Life of the Church
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2020
Announcements
Fall Faith & Practice Classes
Faith & Practice Classes are short-term opportunities to enter into interaction, discussion, and accountability with others who attend Park Street Church focusing together on an area of study and life application in order to foster spiritual growth. Each group will meet virtually led by staff and elders of the church. Content will be presented in different formats depending on the group varying between reading, video and/or podcast assignments, power point presentations, scripture study, and guest presenters. Significant time will be given to discussion and application as well as prayer. Faith & Practice Classes will meet for a unique number of gatherings based on content and direction.
Fall Ministry Orientation
In the past several years, every second Sunday of September Park Street Church has had a celebratory “Kickoff Sunday.” This year, instead of a bevy of chrysanthemums decorating tables around the Welcome Center, each of our ministers has a greeting for you to scroll through on our Fall Ministry Orientation page. Please enjoy walking through our virtual fair, and share the page with those you may know who are looking for a church community!
PRAISE! $24,000 Grant procured for East Boston Church
The Central Assembly of God Food Pantry in East Boston will continue and grow its work of providing food to community members in need through a grant prepared with support from the Park Street Church City Engagement Grant Writing Team. The team includes Judi Manola, Julie Nusser, and Yidi Wang.
The grant of $24,000, to be used over three months, was awarded by the Boston Resiliency Fund, dedicated to helping community groups provide food for children and seniors, technology for remote learning students, and support to first responders and health care workers in Boston.
Emergency Relief Fund Update
The Emergency Relief Fund continues to support food pantries at our sister churches, provide materials for face masks, help workers engaged in homeless care, purchase groceries for families with a COVID-19 diagnosis, and supply our own food bank (which provides back-up to food pantries around the city). Join in the ongoing work of City Engagement and our partnerships to serve the city!
| Sep 1, 2020 through Sep 23, 2020 |
2020 YTD |
|
| Total Contributions | $5,675.16 | $107,532.66 |
| Distributions | ||
| Boston Food Pantries | ||
| Boston Churches | ||
| Other | ||
| Total Distributions | $7,484.00 | $39,973.92 |
| NET (Balance) | ($1,808.84) | $67,558.74 |
Thank you for your generous giving!
Job Opening: Part-time Ministries Assistant
The Ministries Administrative Assistant (MAA) will serve as the primary administrative support for the Senior Minister and other ministers as needed and as time allows. This is a part-time (20 hrs/wk) position.
Job Openings: 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.
We are seeking to fill the following positions for the 2020-21 school year:
- Associate Elementary Teacher to support Remote Learners
- Substitute Teachers
- Elementary Science Teacher
Please email [email protected] for complete job descriptions and application instructions.
Community
College Worshipping Community | 11:00 AM & 4:00 PM
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!
College Socials
The College Gathering will be hosting socials once or twice a month throughout the semester, featuring games, movies and more with students from a range of colleges. These will mostly be virtual, with a few in-person socials if safe and feasible to do so.
Contact Richard for details on how to join us!
Urgent! East Boston Food Pantry Volunteers Needed
Central Assembly of God Church in East Boston, one of Park Street’s City Engagement partners, is in urgent need of volunteers for their food pantry. Since the start of the pandemic, Park Streeters have been serving alongside this church to help them in caring for their community. Many of the church’s own volunteers have gone back to school, so their “workforce” has decreased. In addition, there is a growing number of people in the community who need their assistance.
Regular needs:
- Every other Thursday morning pick up and unload cases of food from Voice of the Gospel Church in Mattapan to Central Assembly of God Church in East Boston. A van or SUV is needed for this. Heavy lifting is required.
- Occasional single donor pickups/drop-offs.
- Mondays and Thursdays, 8:00–9:30 AM, bag food and clean up.
Spanish speakers especially needed to help with registration and handing out food. Questions? Contact Rich Spinelli.
English as a Second Language Classes
SEP 22–DEC 11, 2020. Park Street’s FOCUS ESL program is gearing up for fall term! Classes and other student activities began on Tuesday, September 22 and will run through Friday, December 11. This fall we are offering our usual classes and activities such as Conversational English and Professional Communications Workshop to name only a couple, plus some new ones—American Culture and Conversation, Hope for Today, and Language Partners. If you are interested in teaching and/or if you know anyone who might be, please email Karen Patschke, Park Street’s ESL Coordinator. We are especially in need of language partners, as many of our students are requesting one-on-one learning.
Please consider sharing the class descriptions and registration form with your international friends. We offer English learning opportunities for all levels—from beginning to advanced!
Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we are planning to hold all classes and activities virtually, via Zoom this fall. Note: Registration is required for all classes and activities.
Motherhood Unfiltered
Begins SEP 24 at 8:30 PM.
Come as you are, lay down your burdens, and be revived.
Motherhood Unfiltered is an online support group for moms in all stages of parenting. The hope for this group is to be a safe space where we can be real about the difficulty of parenting. We will talk with one another, pray for one another, and prayerfully be revived for another week of motherhood.
You must have a Realm account to join this group. Need an account? Email us! We will get you set up right away.
SUN OCT 4 | Communion Gathering
We are excited to celebrate communion with you all during this COVID season! Our next outdoor communion gathering will be SUN OCT 4, 1:30–2:00 PM.
- There will be no singing at these services.
- Please bring a chair or blanket to use for the duration of the service.
- Each location will be capped at 50 people (defined as adults and those older than 12 years). Use the form below to register all of those who are older than 12 years (you do not need to register children under 12).
- Participants will wear masks and practice social distancing. If you show any signs or symptoms of COVID from 72 to 24 hours prior to the event, we request you refrain from attending.
SUN OCT 4 | New England Prayer Gatherings for Global Missions
OCT 4, NOV 1, DEC 6: 7:30 PM
God has placed us here on this earth for such a time as this. We live in a world that is full of turmoil, division, and disease. Through prayer, we get to gather and pray that God’s Kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. We will pray for God to bring peace, unity, hope, and salvation in situations and places that are currently not experiencing those things. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
We invite you to join us on the first Sunday night in October, November, and December from 7:30 to 8:30 PM to pray for God to move powerfully in our region, our churches, our nation, and in the nations of the world. Register HERE for the OCT 4 prayer gathering. If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an email at [email protected].
SAT OCT 10 | Human Flourishing at MIT
SAT OCT 10, 4:00-6:00 PM. The Boston Fellows Program invites you to their October Teaching Saturday, Human Flourishing at MIT, a virtual summit presented by The Octet Collaborative, a new study center serving MIT, and co-sponsored by The Veritas Forum.
What does it mean to flourish? How can the resources of Christian faith and practice contribute to human flourishing around the world? Join faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the MIT community to discover and share perspectives and wisdom with plenary speakers Andy Crouch, Roz Picard, and others.
|
Andy Crouch |
Roz Picard |
This event is open to the public.
SAT OCT 17 | Global Professionals
SAT OCT 17, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
The Global Professionals (GPs) of Park Street Church meet once a month. GPs are those who purposefully use their careers for the glory of God and advancement of the Gospel both in the United States and overseas. This year there will be nine virtual gatherings on Saturdays through MAY 2021, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The program will be undergirded by six Theology of Work topics based on the Bible and two books written by Tim Keller and Wayne Grudem. The topics that will be discussed are: God’s Plan for Work; Problems with Work; The Gospel of Work; Godly Benefits of Work; Biblical Elements of Work; and the Positive Impacts of Work on the World. We will hear updates from current GPs and our missionaries and occasional guests, who are using their careers for the spread of the Gospel.
Attendees may request to be assigned a mentor, providing personalized guidance and support for the Christian journey and the particulars of becoming a GP.
Contact David Rix to request the link for the OCT 17 virtual gathering. We look forward to seeing you.
WED OCT 14 | John Collins Warren: Man of Science, Faith, and Influence
WED OCT 14, 4:00 PM via Zoom
Hear the story of a man whose legacy contributed importantly to Boston as a global leader in healthcare and biomedical science.
Dr. John Collins Warren, leading 19th-century figure in Boston, was the physician and scientist who co-founded the Massachusetts General Hospital and introduced ether anesthesia to the world. He lived at Two Park Street from 1805 till his death in 1856. Underlying his fervor for science and medicine was a robust faith that made him an intellectual and energetic force for influence on the landscape of Boston’s medical community and eventual prominence as a global leader for health.
Details about these and other events can be found on the events page!
Prayer & Praise
Pray for the Congregation
- “You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!” (Psa. 68:35);
- Set your mind on things above (Col. 3:2);
- Bear with one another in love (Eph. 4:2);
- Let God know your requests (Php. 4:6).
Pray for the People
- For our Local Missionaries, each in their own context: reaching international students studying in Boston with the love and hope of Jesus Christ;
- For our Elders: wisdom, unity and grace while making decisions and directing the course of our church;
- For our Nominating Committee: grace to remain steadfast, immovable and encouraged that their toil is not in vain;
- For our Staff: protection from distraction, discouragement or doubt as each loves and cares for members of our community;
- For our Community: trust in God and assurance in his sovereign authority over our lives;
- Praise and thanksgiving for the R-1 visa granted to Kimberley Morrison;
- Steadfast faith, strength and victory in the Lord for Bill and Anne O’Donnell as they contend with his cancer;
- God’s comfort, strength and healing for those recovering from illness;
- 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 built up by God’s strength.
Pray for Grace
- To hear the voice of God over the clamor of the world;
- To see others as God sees us;
- To set aside differences, take up the cause of Christ.