Our doors may be closed, 
but our hearts are still open!
 

Introduction

The Rev. L. Kathleen Liles, Rector 

Click on the image to see and hear the Introduction.

Evening ZOOM Prayer

Every Sunday & Wednesday at 5:00 pm

Detail of Jesus in The Last Supper Window in the Chapel.
Photo by Gwendolyn R. Chambrun.

This Monday, September 21
 at 5:00 pm

When the disciples were walking along the road to Emmaus, Jesus himself – as the stranger – opened their eyes and hearts to scripture. Only then could they recognize it was Jesus. 

The Emmaus Walk is an informal exploration of the upcoming Sunday scripture by fellow pilgrims. No need to be a bible scholar, just someone who knows there is always more to share and to learn. 

Mondays 5:00 to 6:00 pm.

To Join the Zoom Virtual Emmaus Walk, click here.

Eugène Burnand, Jean et Pierre, 1898.

ON BEAUTY

by Zadie Smith

October 1, 8, 15
Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:00 pm 

With everything going on in the world today, is this a time for reading stories? I think so. Recent studies have shown that reading fiction increases our ability to grow in empathy for others – and there can be no understanding or forgiveness without that. A novel helps us not only to observe others’ actions but reveals their motivations, fears, struggles, regrets, dreams and loves – all the gathered time-worn stuff that compels a particular person to respond to life in a specific way. Characters in a novel can expand our view of the world and help us grow in our own self-knowledge. Examining our thoughts and actions in the reflected light of others – particularly those who seem most different from us – sometimes introduces us to aspects of our selves we had not yet encountered. 

This wonderful novel by Zadie Smith revolves around a collection of deftly drawn characters who struggle with each other and the unexpected circumstances life presents. Below is an introduction written by Father Andrew Mead, a friend who recommended the book. Since he is an especially able writer, I decided to let him introduce the book to you. 

The story involves Howard, a (militantly secular and politically correct) British professor whose stalled career involves a wrong-headed view of Rembrandt's art, and his splendid African-American wife Kiki, who live on a fictional campus, Wellington College (think Wellesley), near Cambridge and Boston MA. Their mixed-race children, a rival Trinidadian-British professor (militantly Christian, charismatic and conservative) and his wife and family, all feature strongly in a superb plot with well-drawn characters. Smith, daughter of a Jamaican mother and English father, a graduate of King's College, Cambridge, and a literature professor who has studied and taught at both Harvard and NYU, writes masterfully and knows her context well. She deals with race, class, academia, aesthetics, poetry and rap, hypocrisy, sex and infidelity, and always and everywhere: honesty.  

I will simply add that the book is a pleasure to read and there will be plenty to talk about. I hope you will consider joining in the discussions. The book is easily available from Amazon or your local bookseller. And, as always, if you would like assistance acquiring the book, do not hesitate to contact me by emailing me at liles@csschurch.org or calling 212-787-2755, ext. 3. I would be happy to make sure you get a copy – without you having to leave your apartment!
 

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A WORD OF CAUTION

I announced this book after I had read about three-fourths of it. After that the story began to include — shall we say — Adult Content. If raunchy sex and language bother you, you may want to wait for the next book. Sorry. Going forward, I promise to read the book all the way to the end before choosing it. But, if you can get through that sort of scene and language, this novel is wonderful and by no means salacious. Just a bit of highly descriptive hanky panky that will not be for everyone.

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— LKL 

To join the discussions, click here.
 

Stewardship and Social Distancing

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO IS STAYING UP TO DATE WITH PLEDGES. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO YOU!

We hope the CSSeNews Sunday worship editions are a useful tool for your weekly worship. We design them with flexibility in mind so that you and your family may experience a worshipful Sunday morning – or afternoon. We have heard that some families gather to go through the service together. We love to hear that. But the one thing we cannot do is pass the alms basin at the Offertory.  If you are keeping up with your pledge by Simple Give or Amex, the church doors being closed should not affect you much. But if you are ‘old school’ and used to dropping your pledge envelope into the collection plate, you might wonder what to do. Please consider signing up to make your contributions via Simple Give, which accepts Visa and Mastercard. Go to the church website’s giving link: https://www.csschurch.org/giving to enroll. It is simple. Or, if you prefer to give by Amex, contact our Bookkeeper, Lee Priore, at concert@csschurch.org. 

 

If you would like to drop your pledge payment in the mail, we are available to deposit your contribution once it is received, although mail delivery is spotty these days. 

 

If you have not made an annual pledge but wish to support the church during these challenging times, please consider doing so now. 

 

Your support of the church is essential during this period in order to ensure that we can continue to maintain our church and its ministries. Thank you and God bless you for remembering CSS.

 

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Photo of the new banner by the Rev. L. Kathleen Liles.