s new position in style with a woman’s tea! All women of the parish are invited.
Saturday, May 5th 3:30 –5:00 pm at the Sampson residence
165 Crafts Road in Chestnut Hill Silly bishop-related gifts encouraged.
Please RSVP/direct questions to Carol at [email protected]
Page 16 May 2012
Mission Redeemer News
Coming Soon to the Redeemer Undercroft
Do you enjoy reading the Redeemer News online? Not sure you need your paper copy?
Email Laine in the office and she’ll remove your name from the News mailing list. This can always be reversed if you ever want the paper copy again. [email protected]
Community Life
Page 17 May 2012
Redeemer News
Quite a Crowd at March’s Redeemer Movie Night Featuring Hugo
June Redeemer Movie Night Featuring The Tree of Life
Friday, June 1st, 7:00 pm in the OPH (We are taking May off since it is SO busy!)
The Tree of Life follows a middle-aged man’s existential journey about the meaning and origin of life, as well as memories of his own childhood in the 1950s Midwest. Questions? [email protected]
Page 18 May 2012
Community Life Redeemer News
April 29th — in loving memory of Dr. John P. Hubbell, Jr.
are given to the Glory of God and
sorrows
Inell McGee (Stan McGee’s mother)
Ross Martin
Virginia Adams
Joan Cave
Our hearts go out to the families of the recently deceased:
Episcopal Diocese Elects the Rev. Dorsey McConnell as Bishop
Except from the Diocese of Pittsburgh website on April 21st
The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted today to name the Rev. Dorsey W. M. McConnell as its next bishop. This election of the 8th permanent Bishop Diocesan was a momentous occasion in the 147-year life of the dio-cese, which has been rebuilding its mission and ministry following a split in 2008. “St. Paul says we are called to be ambassadors of recon-ciliation. If we are going to offer that to the world, we certainly have to do it among ourselves,” said Bishop-elect McConnell. “We can be an exciting witness,” the bishop-elect con-tinued. “There is no better place to build bridges than Pittsburgh.” The Right Rev. Kenneth L. Price, Jr., who has been serving as Bishop of Pittsburgh on an interim basis since 2009, praised the choice, saying “I came to know Dorsey
during the search process and I was immediately im-pressed. The diocese will be in good hands with him as bishop.” B i s h o p -elect McCon-nell is cur-rently rector of the Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He was chosen from a slate of five nominees voted on by the clergy and lay deputies participating in a Special Conven-tion of the diocese convened solely to elect a new bishop. The outcome was decided on the sixth round of ballot-ing, when Bishop-elect McConnell received 31, or 76%, of the clergy votes and 47, or 57%, of the votes of lay deputies. A simple majority from both groups in the same round of balloting was needed for election. The election took place at Pittsburgh’s Trinity Cathe-dral during a Eucharist celebrated by Bishop Price and in-volving 126 voting deputies and dozens of others repre-senting a growing number of actively participating dioce-san congregations.
The results of each ballot are available at www.episcopalpgh.org/bsearch.
Page 19 May 2012
Worship Redeemer News
SERVICE ASSISTANTS’ SCHEDULE—MAY 2012
Sunday, May 6th
Holy Eucharist 10:00 am
Server: P. Burnham
Acolytes: W. Farber, S. Reynders
Lectors: B. Swinton, E. Maynard
LEMs: L. Doran, Z. Brooks
Ushers: D. Schmalensee (Head Usher), R. Schmalensee, D. Walker, T. O’Brien
Altar Guild: N. Moriarty (Captain), P. Awtrey, M. Pollard, D. Schmalensee
Sunday, May 13th
Holy Eucharist
10:00 am
Server: S. Bickford
Acolytes: L. Gadicke, D. Farber
Lectors: N. Moriarty, L. Jones
LEMs: T. Allen, P. Burnham
Ushers: P. Reiser (Head Usher), G. Beal, I. Cunningham, C. Cooney Altar Guild: C. Ross (Captain), G. Dahmen, T. Chope, A. Grandin, E. Maraneli
Sunday, May 13th
Evensong
5:00 pm
Server: S. Westcott
Lectors: V. Perry, J. Castello
Ushers: L. Dahmen, V. Perry
Sunday, May 20th
Youth Sunday Morning Prayer
10:00 am
Server: B. Mills
Acolytes: M. Weed, S. Mills
Lectors: Youth TBD
Ushers: D. Tucker (Head Usher), D. Walker, J. de Jong, D. Brewster
Altar Guild: L. Forse (Captain), D. Aylward, J. Bland, J. Reece
Sunday, May 27th
The Feast of Pentecost Holy Eucharist and Baptisms
10:00 am
Server: P. Burnham
Acolytes: J. Goldsmith, M. Britt-Webb
Lectors: E. Britt-Webb, Chris Jones
LEMs: Z. Brooks, S. Westcott
Ushers: E. Britt-Webb (Head Usher), S. Merz, P. Bianchi, S. Hurlbut
Altar Guild: S. Westcott (Captain), S. Anderson, E. Palmer, M. Rowley
Page 20 May 2012
Worship Redeemer News
Page 21 May 2012
Music Redeemer News
Page 22 May 2012
Redeemer News Archives
From the Archives “...we will take heart for the future Remembering the past.” T.S. Eliot
“SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME
…forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of God. These words appear in three of the Gos-pels (Mark, Matthew and Luke) as Jesus rebuked his disciples for refusing to allow them to be touched by Him. It is also the inscription above the window above the Morning Chapel altar. The window was specifically designed to complement the Great Window, titled Consecration of the Family. The stained glass windows were carried out by the Kempe Studios of England at the request of the members of our Vestry. In 1915 when this building was erected these first windows reflected the importance the parish felt for family and chil-dren.
In our first church building (1890-1915), a room was constructed especially for the Sunday School. By 1902 there were eight teachers and a list of sixty-seven students, ages 4-18,with a parishioner, Delphine Phinney as coordinator and lead teacher for thirteen years. In the nearly hundred years since then more than half of the directors of the church school have come from our parish family. The teachers in the mid-twentieth century were college students and some parents. In the past forty years most, if not all teachers have been parents with lots of help from each other, from the Director, and from the curriculum itself.
In 1971 the Christian Education Committee prepared an extensive report on our various programs. Eight years later there was a second report which reflected the changes made by the work of the Church School Committee who acted as Directors of the Church School (Anita Fritze, Anne Grandin, Cynthia Travers and Suzy Westcott), the Rec-tor, Don Bitsberger and Mike Morgan, Curate.
In 1975 the First Youth Sunday occurred. The then Rector, Don Bitsberger wrote “Once a year we turn over the reins of the 10:30 service to the young people of the Redeemer. In many respects, this visible celebration hardly bespeaks the level of involvement, enthusiasm and energy that the youth bring to us in this parish. As youth choir members, acolytes, servers, church school teachers, child care workers, our young people make great contributions to the vitality and spirit of our life together.”
For the past few years our young people have served as lectors on the 3rd Sunday of the month. But on Youth Sun-day, this year the 38th, on May 20th, the young people do everything- sermon, music, lectors and ushers. All under the auspices of Sarah Allen and Mary Reynders.
- Jody Castello
Page 23 May 2012
Redeemer News Calendar
Sund
ay
Mon
day
Tu
esd
ay
Wed
nes
day
Th
ursd
ay
Frid
ay
Satu
rday
1 7:00
am
- 8
:30
am
Men
's Bi
ble
Stud
y
2
8:00
am
-4:0
0 p
m
CH
S in
the
Port
er R
oom
3:
00 p
m -
9:0
0 p
m
Lead
ersh
ip D
evel
opm
ent
Inst
itute
7:
30 p
m -
9:3
0 p
m
Beac
on G
roup
AA
Mee
ting
3
8:00
am
-4:0
0 p
m
CH
S in
the
Port
er R
oom
9:
00 a
m -
10:
30 a
m
Wom
en's
Bibl
e St
udy
4
Con
firm
atio
n C
lass
G
oes t
o N
YC
N
ight
wat
ch
5
Con
firm
atio
n C
lass
R
etur
ns fr
om N
YC
N
ight
wat
ch
3:30
pm
-5:3
0 p
m
Tea
for
Bets
y M
cCon
nell
at th
e Sa
mps
on r
esid
ence
6
Fifth
Sun
day
of E
aste
r
All-
Pari
sh F
ood
Dri
ve
8:00
am
- 9
:00
am H
oly
Euch
arist
9:
00 a
m -
9:5
0 am
Adu
lt Bi
ble
Stud
y
9:00
am
- 1
2:00
pm
Chi
ldca
re P
rovi
ded
9:
00 a
m -
9:3
0 am
Par
ish C
hoir
Reh
ears
al
9:10
am
- 9
:45
am C
hild
ren'
s Cho
ir R
ehea
rsal
9:
45 a
m -
11:
15 a
m C
hild
ren'
s Cha
pel a
nd S
unda
y Sc
hool
N
eigh
borh
ood
Min
i-Wal
k fo
r H
unge
r
10:0
0 am
- 1
1:15
am
Hol
y Eu
char
ist
11:1
5 am
- 1
1:45
am
Cof
fee
Hou
r
11:3
0 am
- 1
2:00
pm
Par
ish C
hoir
Reh
ears
al
11:3
0 am
- 1
2:30
pm
“It's
You
r M
ove”
Pre
sent
atio
n 12
:00
pm
-6:0
0 p
m R
enta
l in
the
OPH
5:
00 p
m -
6:0
0 p
m C
onfir
mat
ion
Cla
ss
7
9:00
am
- 1
0:00
am
C
hurc
h S
ervi
ce L
eagu
e
7:30
pm
- 9
:00
pm
Su
ppor
t Gro
up R
enta
l
8
7:00
am
- 8
:30
am
Men
's Bi
ble
Stud
y
8:00
am
-4:0
0 p
m
CH
S in
the
Port
er R
oom
7:
30 p
m -
9:3
0 p
m
Ves
try
Mee
ting
9
9:00
am
- 1
0:00
am
Su
nday
Sch
ool C
omm
ittee
11
:00
am -
12:
00 p
m
Staf
f Mee
ting
12
:30
pm
-2:3
0 p
m
Staf
f End
-of-
Yea
r Lu
nche
on a
nd
Goo
dbye
Par
ty
7:30
pm
- 9
:30
pm
Be
acon
Gro
up A
A M
eetin
g
10
9:00
am
- 1
0:30
am
W
omen
's Bi
ble
Stud
y
11
6:30
pm
- 9
:00
pm
Pa
rent
Sur
vivo
rs'
Fello
wsh
ip
Din
ner
at th
e
Cha
mbl
iss/K
rets
chm
ar
Res
iden
ce
7:00
pm
-9:0
0 p
m
Con
firm
atio
n C
lass
Po
tluck
at t
he P
olla
rd’s
12
10:3
0 am
- 1
:00
pm
D
eane
ry C
onfir
mat
ion
at
Tri
nity
Chu
rch-
Cop
ley
Squa
re
3:00
pm
- 5
:00
pm
C
ham
ber
Cho
ir
Reh
ears
al
13
Sixt
h Su
nday
of E
aste
r
8:00
am
- 9
:00
am H
oly
Euch
arist
9:
00 a
m -
12:
00 p
m C
hild
care
Pro
vide
d
9:00
am
- 9
:30
am P
arish
Cho
ir R
ehea
rsal
9:
00 a
m -
9:5
0 am
Adu
lt Bi
ble
Stud
y
9:45
am
- 1
1:15
am
Chi
ldre
n's C
hape
l and
Sun
day
Scho
ol
10:0
0 am
- 1
1:15
am
Hol
y Eu
char
ist
11:1
5 am
- 1
1:45
am
Cof
fee
Hou
r
3:30
pm
- 4
:30
pm
Eve
nson
g R
ehea
rsal
5:
00 p
m -
6:0
0 p
m E
vens
ong
6:
00 p
m -
6:3
0 p
m E
vens
ong
Rec
eptio
n
14
15
7:00
am
- 8
:30
am
Men
's Bi
ble
Stud
y
7:00
pm
- 8
:30
pm
M
issio
n an
d O
utre
ach
Mee
ting
16
7:30
pm
- 9
:30
pm
Be
acon
Gro
up A
A M
eetin
g
17
Asc
ensio
n D
ay
9:00
am
- 1
0:30
am
W
omen
's Bi
ble
Stud
y
3:30
pm
- 4
:00
pm
A
ltar
Gui
ld
Hol
y Eu
char
ist
4:00
pm
- 5
:30
pm
A
ltar
Gui
ld S
emi-A
nnua
l M
eetin
g
18
19
11:0
0 am
-5:0
0 p
m
New
ton
Ope
n St
udio
s 6:
30p
m-8
:30
pm
6t
h an
d 7t
h gr
ade
D
inne
r at
the
Mill
s’
20
Seve
nth
Sund
ay o
f Eas
ter
Y
outh
Sun
day
8:
00 a
m -
9:0
0 am
Hol
y Eu
char
ist
9:00
am
- 1
2:00
pm
Chi
ldca
re P
rovi
ded
9:
10 a
m -
9:4
5 am
Chi
ldre
n's C
hoir
Reh
ears
al
9:45
am
- 1
1:15
am
No
Sund
ay S
choo
l,
but C
hild
care
Pro
vide
d
10:0
0 am
- 1
1:15
am
You
th S
unda
y M
orni
ng P
raye
r
11:0
0 am
-5:0
0 p
m N
ewto
n O
pen
Stud
ios
11:1
5 am
- 1
1:45
am
Cof
fee
Hou
r
6:00
pm
-8:0
0 p
m F
rien
ds o
f Pilg
rim
Gat
heri
ng a
t the
Rec
tory
21
22
23
7:
30 p
m -
9:3
0 p
m
Beac
on G
roup
AA
Mee
ting
24
25
26
27
Pent
ecos
t 10
:00
am-1
1:15
am
No
Sund
ay S
choo
l and
No
Chi
ldca
re
10:0
0 am
- 1
1:15
am
Hol
y Eu
char
ist w
ith B
aptis
ms
11:1
5 am
- 1
1:45
am
Cof
fee
Hou
r
28
Mem
oria
l Day
--
Offi
ce C
lose
d
29
30
7:
30 p
m -
9:3
0 p
m
Beac
on G
roup
AA
Mee
ting
31
May
201
2
MISSION STATEMENT
“A parish of the Episcopal Church, the Church of the Redeemer exists to bring people to Christ, and to bring Christ to all people, through worship, fellowship, education and service.”
Mailed monthly Sept. to June, Except Bi-monthly July-August TIME VALUE
Contact us Rector, The Rev. Dorsey McConnell (617) 566-7679 ext. 11, [email protected]
Assisting Priest, The Rev. Beth Maynard (Cell: 978-578-8034), [email protected]
Organist and Choirmaster, Michael S. Murray (617) 566-7679 ext. 17, [email protected]
Parish Administrator, Laine Walters Young (617) 566-7679 ext. 10, [email protected]
Director of Sunday School, Sarah Allen (617) 566-7679 ext. 16, [email protected]
Director of the Children’s Choir, Mary Reynders (617) 566-7679 ext. 18, [email protected]
Financial Administrator, Sharon Gillespie (617) 566-7679 ext. 12, [email protected]
Facilities Manager, Elton Matos (617) 566-7679 ext. 14, [email protected]
Verger, Suzy Westcott (617) 566-7679 ext. 15, [email protected]
CSL Assistant, Lovey Cercone, (617) 769-1334
VESTRY
Steve Mead, Senior Warden Nina Moriarty, Junior Warden
Amy Mullen Luster, Clerk Jeff Hawkins, Treasurer
Charles Farber, Assistant Treasurer
Michael Aylward Katie McEachern Judy Bullitt Megan Sampson Gordon Cromwell Karla Todd Mary Crown Taki Tsomides Marilyn Emilsson Leslie Williams Martha Gangemi Chris Wilmerding Amy Weed, ex officio Debby Hunter Mills, ex officio
AFFILIATED CLERGY The Rev. Judith L. Stuart, Episcopal Chaplain to Boston College and Northeastern University
The Rev. John H. Finley IV, Head of Epiphany School
Redeemer News Church of the Redeemer 379 Hammond Street Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617-566-7679)
Redeemer News (866540) Second Class Postage paid at Boston MA. Send address changes to:
