UniteBoston

Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community

Pentecostal Tabernacle’s Honduras Benefit Concert

Join us for an evening of music as we celebrate God’s love for the world at our Honduras Benefit Concert! For the past six years, Pentecostal Tabernacle has partnered with World Resources Group (WRG), to send a missions team to Honduras to work with mentors who have devoted their lives to serving the youth in their communities. These trips have given us the opportunity to build relationships with the children, their families, and the dedicated Honduran mentors who serve them. This year, our missions team will depart for Honduras on July 28th, and proceeds from the concert will benefit their trip. Tickets are $10, and you must purchase one to attend this event.

Date: Saturday, May 4th 2019

Location: Pentecostal Tabernacle North Campus – 77 Columbia Street, Cambridge MA 02139

Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Featured Artists: Nicole Schmidt, 7th Degree, Kamva, Caleb McCoy

Tickets: Purchased online at www.ptspice.org

Divided We Stand? Evangelicals and Catholics Search for Common Ground

Big News! UniteBoston is featured this week on the Neighborly Faith Podcast!

Neighborly Faith Podcast hosts Kevin Singer and Chris Stackaruk searched nationwide for the cutting edge of Evangelical-Catholic ecumenism, the work towards unity among Christians. They traveled to Boston and Chicago to investigate the status and future of Evangelical-Catholic relationships in these cities, interviewing pastors & priests, professors, laypersons, seminarians, and musicians from both traditions. In their extensive and exclusive interviews, they investigate: What can today’s leaders in ecumenism teach us about the future between these two traditions?

Episodes include:
  • Evangelicals, Catholics, and Jesus’ Call for Unity: How should Christians follow the NT command for the Church to be one as Jesus and the Father are one?”
  • First Impressions of Evangelicals/Catholics…and Why They Changed: Leaders talk about their first impressions of the other, and how those impressions are changing.
  • Why is Christian Unity Difficult?: What are the hindrances Evangelicals must overcome in order to engage better with Catholics?
  • What Does Christian Unity Look Like?What does unity realistically look like in our world today?
  • Evangelicals and Catholics Working Together:  How are Evangelicals and Catholics working together now for the betterment of their churches, communities, and societies?

Here are links to the series: SERIES // SITE. These episodes would be great to listen to on a morning commute!

Featured Guests from UniteBoston include:

  • Kelly Fassett, the Founder and Executive Director of UniteBoston
  • Korleen Sheridan, member of UniteBoston’s Worship Team
  • Dr. Elizabeth Smith, Catholic scholar and ecumenist
  • Chloe Gaydos, UniteBoston Worship Team Band Manager
  • Rev. Dana Baker, Pastor of Social Justice and Multicultural Ministry at Grace Chapel and UniteBoston Board Member
“Ecumenism is us functioning as a body in which each part is playing its own role, yet there is synergy, conjunction, and coordination. I do what I can to promote a sense of honor and respect across the differences. Not that we would erase our differences but recognize them and be challenged by them. This giving and receiving is in the nature of God the Trinity”
-Kelly Fassett
Executive Director, UniteBoston
Please share this resource as widely as you are able. We’d love for the series to reach all who care about the future of Evangelical-Catholic ecumenism.
You can keep up with Neighborly Faith here: TWITTER // FACEBOOK // NEWS

Veritas Forum – Religion and Medicine: Should they Mix?

Religion and Medicine: Should they Mix?: When are discussions of religion and spirituality appropriate in medicine?

There are many reasons for strong concern about physicians/healthcare providers bringing their religious beliefs into clinical practice and especially if they discuss religion with their patients. The power dynamic between physicians and patients can lead to many unintended consequences. One’s religious beliefs might bias them to make decisions that are not clinically advisable. What if the physician is of a different faith background than the patient? In addition, some might say most physicians aren’t trained to talk about these issues, so they should leave them to hospital chaplains. Lastly, there is the issue of time: Clinicians have too much to do, so why add one more thing to their plate?

On the other hand, many would acknowledge that religion/spirituality form an integral part of the lives of many patients with profound implications on their health. A growing number of empirical studies suggest a relationship between religion and its impact on health and patient care. Clinicians take social/sexual histories while often holding different social backgrounds/practices than their patients, and this standard clinical practice has enormous value despite many of the same concerns present as those above. Why not include a spiritual history?

This year’s Veritas Forum at Harvard Medical School will be a dialogue between 4 speakers with differing views on the issue. Come with an open mind and any questions you might have!

Religion and Medicine: Should they Mix?:  When are discussions of religion and spirituality appropriate in medicine?

Date: Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 / 6:30-8:30 pm

(Note: Dinner discussions immediately following the event will occur in rooms in the same building from 9-10pm)

Location: TMEC Amphitheater (260 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115)

Click here to RSVP for the event 

https://www.facebook.com/events/2755013408056193/

RSVP for dinner discussions immediately following the event:  https://goo.gl/forms/7fm9lmE7Kv3nb9Pq1

Speakers:

Tia Powell, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Director of Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics (prior Executive Director of New York State’s bioethics commission).

Tyler VanderWeele, PhD, Harvard School of Public Health: Professor of Epidemiology (recipient of the 2017 COPSS Presidents’ Award, the “Nobel prize/Field’s Medal of statistics)

Lydia Dugdale, MD, Yale School of Medicine: Associate Director of the Program for Biomedical Ethics (editor of “Dying in the Twenty-first Century: Toward a New Ethical Framework for the Art of Dying Well)

Richard Sloan, PhD, Columbia University Medical Center: Professor of Behavioral Medicine/Psychiatry (author of “Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine”)

Moderator:

Howard Koh, MD, Harvard School of Public Health: Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership (former US Assistant Secretary for Health nominated by President Barak Obama)

Sponsored by:  Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, the Initiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality at Harvard Medical School, the Thomistic Institute

Visualizing Racial Justice and Reconciliation

Stephanie Irwin with Civil Rights Activist John Perkins

The theme of the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is “Justice, only justice, you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). In light of this theme, we created this discussion guide around Stephanie Irwin’s artwork to invite local conversation around the ways in which we can contribute to God’s justice in our communities. 

Stephanie lived in the Longwood Christian Community in 2011 to 2014 while training as a physical therapist. This project was inspired by Stephanie’s experience as part of reconciliation workshops in Rwanda, Africa with members of the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups. It was there that she learned that healing “could only progress by facing the truth and acting upon it.” She created these art pieces seeking to share God’s call for justice and reconciliation with all those around her. Stephanie lives in Seattle now. Her artwork and photography are available at https://www.stephanielynnephoto.com/

We are planning to use the discussion guide below during some of the UniteBoston neighborhood dinners, but it could also be used within a church bible study or community group. When coming together with people from a variety of perspectives, it is always good to set expectations and guidelines for the conversation. Together, let us consider how God is inviting us to contribute to acts of justice and reconciled relationships within our lives and communities.

Note: While Stephanie’s art focuses on relationships between Black and White people, we recognize that racial justice includes people of all races. Additionally, we value Stephanie’s reflections as stated below through her own lens as a Caucasian woman, but we do not seek to universalize her experience or perspective. We felt that this was a valuable lens into one person’s understanding of the process of reconciliation, and hope that you will be inspired as well.

Jesus stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:16-21, NIV)

“There is another thing that disturbs me to no end about the American church. You have a white church and you have a Negro church. You have allowed segregation to creep into the doors of the church. How can such a division exist in the true Body of Christ? You must face the tragic fact that when you stand at 11:00 on Sunday morning to sing “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” and “Dear Lord and Father of all Mankind,” you stand in the most segregated hour of Christian America. They tell me that there is more integration in the entertaining world and other secular agencies than there is in the Christian church. How appalling that is.” (Paul’s Letter to American Christians, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, on 4 November 1956)

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in single garment of destiny.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963)

Stephanie’s Artwork and Reflections

Yokes and Chains

The first piece, titled Yokes and Chains, sets the stage for both the pain of the past that continues to cause separation as well as a hope for abolition of that separation.  When considering the process of arriving at reconciliation the pain cannot be ignored but rather must be confronted. As the two children face each other they reflect on the reality and pain of slavery.  In this moment they bear witness to the fault, pain, consequence and responsibility of the transatlantic slave trade. In response, they express their pain through the shedding of tears. Both their tears reveal remorse for what transpired in the past as well as for the racism and segregation that persists even today.  Though they are separated by a darkness that is fueled by American society, their sorrow also reflects a hope for future change. By first gaining awareness of the truth rather than hiding from it, they choose to be a part of that change.

 

The Call

The second piece in the series is the foundation of the process.  True healing can only progress by facing the truth and acting upon it.  The Call presents this truth as the Word of God. The part of the text in focus reveals Colossians 3:11-14 which reminds us that we are called to be one, that in Christ there is no separation and that we must embrace unity through forgiveness, healing and love.  The silhouette brings to light the need to receive the truth as the two children from the first piece fall to their knees in surrender.

 

The Act

As she drew this picture, Stephanie describes, “My mind rushed back to another day in Rwanda where I saw a light emerge in the darkness through the joining of two men who expected to be lifelong enemies. A Tutsi man forgave the unforgivable of his Hutu neighbor and perpetrator from the 1994 Genocide. As I witnessed them walk hand-in-hand, I was convinced that I had never before seen a more beautiful sight. It was at this point that I acquired a renewed hope of flourishing unity between whites and blacks in America.  Similarly, the two children who were separated by darkness in the first piece are now joined here to create a light as they respond to their call. With fingers interlocked they move forward together determined to never be divided.”

 

Beloved Community

The final piece brings the project and everyone together. The hands depicted in this piece are the hands of real people, including the artist’s, who choose to join with people of all color to stand for racial reconciliation and live in multicultural and multigenerational community. Bordering the hands are the words “united” and “reconciled” in twelve different languages to emphasize the beauty of diversity. The intention of incorporating these languages is to allow anyone to feel as if that they are a part of this piece. The piece is titled Beloved Community in order to portray racial reconciliation as specifically centered around love that is fostered through a community. Additionally, it references the song “Beloved Community” developed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which reflects the vision of all four pieces cumulatively. You are invited to join this beloved community with those building it around you.

Discussion Questions

  1. Describe your initial thoughts or reactions to the scripture passage, quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Stephanie’s art pieces.
  2. Where have you personally seen racial justice or inequity taking place? What most breaks your heart about this?
  3. Where do you see people sharing in the prophetic mission of Jesus as described in Luke 4? Where is there evidence of the healing, liberating, redeeming power of God in your life or neighborhood? Share a story that comes to mind.
  4. The Bible has continually been a source of inspiration for the Christian community to address conditions that are unjust or undermine human dignity. Where do you see an opportunity for the Church to come together for the cause of racial justice in this neighborhood or community?

Additional Resources:

-Read the Christian Churches Together response to Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail here (2013)

-Check out the Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Race & Christian Community Initiative 

Symposium: Traditional Biblical Sexuality in a Changing Youth Culture

As debates about human sexuality dominate classrooms, coffee shops, and social media, youth ministers committed to a traditional Biblical ethic may struggle to find their voice. Some may wonder if there is a safe space in which to form a theologically informed and nuanced approach to these charged and complex issues.

Join Dr. Walt Mueller of the Center for Parent Youth Understanding and Dr. Duffy Robbins of Grove City College for an intensive multi-day symposium to deepen your own Biblical and theological foundations, to broaden your apologetic for affirming the goodness of expressing sexual intimacy within the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman, and to strengthen your pastoral skills in helping youth live out these truths.

This Symposium presumes participants’ affirmation of a historic, orthodox Christian sexual ethic and will be building from this premise, not debating it. Participation is limited to 25 to allow for deep exploration of these issues and will require some preparatory work and active involvement in the Symposium.


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