Some Musical Inspiration

Thanks to Pam Steel who brought this to our attention, and to the quarantined Berklee students who created it.

Community Feedback Requested

We are proud of you for practicing social distancing and keeping our community safe, and we send heartfelt support to all essential workers doing everything they can to keep our community healthy and free.

Our community is based on relationships and connections. Though we are dependent on digital tools at the moment, our connections are real and beautiful~

We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on how we can improve your experience during these pandemic times!

Would you please take a moment to complete this survey.

Our goal is to support you in opportunities for experiences that are meaningful and connecting in the weeks to come.

See link below:

https://forms.gle/u78ZN6q5MuVEgjWQ6

An Apology

The staff of First Church would like to apologize to long time members Richard and Carole Chinman, in that their Directory information was incorrect; and we are deeply sorry. Carole's name was inadvertently left out, and that was our mistake. There will be a mailed correction sent out in the near future. Carole is a valued and dear member of our community, and so many of us remember well her energy and devotion to our community, particularly her work as co-chair of Social Justice!

And in that regard, if there are any other corrections, or if there are already changes to your information, please email the church office. We already have five changes that we will also send out in a corrections sheet that you can slip into your new green Directory--we would like it to be as complete as possible! Thanks for your help in such a big project. --Stephen

News From Our Community

Social Justice News

The meeting regularly scheduled for the first Sunday of every month will of course not be held in person in April, but Rosemary Kean informs us that plans are underway to meet virtually, via Zoom. Tiffany Lin is very familiar with the technology and is available to help make it work; a message on the subject will be forthcoming.

Rosemary writes,

"We will be pare down our agenda and will have time to do rounds so that each of us who wants to, has the chance to briefly check in. We do have some updates on the GBIO health care campaign and will have a report from our new climate sub-committee which will be doing a Zoom meeting this coming Sunday."

Feel free to e-mail Rosemary "with your concerns and ideas about how we go forward during this time when it is best not to meet in person."

This Week at First Church in Boston

Friday, March 27, 2020

Sunday Morning Worship

March 29, 2020
Stephen Kendrick, Senior Minister

[IMPORTANT NOTE: in this age of COVID-19, meetings of 10 people or more are dangerous and unlawful, down from 25 just last week, and so in compliance with state and municipal regulations, only participants in the service will be admitted to the building; this really will be an all-virtual service! All are welcome to partake by listening to our broadcast on WERS radio, 88.9 FM, or by live-streaming video via the First Church Boston Facebook page. For more information on our COVID-19 policy follow this link; and for more on our virtual services, this one. ]

"Repaint, Repaint!"

Despite the fact that we are having to "meet" virtually, the response to both the WERS broadcast and the FCB Facebook live streaming is pretty overwhelming. This week we will change things up a bit (we are still learning how to do this, anyway--might as well experiment!). We will be a little lighter on the sermon side of things, and spend more time in the sharing of meditations and readings helping us connect spirituality with the creative impulse. When outer circumstances seem so controlling, it is actually a good time to think about what we have inside of us, what we can assert, proclaim, and create...

The way we are going to do that is to make lemonade out of lemons--we are saddened that our long planned Art and Spirit Celebration and Reception had to be canceled--we were planning to highlight the poems and meditations of member Richard Baydin, along with an art display in the lobby arranged by Tim House featuring other members' art and images to 'bounce" off of Rich's work. So we are taking some of that artistic impulse, and wrapping it back into the service itself...

which should be fun, and enlivening, and a balm to our slightly ragged souls right now.

"See" you Sunday.

Stephen

Since you will all have to enjoy the service remotely, here is a link to the Order of Service.

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Music Selections

Prelude:
Prelude and Fugue in C major
Johann Ludwig Krebs (1730-1780)

Musical Meditation # 1:
Prelude in E minor
Johann Ludwig Krebs

Musical Meditation # 2:
Chorale Prelude on "Jesu, meine Freude"
Johann Ludwig Krebs

Offertory:
Prelude and Fugue in f major
Johann Ludwig Krebs

Postlude:
Prelude and Fugue in B Flat major
Johann Ludwig Krebs

Upcoming Sunday Services

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Rev. Kendrick
"People Get Ready"
Palm Sunday

Children's Religious Education

Suspended until further notice

Pastoral News / Updates and Transitions

New Information about Eileen Brewster:

After about a month, marked by a significant operation that Eileen seems to have coped with well, member Eileen Brewster was moved from the Cambridge Hospital to a new facility where she will likely be for an extended time. Her new contact information (for notes and letters, not calls or visits for now) is East Point Rehab, 255 Central Ave., Chelsea, Ma. 02150. (It looked familiar to me, and then I remembered this was where I visited Peter Neuendorffer for some time.)

- Stephen

If you have pastoral updates and news you would like to share with the congregation, please contact editor Peter Banos. Even if you don't want your concern or joy in the Friday e-news, our ministers always want to hear from you. Thanks!