Life of the Church
SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2020
Announcements
AUG 21 | All-Church Meeting with Q&A
Separate pre-registrations are required to attend in person and over Zoom.
Park Street Church will hold an an All-Church Meeting on FRI, AUG 21. In the meeting Mark will give an update on his first months, share the leadership’s vision for the fall and provide time for Q&A. This will be a hybrid event, where congregants will be able to attend both in-person and watch live. Questions will be taken online so that everyone will be able to participate.
Questions may be submitted by emailing [email protected] ahead of time or during the meeting itself.
*The meeting will be recorded and available to members upon request.
Request for Elder Nominations
Please pray for the future leaders of the church and for those tasked with identifying them.
If you know a Park Street member who would be a good Elder, or if you are interested in being an Elder, the Nominating Committee would like to hear from you! Send them an email at the link below.
Needed: Food Pantry Volunteers
First Congregational Church of Revere is in urgent need of volunteers for their Food Pantry!
Weekly needs:
- Mondays, 10:00–11:00 AM, unload truck and stock food inside gym.
- Tuesdays, 4:00–6:00 PM, bag groceries.
- Wednesdays, 5:30–8:30 PM, finish bagging perishables; hand out grocery bags to families as per roster; help register any newcomers. Spanish speakers needed.
Please note that the Rumney Marsh Academy where we are currently located requires volunteers to be at least 16 years old. In a few weeks, we will be moving the pantry back to the church, and children ages 10 and up are welcome to volunteer. Masks are required. Gloves will be provided.
Questions? Contact Olu Akapo or Mara Marino.
Central Assembly of God is in urgent need of volunteers for their Food Pantry!
Weekly needs:
- Mondays and/or Thursdays, 9:00–10:00 AM: break down, flatten, and bundle food boxes and carry bundles to the rear of the church. Vacuum the fellowship hall to clean up from the bagging of food earlier. Most of the team will still be present distributing food, so you will not be alone.
- Every other Thursday, (8/13, 8/27, 9/10, etc.), ~10:00 AM (done before 12:30 PM): If you have a van or SUV they can use for hauling boxes of food, a two or three-vehicle team meets at Voice of the Gospel Tabernacle in Mattapan to load boxes and bags of food from the Greater Boston Food Bank Truck, drive 30 min to Central Assembly of God Church East Boston, and help unload into their Fellowship Hall. Be able to lift 15–40 lb. Carrying distances are short.
Contact Kimberly Dawes or Rich Spinelli to volunteer
Baby Boutique
Boston Center for Pregnancy Choices (BCPC) needs your gently used baby clothes and items! BCPC has a Baby Boutique, which offers these donations FREE of charge to new and expecting moms and dads. COVID-19 has led to increased need, especially boys’ clothing sized 0-6 mos.
Drop items by the center on MONDAYS or FRIDAYS, 1:00–3:00 PM, at 120 Lincoln Street, Boston, or contact Sara Loy at (857) 654-3358 to arrange a time. Please call us ahead to let us know you are coming!
Job Opportunities at Park Street School
Exemplifying a Christian worldview, Park Street School offers a continuous, integrated, Christian-based learning environment to students from toddler to grade six. They are seeking to fill the following positions for the 2020–21 school year:
- Preschool Lead & Associate Teachers
- Elementary Lead & Associate Teachers
- Elementary Specialist Science Teacher
- Elementary School Principal
- Facilities Manager
Please email below for complete job descriptions and application instructions.
Live Streaming Audio Issues
We are so glad many of you join us on Sunday morning and afternoon for worship from the live stream! For those who notice a lag in the video stream or find that the sound is out of sync with speakers or singers, please refresh your browser.
Community
In-Person Worship Services
Beginning AUG 16, we have begun opening our doors for an in-person worship service on Sundays at 8:30 AM. The sermon for all three services will be the same, but the 8:30 liturgy will be unique; we are drawing on historic church traditions in order to invite more congregational participation, while also limiting the service to approximately 60 minutes. Music from the organ (and instruments) will be a part of the service. The 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM live-streamed worship services will continue in their current format.
Attendees must pre-register. Those fully registered should plan to arrive between 7:30 and 7:45 AM.
Please note: If statistics in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts worsen in our continuing battle against the coronavirus, we will need to revise this decision. However, at this time we believe these are small steps forward to opening up our meetinghouse and worshiping together in-person.
If you have any trouble registering, please email [email protected] and we will help you.
SUN, AUG 30 | Receptions for W & M
Join us in welcoming the Lees, PSC missionaries to Central Asia. They are currently in Boston for their son’s wedding and are excited to spend a few months with us while they wait for their country to open back up from its COVID-19 restrictions. In addition to welcoming them back, come hear about their ministry overseas and what God is doing through their work. The same registration form will be used for both the 1:00 and 6:00 receptions. Please register only once. Questions? Contact the Missions Office.
College Gathering: beginning AUG 30
Come gather with fellow undergraduates as we discuss church and college life amid COVID-19. Every Sunday, we will have two virtual worship communities that stream the 11:00 AM (traditional) and 4:00 PM (contemporary) services before a time of fellowship, reflection, and prayer. We hope to grow together in wisdom as we develop a deeper understanding of who God is on an intellectual and personal level. Students of all spiritual backgrounds are welcome!
SEP 10 | Men’s Book Discussion
THU SEP 10, 7:30 PM
Men, how can we address the deep challenges around us? As Rev. Booker recommended, let us first listen to the lessons of the past from the voices of the oppressed so we may act from a place of understanding. Join us as we read through some of the books Mark recommended. Next up is a book on the biblical basis of oneness in Christ and we’ll discuss its implications for us and for our church. Questions? Contact the Book Club team.
DivorceCare: beginning SEP 10
THU SEP 10, 6:30–8:30 PM. DivorceCare will host its fall kick off on Zoom! We meet weekly through December 10, 2020.
Tea & Story: Seeing God in our Ordinary
MONDAYS, 1:30–2:00 PM. Sign in 10 minutes early just to chat.
God has made us for story—to be part of his and to hear each other’s. One woman shares a time when God was very present to her, also shares a Bible verse that relates, then we have a brief time of silence, then we are placed in random breakout groups, each of which has a leader, and we share from a few presented questions (not pressure to share). Then we go back to the main room and have a brief closing. We aim to be vigilant about keeping to 1/2 hour.
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
FRIDAYS, AUG 28–DEC 18, 6:30–9:30 PM
Learn about missions firsthand in this extraordinary course. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is a 15-week course designed around four “perspectives” on missions – Biblical, Historical, Cultural, and Strategic. You will have 15 instructors with a breadth of global experience. Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we are planning to hold this course online via ZOOM for the entire 15-week course. First two classes are free! Scholarships available.
Questions? Contact Yuyu Song, Course Co-coordinator.
Prayer & Praise
Pray for the Congregation
- “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling” (Zec. 2:13);
- Learn from God, our heavenly Father (Job 5:17);
- Spur one another toward Godly wisdom (1 Cor. 14:20);
- Examine and test our ways (Psa. 139:23-24).
Pray for the People
- For our Global Missionaries, each in their own context: God’s favor for the flourishing of relationships;
- For our Elders: wisdom and a shepherd’s heart while examining various aspects of the church; and for manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit while making decisions and giving direction during this difficult time;
- For our Community: to remain still before God, be filled by his Holy Spirit, and enjoy the thrill of answered prayers and met needs;
- For those in transition or grieving loss of various kinds: comfort in God with what has happened, trust in God for the present, faith in God for all yet forthcoming;
- For students, faculty and staff: trust and reliance on God amidst changes in learning, instruction and work;
- Wisdom for parents making decisions for children’s return to school;
- Support, hope and God’s peace for those struggling with isolation or discouragement;
- Wisdom, patience and perseverance for those caring for others;
- Hope for those struggling in marriage or family, and courage to reconcile and be built up by God’s strength;
- Mercy and help for owners, employers and all seeking employment.
Pray for Grace
- To face COVID-19 with courage, united in Christ;
- To open gated minds and hearts that resist God’s ways;
- To build bridges and draw near to the brokenhearted.