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Dec 28 2018

UniteBoston’s Top Ten Photos of 2018

From a huge summer worship night to our neighborhood coordinator team tripling in size, UniteBoston has built and grown in big ways this year! Thanks for joining into our community and for all the ways you contribute to building bridges across Christians towards greater gospel movement in Boston!

Here are our top ten photos from this year

January 2018 – Leaders from various church traditions at the 2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Fellowship Dinner

 

February 2018 – UniteBoston Meetup before the Hillsong concert

 

April 2018 – UniteBoston Neighborhood Dinner in Dorchester

 

August 2018 – Neighborhood Dinner at Adam’s house in East Boston

 

August 2018 – UniteBoston volunteers gather for a photo before the summer worship night. Photo Credit: Koo Chung

 

August 2018 – Worshipping Jesus right in the heart of the city of Boston during the 2018 worship night. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson

 

August 2018 – UB Worship Team at the summer worship night. Photo Credit: Koo Chung

 

October 2018 – UniteBoston volunteer thank you celebration party

 

October 2018 – Kelly Fassett, UniteBoston’s Team Leader, speaking at Q Commons on “Hospitality in a Polarized World”

 

November 2018 – UB Worship Team Member Caleb McCoy shares about the joy of collaboration at the 4th Annual UniteBoston Fundraising Party

 

November 2018 – First UB Neighborhood Dinner in West Roxbury, hosted by Sally Jackson from the Church of the Cross

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: 2018, boston, christian, christianity, ecumenism, massachusetts, new england, photos, pictures, testimony, top ten, uniteboston, unity

Nov 29 2018

Advent: Awaiting the Birth of Justice

Advent is a time of preparation. It’s a time for seeking the presence of God in our world and watching for the “renewal of all things” (Matthew 19:28). In Advent, we recognize that God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). God walked among us and went to the margins to become one with the oppressed, the vulnerable, and the persecuted.

In Advent, the incarnation inspires us to reflect on how we are called to be Christ’s hands and feet to one another, and work towards alleviating systems of injustice. This week, we feature a blog by J. Wu, who is a Life Together Intern within the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern MA serving at Church Of Our Saviour in Milton. J. attended a recent gathering by Courageous Conversations Toward Racial Justice, which is a monthly series of dialogue-centered programs designed to address racial healing and justice in our community. The leadership of Courageous Conversations has five clergy from four different churches! Read about J’s experience attending this gathering below.


Also, this month the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) put forth a statement: “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter Against Racism.” They describe: “The entire body of bishops felt the need to address the topic of racism, once again, after witnessing the deterioration of the public discourse, and episodes of violence and animosity with racial and xenophobic overtones, that have re-emerged in American society in the last few years.”

Click here to read the full pastoral letter


Courageous Conversations: Dissolving Silence with Authenticity, Openness, and Awe

As I stepped into the Church of Christ, I could hear the crisp clattering of metal chairs
being unfolded. This was my first time helping to coordinate an event held by Courageous Conversations Towards Racial Justice. Caught in a grip of self-consciousness, my shoulders wanted to fold up like a stacked chair. Despite joining the Steering Committee, I could scarcely believe that I could have productive interactions around the topic of racial justice with people I barely knew.

Wrestling against my urge to sink into the wallpaper and blend out of sight, I stammered
some offers to help set up chairs for the event. As I did my job, my nervous glance darted from new face to new face, before tentatively perching on the rack of colorful bolts of cloth that were arranged up front and center in the middle of the chairs.

My stomach sank. Soon, I would be called to interact with people of different racial
backgrounds and age generations than my own. Picking out a seat, close to the front but not too close, I exhaled as a clear musical note rang across the air and announced the start of the Bystander Learning Event. My eyes widened.

Nothing prepared me for an innovative form of Bystander Learning, in which the form of theater became a conduit that focused discussions about systemic injustice. Even the tight grip of my nervous jaw gave way to awe and laughter. This event illuminated the tense multitudes of emotion, compelling volunteers to eagerly share their experiences of discomfort around privilege and disadvantage.

Soon, we all practiced techniques of Bystander Intervention with True Story Theater, a
trust made possible by sharing our personal stories pertaining to interactions of racism and privilege in our everyday lives. In an almost complete opposite of my initial reactions, I leaned into the experience rather than flinching away. By the end, I carried newfound clarity as to how I can be a more involved in implementing my justice-based values rather than freeze up as a passive bystander in situations of social inequality.

Since then, I can proudly assert that Courageous Conversations Towards Racial Justice
makes space for justice-oriented learning through monthly programming. More than ever in our current political anxiety, compounded by constant media reports of inhumane actions, I need a space like Courageous Conversations that welcomes all people to participate in understanding, interrupting, and ending systems of racial injustice.

Courageous Conversations Towards Racial Justice is nearing the third year of holding
monthly events. The next event is on Tuesday, December 11th, 6:30 PM, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 112 Randolph Ave, Milton. At this gathering, they will be watching a documentary by Tim Wise, which examines what it means to be white in a nation where privilege seeps into every institutional arrangement, from education to employment to the justice system. Click here to learn more about Courageous Conversations Toward Racial Justice.

 

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: advent, boston, community, Conversations, Courageous, ecumenism, Episcipal, healing, inequity, injustice, justice, Life Together, Milton, oppression, persecuted, racial, racism, reconciliation, vulnerable

Nov 14 2018

2018 UniteBoston Fundraising Party Photo Gallery

We had a great time celebrating all that God has done this year through UB at the UniteBoston fundraising party! There was Greek food, a jazz trio with the musicians on the UniteBoston Worship Team, and featured breakout stories, including:

-Paul Castiglione, UniteBoston’s Somerville Dinner Coordinator on “The Power of Unity in Diversity”

-Cleopatra Muhammad, UniteBoston’s Dorchester Coordinator on “Gaining New Perspective and Hope”

-Caleb McCoy, Christian Hip Hop artist and musician on “The Joyful Noise of Collaboration and a Wider Network”

-Chloe Gaydos, UniteBoston worship night coordinator on “A New Vision for the Future”

-Rev. David Wright, UB Board Member and Executive Director of the Black Ministerial Alliance on “Nurturing God’s Revival”

Thanks to everyone who gave to help us reach our goal of $12,000! Click here to learn why your gift to UB makes a difference. 

Thanks to Deepak Bardhan for the great photographs here. Check out more photos from the event on Facebook! 

Featured Breakout Sessions

 

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: boston, christianity, christians, ecumenism, fundraiser, jesus, party, spirit, uniteboston, unity, worship

Aug 26 2018

What’s Next After the Worship Night And Photo Contest Winners!

Group photo of UB volunteers! Photo Credit: Koo Chung

By Kelly Fassett, UniteBoston Team Leader

When I agreed to Chloe Gaydos’ idea last summer to organize a worship night in the Boston Common, we had no idea what God would do. As she began recruiting for the worship team, we were amazed to see the interest and involvement of Christians from a variety of communities. The attendance at this year’s worship night was over 1,000, which was double or triple the amount from last year, including Christians of all denominations and ethnic backgrounds and many people passing by who were in the park that evening.

 

The worship team did an incredible job leading us in a variety of types of music, including gospel, Christian rap, Messianic Jewish, charismatic, and traditional hymns. I helped to coordinate the sponsored tables of thirteen local churches and organizations that surrounded the perimeter of the premises. There was also great fellowship – a family reunion of sorts – and even a woman who painted canvases throughout the evening and a spontaneous dance party! A sense of joy filled my heart as I saw all these groups come together in worship as we sought to witness to the love found in Christ.  Check out the photo gallery here!

A great crowd at the event, and thirteen sponsored tables! Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson

 

Worship. Photo Credit: Koo Chung

 

Lori Dupre painting “One City.” Photo Credit: Koo Chung

 

The 2018 UB Worship Team in front of Lori Dupre’s paintings. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson

 

One of the greatest joys for me as the Team Leader of UniteBoston is seeing more and more people running with the vision of Christian unity. Unlike other UB events where I’ve been the main person to make everything happen, at the very heart of this event was unity: an amazing team of volunteers, sound technicians, and musicians to plan and implement all of the logistics.  Thanks to the UB community, the event on Facebook was shared 228 times, and over 50,100 people viewed the event (yes, that’s 50 thousand people! Not a typo!)

Below are some stories of people who were impacted; click here to give your feedback and input from the worship night – We would love to hear your input on how this movement can continue to build and grow!

Personal Stories

“You’d be hard pressed to find as diverse a crowd of believers worshiping together in Spirit and Truth as were gathered that night. Some have moved to Boston because they believe the Holy Spirit is not at work. Strange how those people never attend events where the fullness of the Church is being expressed in the diversity of God’s people!”
-Rev. David Wright, Black Ministerial Alliance

“As we gathered on the Boston Common, our ‘common neighborhood backyard,’ the vibrancy, joy, diversity of our common faith came alive. It was truly incarnational, if one had to use a theological term. Although much of the style of the event was different from my Catholic style, I felt welcomed and engaged. Christ is our Center, our Life. Thank you so much.”
-Fr. Michael McGarry, The Paulist Center

“The August 19 evening worship on Boston Common was as filled with God’s Spirit perhaps as the Common has been on a number of historic moments over many years, such as the First Great Awakening there in 1740 or the Billy Graham meetings there in 1950.  We pray God is increasingly filling Boston with His Spirit now in 2018.”

-Ralph Kee, Emmanuel Gospel Center Church Planting Collaborative

Continue the Momentum Towards Unity 

Ephesians 4:16 says that the body of Christ is joined and held together by every supporting ligament. This is Christian unity: Every person has a part to play to build up the body. The participation of every community matters. You have a unique, valuable contribution, by which others can learn and receive from.

Here are some things you can do to continue the momentum towards Christian unity after the worship night:

1. Build relationships with other Christians 

While large events are great, the power of Christian unity comes from relationships. It is relationships across our varied church traditions and backgrounds which empower inter-church collaboration. Thus, one of the greatest things you can do is to set up a time to meet with someone from a different background than you – perhaps ethnically, denominationally, or socioeconomically. To do this, you can visit a worship service from another church in your neighborhood, asking, “What can this form of Christian worship teach me about God?” It’s often as we step outside our comfort zone that our false understandings are revealed and we discover the manifold wisdom of God present within the church (Eph 3:10).

2. Join a UniteBoston Neighborhood Dinner

UniteBoston has a team of nine dinner coordinators that are coordinating regular gatherings for prayer and fellowship within neighborhood communities.  The goal for the dinners is to build relationships and to let our relationships inform our shared mission of revealing Jesus’ love within our communities. We gather to hear our personal stories of faith in Christ and to answer two questions: “What is God already doing in our community?” and “What can we together to better demonstrate the love of Christ?”

You can sign up for a dinner in your neighborhood by clicking here. Our neighborhood dinner coordinators are also happy to sit down with you and grab a cup of coffee to learn how we can be supporting you and what God is doing in your midst. Please contact us – We’d love to hear from you!

Neighborhood Dinner at Adam’s house in East Boston

3. Share about UniteBoston on Facebook or Instagram

This year, we increased our marketing strategy and have discovered the power of social media. We encourage you to take one of our photos and share it on Facebook (@uniteboston10) or Instagram (Uniteboston) – or simply email your friends and encourage them to get involved with UB/sign up for our weekly newsletter!

“Organizations have programs. People have friends. Friends trump programs every time…The world has been shouting over the noise of our programs that it doesn’t need more presidents or organizations, what it needs is more friends.” – Bob Goff in Love Does

Photo Credit: Koo Chung

4. Submit an event from your church/ministry to UniteBoston’s weekly newsletter

UniteBoston has a large infrastructure for promotion and advertising. Our website is viewed by 2,000+ people monthly and our weekly newsletter goes out to over 3,000 Christians in the Greater Boston area, so it’s a great way to get the word out about your event and increase visibility. Many people attest that posting on UB helped them to connect with new people and increased their event size!

There are two options for posting:
-Free: Posted on the UniteBoston.com website

-$30/week: Featured on our weekly e-newsletter

Click on the link here to submit your event to UniteBoston!

5. Join our team!

The current UniteBoston team is a tight-knit group of people that is committed to one another and to joining God in His work in this city. If you believe in Christian unity and want to be a part of a community that is working to make the unity we share in Christ visible, please prayerfully consider joining our team!

Right now, we have volunteer opportunities available in finance, journalism, and neighborhood dinner coordination.

Photo Contest Winners!

And here are our photo winners from our photo contest! Each of the three people below will receive a gift card to Neighborhoods Cafe, which is a cafe run by David and Betsy Hill from CityChurch. Neighborhoods is a local coffee shop in the Fenway/Kenmore neighborhood that has organic fair trade direct trade coffee and crepes. Thank you Betsy Hill for donating the gift cards to UniteBoston!

Harim @Hrl88 from Highrock Cambridge wrote “One day, we will remember that this was the start of everything.” We loved this photo that highlighted her creativity and graphic design with the worship night theme!

 

Kristine Guo @kristine.guo with her friends Faith, Godwinna, and Elizabeth! Kristine told us that Faith was a close friend that she met at UMass Boston last year and they unexpectedly found out that we were both Christian after following each other on Instagram and seeing that they both had Bible verses in our bios! Kristine attends CBCGB, the Chinese Bible Church of Greater Boston.

 

Camille Gaydos @anursewhocares posted this photo. We loved how she caught this moment of worship amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, which captured the worship night’s theme of “One City, One Love.”

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: contest, ecumenism, next, photo, uniteboston, unity

Aug 18 2018

2018 UniteBoston Worship Night Photo Gallery

On August 18, 2018, an estimated 1,000 people came out to the second-ever UniteBoston Summer Worship Night in the Boston Common. The worship team was intentionally diverse, with Christians from all different ethnic and denominational backgrounds. There was incredible music, 13 sponsored tables by local churches and organizations, Lori Dupre painting with our theme “One City / One Love,” great fellowship, and even a spontaneous dance party!

Special thanks to Koo Chung and Elijah Mickelson for the incredible photographs here; they have superb photography skills and are highly recommended!

Check out the photos below, and you can view more on the UniteBoston Worship Night Facebook Gallery.

Also, click here to watch the highlight video that Luke Zvara put together!

Personal Stories

“You’d be hard pressed to find as diverse a crowd of believers worshiping together in Spirit and Truth as were gathered that night. Some have moved to Boston because they believe the Holy Spirit is not at work. Strange how those people never attend events where the fullness of the Church is being expressed in the diversity of God’s people!”
-Rev. David Wright, Black Ministerial Alliance

“The August 19 evening worship on Boston Common was as filled with God’s Spirit perhaps as the Common has been on a number of historic moments over many years, such as the First Great Awakening there in 1740 or the Billy Graham meetings there in 1950.  We pray God is increasingly filling Boston with His Spirit now in 2018.”
-Ralph Kee, Emmanuel Gospel Center Church Planting Collaborative

Our awesome team of vocalists. Photo Credit: Koo Chung

 

Group photo to begin the day! Photo Credit: Koo Chung

“As we gathered on the Boston Common, our “common neighborhood backyard,” the vibrancy, joy, diversity of our common faith came alive. It was truly incarnational, if one had to use a theological term. Although much of the style of the event was different from my Catholic style, I felt welcomed and engaged. Christ is our Center, our Life. Thank you so much.”
-Fr. Michael McGarry, The Paulist Center

“The Unite Boston Worship Night was a great gathering of believers all across Boston. I sensed God was reconnecting a lot of people to Him through the Holy Spirit during the worship. It was humbling seeing people surrendering to worship just like David did in the Old Testament! God Bless UniteBoston!”
-Tinuola Ajayi, River of Life Church

“This gathering demonstrated how Christ is able to bring all kinds of people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to worship Jesus together in the city of Boston!”
-Rebekah Nyakairu, Grace Chapel Watertown

Worship. Photo Credit: Koo Chung

 

A great crowd at the event! Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson

How were you impacted by the worship night?

We’d love to hear from you – Submit your feedback here.

UniteBoston volunteers gather for a photo before the summer worship night. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Group photo to begin the day! Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Ronald Ayala. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Ben Laine with a solo song. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Lori Dupre working on her painting. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Jireh Calo on the keyboard. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Worship dancers with Genos Eklegomai dance ministry. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Worship dancers with Genos Eklegomai dance ministry. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Worship dancers with Genos Eklegomai dance ministry. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Worship. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Ola and Ope Olukorede. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
What an incredible day we were given for this event! Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Ben Hills and Danny Park on the Sound Board. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Caleb McCoy engages the crowd. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Chae Rin Park Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Caleb McCoy singing gospel rap. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
The incredible worship team. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
UB’s Executive Director Kelly Fassett. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Dr. Vito Nicastro, UB Board Member
Lori Dupre from Revive Community Church. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Selfie break! Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Jireh Calo on the keyboard. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
The incredible team of vocalists. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Volt on the violin. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Ronald Ayala on the electric bass. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Volt on the violin. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Jordan Knott and Alyssa Fuller. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
UB Music Director Tom Baskett. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Lori Dupre painting “One City.” Photo Credit: Koo Chung
UB Dinner Coordinator Cleo Muhammad. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Our incredible worship team. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Spontaneous Dance Party! Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Spontaneous Dance Party! Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Worship. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Our amazing worship team. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Great to see many people in worship. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
UB Dinner Coordinator Caroline Meditz shares about UniteBoston. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Building new friends and fellowship! Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
In worship. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Pastor Dave Swaim from Highrock Church. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
God’s presence really showed up. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
The rhythm section, with Caleb McCoy and Joe Miterko. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Jordan Knott and the other vocalists. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Incredible worship dancers. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Lori Dupre finishing her painting. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
It was awesome to see the moon rise over the city. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
The theme for the evening was: “One City. One Love.” Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Worship. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Caleb McCoy. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
All of our wonderful vocalists. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Group photo to begin the evening. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
Jireh Calo. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Sound check with Calvin Limuel. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
Executive Director Kelly Fassett & her husband Andrew in worship. Photo Credit:Elijah Mickelson
Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
Worship. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
Mambi Ashu in worship. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
MC Kika Ghobrial. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
The 2018 UB Worship Team in front of Lori Dupre’s paintings. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
August – Worshipping Jesus right in the heart of the city of Boston during the 2018 worship night. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
Awesome to be worshipping Jesus right in the heart of the city of Boston. Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
A great crowd! Photo Credit: Elijah Mickelson
Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Ben & Erich doing the sound mixing. Photo Credit: Koo Chung
Rev. David Wright’s prayer for the city of Boston. Photo Credit: Koo Chung

 

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: archdiocese of boston, black ministerial alliance, boston common, christian unity, christianity, ecumenism, gallery, jesus, paulist center, photo, united night of worship, unity, worship

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