prayer – Page 3 – UniteBoston

May 21 2018

Bethel Music & John Bevere Concert

Our vision for the Killing Kryptonite Tour is to create space for the Church to encounter a greater revelation of truth in a Spirit-filled and prophetic setting. With teaching from John Bevere and worship led by Bethel Music, we believe these gatherings will give the Church a powerful invitation to experience lasting transformation.

As Bevere writes, “Like Superman, who can leap over any hurdle and defeat every foe, followers of Christ have the supernatural ability to conquer the challenges we face. But the problem for both Superman and us is there’s a kryptonite that steals our strength. Of course, both Superman and kryptonite are fictional. But spiritual kryptonite is not.”

During these tour nights, John Bevere will focus on what this “kryptonite” is, why it’s compromising our communities, and how to break free from its bondage. We desire that attendees will leave these nights empowered and realigned with the strength we have been designed to walk in as Christ-followers on the earth.

This concert will take place in Chevalier Theatre in Medford. Tickets Available Here

Mar 24 2018

An Evening of Prayer to End Slavery

There are more than 40 million slaves across our world today. This reality is overwhelming, but we are not overcome.

The end of slavery begins with God’s people. It begins with you.

Join International Justice Mission Founder and CEO Gary Haugen at the IJM Boston Prayer Gathering and boldly pray for the freedom of every child, woman and man being abused, trafficked and enslaved across our world. Experience powerful prayer and worship, hear stories from the front lines of IJM’s work to rescue slaves and transform nations, and join a community committed to ending slavery and injustice—until all are free. Come prepared for an evening of prayer, unlike anything you have ever experienced.

Jan 31 2017

2017 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Photos and Testimonies

This year, we sought to make the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity truly reflective of the denominational and ethnic diversity within Boston’s Christian community.

By God’s grace, this happened! The anchor event on Saturday, January 21st had 22 co-sponsoring churches and institutions, drew together over 800 people, and has been called the largest and broadest gathering for Christian unity in Boston ever.

The concluding line in the gospel reading for that day was “We have seen incredible things today.” Indeed, God did great things in our hearts as we lifted up Jesus together, both on Saturday and throughout the week of nightly prayer gatherings. But, don’t take my word for it! Check out the photos and testimonies below to celebrate what God has done!

Photos

Wed Jan 21: Jamaica Plain Churches, including River of Life Church, Heart Change Fellowship, Bethel AME Church, the Community of St. Egidio, and Unidos en Cristo

Wed Jan 21: Video of singing “Amazing Grace” together at River of Life Church

16265306_10154981779093035_1037100832519585475_n — Thurs Jan 19: Fr. Antony Hughes from St. Mary Orthodox Church and Fr. Mina Kaddis from the Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston

16107466_10158246624610601_404901059484926888_o — Thurs Jan 19: Snacks and Fellowship together

16299603_10154981748548035_4496910588366706955_o — Fri Jan 20: Hispanic Pentecostal Worship, including Pabellon de la Fe Church and Congregation Lion of Judah

Co-Presiders from diverse Christian traditions at the January 21st Prayer Service. From left to right: Pastor Barry Kang from Symphony Church, Rev. Dana Baker from Grace Chapel, Rev. David Wright from the Black Ministerial Alliance, Metropolitan Methodios from the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Boston, and Bishop Arthur Kennedy from the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

16112780_10211985721264773_1393097025071341106_o — Sat Jan 21st: Large liturgical worship gathering with over 800 people in attendance! Pilot photo / Mark Labbe

Another great shot of the large liturgical gathering on January 21st

16300175_10154982665753035_5590171300135956786_o — Sat. Jan 21st: Catholic Cardinal Sean OMalley and Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios exchange greetings. Pilot photo/ Mark Labbe

16265870_10154991629768035_2829462166413651809_n — Sat Jan 21: Missions fair to further missional partnerships across churches. Pilot Photo / Mark Labbe

16114925_10154982572193035_7975707805595384810_n — Sun Jan 22: Taize Prayer at the MIT Chapel

16298862_10154986189118035_1230239911473325598_n — Mon Jan 21: Evangelical worship, including Symphony Church, City Church, and Abundant Grace Church

16266176_10154982571343035_3317014257065274800_n — Monday Jan 21: Praying a blessing over one another at Symphony Church

16196037_10154991527083035_3772233709252755141_n — Tuesday Jan 24: Beautiful depiction of the resurrected Christ as the centerpiece of our worship with joint Catholic / Lutheran service in conjunction with the commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

16299608_10154986142078035_1984102783552207363_o — Tues Jan 24: Joint Catholic/Lutheran Gathering in conjunction with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Our worship concluded with lighting candles and standing in a circle as a sign of the flame of Christ that we all carry within us.

Kelly Steinhaus shares about the week of prayer at beautiful Trinity Church. — Wed Jan 25: In the concluding gathering, Kelly Steinhaus, UniteBoston’s team leader, shares about the week of prayer at beautiful Trinity Church, with worship led by a youth choir.

In the News:

Boston Pilot: “Hundreds join in prayer at Boston’s Christian Unity service”

Testimonies:

“I would like to express my gratitude to all who contributed a piece to the rich mosaic-experience we all enjoyed on January 21st. It is one of the stand-out Week of Prayer for Christian Unity events in my 35 years of ministry devoted to the cause. All who gathered around tables for both food and faith-sharing, who in church joined their hearts and voices in prayer, young and old, black, white and brown, robed in various styles—all, together, represented a microcosm of the human family and gave us a glimpse of God’s dream for us: reconciled to God and to one another. Jesus must have had a joyful smile on his face!”
-Fr. Tom Ryan, Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

“What a great privilege and delight to worship the One True God together in the unique forms of each branch of the Christian Church. It was incredible to experience our agreement in who God is and who we are. I’m especially thankful for the Cardinal, his leaders, and the leadership of the Orthodox church, for their humility and at the depth of their willingness to come together.”
-Ellen Bass, Black Ministerial Alliance

“Saturday’s event was honestly the most powerful event I have ever attended. It was incredible to have in one room members of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, and the Orthodox Church gathered together to worship and praise our Lord, our Father. During the prayer service I was incredibly moved by the word “OUR”. And when at the end, we all said the Lord’s Prayer in ONE voice I was awestruck by the most powerful recitation of the prayer I’ve ever heard. This is the way it ought to be. We are weak divided, but together we stand strong in Jesus Christ.”

-Daisy Hanna, Coptic Orthodox Church

“What an amazing witness this was of the variety and Christ-centered unity found in the Body of Christ!”
-Edouard Pichette, OneUnited

“This was the most impressive ecumenical event I have ever been to. The Holy Spirit was clearly at work in this event.”

– Father David Michael, Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done…” On Saturday, all of us present at Holy Name witnessed a portion of God’s will done in the City of Boston. An undertaking such as this requires an immense amount of hard work and effort that can only be achieved with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank you all who made this happen, and may God’s Grace continue to bless all involved, and our city, til Kingdom come.

-Steven Hardy, UniteBoston Rep and member of St. Paul’s Parish, Harvard Square

“On January 21st, the Body of Christ in Boston got a glimpse of itself for the first time in its entirety.”
– Dr. Vito Nicastro, Associate Director of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Office of Interreligious and Ecumenical Affairs

“When my mother walked into the church she was amazed. It was at the moment of the entrance procession when all the various Christian groups came one after another to be together and worship that she began to cry. She said, ‘This is what Christ wants.’ It was very moving.”

-Natalia Pellicano, Office for Ethnic Apostolates, RCAB

“God wants this Church to be one… and to see that expressed so beautifully here, that’s really fun. It’s different tastes and different flavors, and you start to realize folks love Jesus in ways that you don’t appreciate until you see them and get to connect with them. You see that people are really different, and yet their hearts are coming from a love of the Lord that’s really neat to see.”

– Jeff Bass, Executive Director, Emmanuel Gospel Center

“It was incredible, wonderful to see so many different Christians together and the music… I was crying. The Holy Spirit was there.”

– Lorna DesRoses, Director of Black Catholic Ministries

“I’ve always felt the importance of Ecumenism. I’m a very strong Greek Orthodox Christian, but I went to Catholic schools and I’ve had very strong friendships, relationships with Catholic Christians, and they’ve just given me so much support in my faith. I just love the coming together of people of different Christian denominations, and I feel so excited about progress in Ecumenism. I feel like we’re getting closer.”

– Maria Makredes

It was a very moving experience. It was so inspiring also to see the church so completely filled… Holy Name Church was such a beautiful venue for the gathering. We are so grateful to [those] who worked so hard with so many different groups to bring this very important celebration together. It was astounding.
— Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston

“What brings us all here really is Christ, and that’s what the point of Christian unity is. If Christ says we should all be one, we should see that, and frankly the world doesn’t feel like that today. I’ve grown more in my faith, and I feel like as a young person I especially have the obligation and responsibility of witnessing to my vocation as the member of the body of Christ.”
– James Kelley, St. Joseph Parish, Roman Catholic, Needham

“I loved the prayer service- beautiful diversity and beautiful unity – that was the greatest part for me, was worshiping together with my fellow Christians. It was very moving. To hear the Greek Orthodox chant, and the Pentecostal choir, and the Cardinal’s homily. Thank you for doing this!” — Craig Dyke, Director, Family Life Office, RCAB

“We can be too preoccupied with the “doing”- what are we going to do together, the Martha part- and we forget the “being,” who and what we are called to be together, the Mary part. We forget that for God, the goal is not something we have to do. He came to form a people for His own. Jesus prayed that we be one as He and the Father are one– that is the witness, that is part of how the world comes to believe. That witness – especially these days, that witness is important for the world. That’s what we increased on January 21st.”
-Deacon John Koza, Holy Name Parish

But wait! There’s more…

Click here to view the entire photo album on Facebook, and add your own pics too!

Share your story!

How was your faith in Christ impacted by worshipping at churches throughout the city? We’d love to hear from you – Click on this link to fill out a short survey!

Nov 28 2016

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

In 2020, the theme is “They Showed Us Unusual Kindness,” (Acts 28:2) which was chosen by Christians in Malta. Malta, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, received the Christian faith through the efforts of the Apostle Paul, after he was shipwrecked there while travelling to Rome (Acts 27:18 – 28:10). The local islanders showed Paul and the early disciples unusual kindness and hospitality through building a fire and welcoming them in, despite the rain and cold. This posture of hospitality and welcoming of the stranger is a strong theme throughout the Biblical narrative. In a world where deep differences often keep people divided, it’s as we adopt a posture of showing “unusual kindness” to other Christians and people of all backgrounds that we become witnesses of God’s love to all people.

Join in!

Mark Your Calendars – You are invited to mark your calendars and plan to attend the evening gatherings! People who attend from night to night will experience the Church in Boston in her diverse array of ethnicities, traditions, and geography. We encourage you to take part in the evening gatherings to learn from the various expressions of Christian worship present within the body of Christ in Boston. We encourage you to attend neighborhood dinners in homes to nurture fellowship and prayer across our churches at the local level with our team of neighborhood dinner coordinators.

Spread the Word – We also appreciate help spreading the word to people in your congregation, family, friends, and neighbors. A personal invitation goes a long way.

Here are many of the leaders hosting gatherings for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Schedule for the 2020 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Saturday January 18 at 1 pm – Human To Human: Listen, See & Talk To Refugees about The Refugee Crisis

Meet, listen and learn from local Christians uprooted and displaced by wars to learn how we can pray and partner with refugees and persecuted Christians worldwide.

Host Partners: Ziah Mission Baptist Church & Converge Partnership-Refugees at the forefront of refugee work
Location: International Community Church, 30 Gordon Street, Allston MA 02134
Coordinator: Torli Krua, Universal Human Rights International

Saturday January 18 at 7pm – “The Upper Room” Experience

CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER

The Upper Room Experience is a worship environment composed of a community that is nourished by the three streams of the Church: Scripture, Spirit, and Sacrament.

Host Partners: Diocese of the Good Shepherd, Hyssop Christian Church
Location: Hyssop Christian Church, 1590 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02122
Coordinator: Rev. William Nunez, Diocese of the Good Shepherd; Co-host: Rev. Henry Monroig, Hyssop Christian Church

Sunday January 19 at 7:30pm – Song & Stillness: Taize at MIT

Song & Stillness, Taizé @ MIT, is a contemplative practice of simple, quiet, evening prayer, with an international message of Christian reconciliation and unity. Using the music of the Taizé community in France, our service includes readings from Christian scripture, candlelight, meditative singing, and time for silence.

Location: 7:30pm at the MIT Chapel, 48 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Coordinator: Susan Butterworth, MIT Episcopal/Lutheran Ministry

Monday January 20 at 7pm – “A Night with the King”
Peoples Baptist Church of Boston, a Christ-centered caring church, was organized as the First African Baptist Church in 1805. People’s Baptist Youth Ministry is overjoyed at the opportunity to continue a rich legacy of faith and prayer as exemplified by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and the forefathers and mothers of this historic black congregation.

Location: People’s Baptist Church, 830 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118
Coordinator: Minister Myra Kinds, Peoples Baptist Church Youth Ministry

Tuesday January 21 at 7pm – Dorchester Neighborhood Dinner
Cleo and her housemates are delighted to open up their Dorchester home to host a potluck dinner during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The evening will include an opportunity to meet believers from across the city, food, discussion around the theme of “unusual kindness,” and of course prayer!

Host: Cleopatra Muhammad – Email cmuhammad85@gmail.com to RSVP

Wednesday January 22 at 7pm – Prayer with Downtown Congregations
The Prayer Service at the Paulist Center in downtown Boston will have Catholic (Paulist Center) and Episcopalian (St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral) co-presiders and a UCC preacher in a musically-rich circle of prayer for Christian unity, open to people from all traditions of Christian faith.

Host Partners: Paulist Center, The Cathedral of St. Paul
Location: Paulist Center, 5 Park St., Boston, MA 02108
Coordinator: Fr. Tom Ryan, Paulist Center; Cynthia Pape and Anne Moore from the Cathedral of St. Paul

Thursday January 23 at 7pm – Medford Neighborhood Dinner
Join Rebekah and her family in Medford for a potluck dinner to talk, pray and share around this theme of “unusual kindness.” Our conversation will be focused on the different ways those of us and/or our churches are involved in the community around us.

Host: Rebekah Kerstetter – Email rkerstetter1@yahoo.com to RSVP

Friday January 24 at 7pm – Prayer for Innocent Convicts & Law Enforcement Officials
#TheInnocentConvicts.org has teamed up with UniteBoston during the Week of Prayer to pray for victims of wrongful convictions and law enforcement officials for redemption, unity and healing of our communities.

Location: Christ Church International, 202B Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02121
Coordinating Group: Ossy Osagie from the Innocent Convicts

Saturday January 25 at 5pm – Cambridge/Somerville Neighborhood Dinner
Join Kiki for a potluck dinner, discussion around the theme of “unusual kindness, and a chance to meet other believers from across the city, before walking to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity concluding gathering at 7pm.

Host: Kiki Densamo and Paul Castiglione – Email info@uniteboston.com to RSVP

Saturday January 25 at 7pm – Closing Prayer Gathering
We will gather for a peaceful and contemplative “Vespers” service of psalms, readings and prayers in the tradition especially familiar to Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans. As part of the service, we will take a moment to reflect and share about the events of the past week and discern where God is leading us next as an ever-uniting body of Christ.

Location: Faith Lutheran Church, 311 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139
Coordinator: Rev. Robin Lutjohann from Faith Lutheran Church

Promotional Materials

These are great to download and use for your promotions! Also, contact Kelly Fassett (kelly@uniteboston.com) if you’d like to pick up some postcards for distribution at your church or community.

Photos from Previous Years

UB City-Wide Dinner Launch – November 2017

UniteBoston dinner at Sally’s house in West Roxbury

Prayer Gathering at the Greek Metropolis of Boston

Neighborhood Dinner at Adam’s house in East Boston

Co-presiders from various Christian traditions at the 2017 Week of Prayer Anchor Gathering

Apr 26 2014

A call to participate in the National Day of Prayer

This coming Thursday, May 1st, churches and individuals across our city will be joining together for the Annual National Day of Prayer gathering in downtown Boston. Sheila Donegan, the UniteBoston Journalist, had the opportunity to sit down with Latonya Brown to hear more of the history behind this year’s event.

——————–

We have a rich history of prayer as a nation. The National Day of Prayer was first signed into law by President Harry Truman on April 17th, 1952. He asked that the people of the United States would come together on this day and collectively turn our hearts to God in prayer and meditation. But the call to pray goes back much further than this. In fact, days of prayer have been called for in the United States since 1775, when the Continental Congress designated a time for prayer as the new nation was forming.

In his 1983 declaration, Ronald Reagan said, “From General Washington’s struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this nation has fervently sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion provides our nation with an opportunity to further recognize the source of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in the future.”

As a country, we are celebrating the 63rd year of this event with over 40,000 gatherings across the United States. LaTonya Brown, this year’s coordinator for Massachusetts, told us that this year the focus is on mobilizing and equipping the Body of Christ to pray for sustained worldwide revival, reformation and restoration. LaTonya shared that in Massachusetts, we will be joining the millions across our country as we pray and seek the face of God on behalf of our city, state, and nation. There are currently fifteen prayer gatherings scheduled across the Commonwealth.

There will be two strategic events in the city of Boston:

National Day of Prayer Noonday Prayer Gathering at the State House

Gardner Auditorium, 12pm – 1pm

“That They May Be One” Clergy and Intercessors United in Prayer for Massachusetts

7pm – 8pm

Location: Congregation Lion of Judah, 20 Reed Street, Boston

(Worship lead by Zenzo Matoga)

“There is a move of the Holy Spirit happening across the earth and it is being strongly felt within Massachusettes and New England. We are here to call the body of Christ in our communities to come together and stand in the gap on behalf of our city, our region and our nation.” LaTonya shared. “We hope that all that are a part of the Body of Christ in the Boston and Greater Boston area will join us in this most significant time as we come together as one and lift up the Name that is above all names…the Name of Jesus over our city. May we see His Kingdom come here and his will be done on this earth as we do!

For more information on the National Day of Prayer in Boston and how you can be a part, watch the video below or email: latonya@praymassachusettes.org

Schedule for the 2020 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Promotional Materials

Photos from Previous Years

Give to Further Christian Unity