Fall
Reporter 2005
(275k. Click here to access color, illustrated version in PDF file
format)
Old South Church
Boston MA 02116
http://www.oldsouth.org
What's inside? (Text only version)
Forty-five chairs sat empty in the stillness of Gordon Chapel, waiting quietly for the moment to arrive. It seemed to me, that despite their quietness, those chairs were holding a nervous anticipation, an excited curiosity.
Of the forty-five, a dozen or so had been roped off at the perimeter of the circular setup. “We want people to feel free to come to the front,” we’d decided. “And besides, we don’t want the room to look too empty.”
Those roped-off chairs had been an afterthought anyway. When we’d talked about how many people to expect at the first of the weekly NewJazz@OldSouth worship services, we had agreed that we would likely see somewhere between fifteen and thirty. But as we began putting the chairs in place, Rhoda Harding, our wise and faithful receptionist at the front desk, had called us over to give us a little advice. “I think you might get a lot of people this evening,” she said. “People have been coming in all day wondering what this is about.” In response, we put out an additional two rows of chairs, a bit reluctantly.
For a little while longer, we waited. We walked through the service together – Tadd Allman-Morton and I – with Old South ministers Jennifer, Nancy, and Quinn offering words of advice and support. We prayed together, we put out snacks, we raced to make finishing touches to the room setup, and we wondered aloud and in silence: “What is about to happen?”
What was about to happen was something much bigger than we had imagined. The trickle of people coming through the doors at 5:45 became a steady flow just a few minutes later; and we quickly removed the rope from the two back rows of chairs. By 6:00, the steady flow had become an all-out rush, causing Quinn and Nancy to scramble to pull chairs from the children’s chapel and beyond, and causing Jennifer to race to move tables and create new paths for traffic.
Willie Sordillo, our calm and deeply spiritual musical director and saxophonist, eased us through the confusion, along with pianist, Kenn Brass, and bassist, Doug Rich. They served up beautiful and soulful sounds amid the candlelit room, turning all attention away from the mayhem happening on the perimeters, and toward the center, where Communion chalice and plate offered visible signs that Christ was with us.
As people continued to file through the doors, I greeted all with words of welcome, and then asked those who could to share with their neighbor one of the fifty bulletins we had printed. We greeted one another with words of peace. Jennifer and Christian offered a call to worship. And then, the Spirit seemed to take over.
Amid beautiful sounds of “Amazing Grace” and “Precious Lord Take My Hand,” people smiled and listened deeply, they laughed, they shared Communion, they offered prayers and reflections, they gave generously to the continuation of the service and to the hurricane relief efforts, they lit candles, and they sang and swayed to the music.
Tadd, especially, seemed right in his element. He seemed to have been preparing for this first reflection all his life, a story-based reflection on learning to pray to God from whatever place we find ourselves, even a place of anger or pain. Without manuscript, he moved about freely, gesturing and inviting, with voice rising and lowering, telling his story with great emotion and skill.
Tadd spoke openly, with depth and passion; and he moved the room to open up with him. People shared stories of learning to pray while learning to embrace their sexual orientation, learning to pray while struggling with the death of loved ones, and learning to pray in the presence of a community of supportive people. It was a truly moving experience, one that few who were present will soon forget. I know that I, for one, will long remember it.
The final count was eighty-three people. While a handful left before the service ended, most stayed straight through the prelude, despite the fact that the service ran about twenty minutes longer than we had intended. The vast majority of people partook in Communion, and the initial feedback was, on the whole, much like a rave review.
This “New Jazz” service has been given the subheading of the “un-worship” service. But anyone who has attended has been quickly aware that the phrase was never intended to suggest anything other than the hope of offering simply a different way of worshipping, a different way of encountering church, and a different way of encountering God.
Time will tell whether the large turnout at the first meeting will mean a steady large turnout. However, it does seem to suggest that, as the Old South Church seeks and works to minister to people in new ways, we can be confident that people are eager to find new ways of being ministered to. We’re trusting in God to show us new ways to address the spiritual needs of new friends, and to learn from them as well about what God is saying to us, and about what we are called to share from this community.
Thanks be to God, and to many helping hands, for a very promising beginning!
Editor: reports are that attendance at New Jazz services continues to be strong and a loyal following is building. Please check out these wonderful new Old South worship services yourself some Thursday evening at 6 pm.
At what point in your life did you feel a calling to the ministry and was there anything specific happening in the world or your own life at that time that made you feel this is the “defining moment?”
I was in my junior year of college, pursuing a BS in natural resources as a pre-law sequence. One morning, my alarm went off for class, I got up out of bed and stumbled across the room to turn it off, and as I stood there slowly waking myself up, I suddenly said out loud, “I have to become a minister.” Now, the thought of entering pastoral ministry had never before crossed my mind, and I was certainly not prepared to deal with it at that hour of the morning, so I put it out of my head. That worked for a while, but the idea kept creeping back in unbidden, so I eventually began to pray about it, then to talk to friends about it, then to family, and eventually to the pastor of the church in which I had grown up. After much affirmation from each of those quarters, I finally decided to accept the call I had been fighting against for several months. As I look back at that time, I don’t see that any specific event in the world or my life pointed to a “defining moment.” But it was certainly a process in which the community of my friends and family, as well as that of my church, played a big role; that engagement with those around me brought my call into much sharper focus for me than it would have been had I been going it alone.
Not only is your partner Terry a biotech scientist with a background in animal science, but your undergraduate degree is in environmental science. How do you feel this interest influences you as a minister?
I think it probably influences me most in terms of what I’m doing when I’m not being a minister! Terry and I are both nature lovers; we hike and camp whenever we have the chance, do some kayaking, and have just lately gotten hooked on geocaching. We also spend a lot of time hanging around home with our animals (2 dogs: Stoney & Oliver, 1 cat: Simon).
My personal interest in environmental issues and sense of call to care for the creation does influence my ministry, however. While I believe that humans are called to play a special role in the creation, that of stewards, I cannot believe that we are the only part of the creation that has received or can manifest special blessings from God. So I sense a need to treat the entire creation with the same love and respect that I would show my brothers and sisters here at Old South. I think there is also a justice component to the way humans relate to the rest of the creation (at least the living parts of it): we as Christians are called to care for the less powerful and more vulnerable (widows, orphans, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned), and I believe that that call extends beyond humans since, especially in the modern world, people certainly have a great deal of power over the rest of creation. And of course, it’s also important to note that environmental destruction almost always intersects with other forms of oppression, and the victims of that destruction are often humans that are also oppressed in other ways.
Finally, my interest and training in environmental science always lead me inexorably to the question of salvation. Our Christian scriptures claim that in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Godself. Can one person (even one that’s also divine) save the whole creation? If so, how? What does Jesus’ death have to do with cows or with cockroaches? Is this claim of the Gospels (and of centuries of Christian belief and practice since then) just a form of anthropocentrism, the assumption that humans are the end-all be-all of the creation? I certainly don’t know the answers to these questions, but I love thinking about them and discussing them, so please consider this an open invitation to join me in doing so.
Prior to voting you in unanimously as our new Associate Minister, the Congregation reviewed a combination biography and résumé (see box) that went back to 2001. In four years, you've done more than some of us have done in decades! Is there anything that you'd consider your greatest accomplishment?
Teaching myself to drive in Boston—without a single accident!
So many churches would consider your presence a blessing. What made you choose Old South?
Though I grew up in a rural setting, my seminary training was focused on urban ministry, with all the special blessings and challenges that offers. So I had had my eye out for an urban church for a while. I had worshipped at Old South in the past, and knew it by reputation, so when I realized that there was a position opening up here, I began to pray and do research. The more I learned about the church, the more I was attracted, especially to its historic commitment to freedom, social justice, and inclusivity. Even the challenges it faces, in terms of Christian stewardship, financial issues, and church growth, are ones that I look forward to addressing with you. All of which is to say, simply, that I felt called by God to partner with you in Christian ministry—and am so grateful that Old South feels the same way!
Ministers have so many diverse responsibilities. Is there any one that you consider your greatest joy? Conversely, is there any one that you consider your greatest challenge?
Studying the Bible and our Christian traditions with other committed learners is probably my favorite part of parish ministry, though writing and leading liturgy is a very close second.
I tend to identify as liberal progressive. The seminary I attended and the churches with which I’ve been associated so far have been more or less “liberal” or “left-leaning” ones. Neither I nor those institutions (I say this by way of confession) have been very successful, or really even interested, in reaching out to our “conservative” or “right-leaning” sisters and brothers. I have become convinced that such a reaching out is necessary not only because of Jesus’ instructions about the treatment of our enemies and Paul’s exhortations about the unity of the body of Christ, but also for our own good: we have much to learn from one another, and if we can learn to work together toward those ends on which we agree while continuing to debate and discern the mind of Christ around those points where we do not, our power for the “upbuilding” of the realm of God would be great indeed. Discerning the best ways to live this truth out individually and corporately, however, is a difficult task (to say the least!). So that’s a call I’ve been sensing lately, and one that feels like it’s going to be challenging to respond to.
You have also served the Presbyterian Church. Do you notice any striking similarities or contrasts between that Congregation and the UCC?
Though I’m a cradle UCCer, I really developed a soft spot for the Presbyterian Church (USA) during my time as an intern with Presbyterian Welcome, a group within the denomination seeking to remove bars to ordination based on sexual orientation. During that time, one strength of our UCC heritage that I especially came to appreciate was our congregational polity. Since each local church follows the leading of the Holy Spirit in matters of worship and doctrine, member congregations are often able to move—sometimes in radical ways—more quickly and with more agility in the Spirit than large denominational bodies can. This local autonomy has enabled the UCC and its predecessor bodies to be a church of many “firsts:” the first woman ordained to Christian ministry in the modern era, the first African-American to be ordained in a predominantly white church, the first openly gay man to be ordained in a mainline denomination . . . the list is long. At the same time, I came to respect and admire the Presbyterian Church’s determination to not move until everybody (or almost everybody) is ready, to be careful to not leave any of its members behind, to discern the mind of Christ at the regional and national level. Of course, local UCC congregations are called to participate in our strong regional and national bodies in following the Spirit in performing Christian ministry, and Presbyterians at the local church level make many of their own decisions in performing their ministries. But the two traditions are distinct, and through working and dialoguing with one different from my own, I really came to appreciate their relative strengths.
Is there any one person, clergy or lay, that you believe has been a guiding light to your ministry?
Since I began actively pursuing and then living ordained ministry, lots of people have held the Christ-light for me, from friends and family to mentors and colleagues, to individuals in the churches I’ve known and served. No one person stands out in that respect, but I’m aware and grateful that without the guidance and prayers of the communities that have surrounded me, my ministry would be a rather lifeless one. Which, of course, is what the church is all about—enabling one another’s ministries to be vital.
Anything else you'd like to share with our Church family?
Just to say how very blessed I feel to be among you in this way, and how much I look forward to our ministries together in Christ’s name!
[Editor: many newcomers and even not-so-newcomers may be puzzled by frequent references to Mt. Vernon Church in the listing of activities at Old South Church. Here are some of the fascinating details as excerpted from the latest Mt. Vernon Church Annual Report about how this "church within a church" came to be.]
A Brief History. The Mount Vernon Congregational Church, affiliated with Old South Church since 1970, is a congregation whose links with Old South go back to its beginnings in 1842. Old South’s pastor, George W. Blagden, gave the introductory prayer at the service of installation on June 1, 1842, when 25 men and 22 women were organized into “The New Congregational Church” at a meeting in the vestry of the Park Street Church. Four days later, the first service was held in Old South’s Chapel in Spring Lane. The Mount Vernon Congregation promptly built a church with “the largest seating capacity of all the Boston churches” on Ashburton Place atop Beacon Hill near the State House. They began worshipping there in 1844. In the congregation’s 50th year, Old South’s senior minister, George A. Gordon, was the preacher at the Nov. 9, 1892 dedication of Mount Vernon Church’s second building, at the corner of Beacon Street and West Chester Park (renamed Massachusetts Avenue in 1894).
Mount Vernon thrived in its first century under the leadership of six
ministers: Edward Norris Kirk (1842-1874) , Samuel Edward Herrick (1871-1904)
, Albert Parker Fitch (1904-1909), James Austin Richards (1909-1918), A.
Sidney Lovett (1919-1932) and Carl Heath Kopf (1933-1948). Its membership
grew to 360 in 1845, to a peak of 697 in 1860, to a low of 336 in 1923
and back up to 473 in wartime 1942. But by the late-1960s, its population
had moved to the suburbs and the Back Bay church had no parking lot. Attendance
dwindled and the church could no longer afford a pastor. Old
South Church staff began to conduct their services.
In 1970, Mount Vernon Church closed its doors at Beacon Street and Massachusetts Avenue, and the congregation was invited to worship at Old South Church by Old South’s senior minister, Frederick M. Meek. This led the Mount Vernon congregation to affiliate with Old South but retain its independence as a congregation with its own endowment and traditions.
The then vacant church building burned in July, 1978, probably as the accidental result of occupation by homeless people, who regularly broke in to seek refuge. The building and land were then sold and was renovated into architectural award-winning condominium units by architect Graham Gund.
1970: MOUNT VERNON AFFILIATES WITH OLD SOUTH
The Mount Vernon congregation left their building in 1970 and considered whether they should dissolve. Mount Vernon is the beneficiary in perpetuity of a one- third interest in an estate. With other monies given to it, it had in 1970 an endowment that could fund some good works if not a full- fledged ministry. If the church had ceased to exist, a state court judge would have had to determine the intent of who ever had created the trust funds. The money might then have been awarded to another charity or to the donor’s family. The congregation decided not to dissolve the church.
In September, 1970, Mount Vernon and Old South Churches signed an agreement that each church would continue to be a separate entity, that members of either church could be members of both, that Mount Vernon would make a substantial annual donation to Old South Church, and that Mount Vernon would continue to make donations to charities of its own choice. In recent years, the Mount Vernon donation to the Old South budget has been $40,000 to $50,000 a year, depending on stock market results. Mount Vernon has made significant donations (over $100,000) to Old South’s Organ Fund. Mount Vernon also has established a fund for an ongoing project to publish the sermons of Old South’s Senior Minister Emeritus, the Rev. Dr. James W. Crawford.
MOUNT VERNON’S MISSION
Mount Vernon Church was expressly founded to give the evangelist, the Rev. Mr. Edward Norris Kirk, a pulpit in Boston to preach orthodox Christianity to counter the Unitarians who had taken over many of the city’s Congregational churches over the previous four decades. Kirk gave the church the name of Mount Vernon “not from Mount Vernon Street, but because it is a pleasant and euphonious name.”
Mount Vernon Church had a vigorous outreach program. It supported organizations with historical ties to Congregational churches, urban missions, education, and overseas missions. Its members and the church have actively supported and led Congregational organizations like City Mission Society (CMS) and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The church history, “One Hundred Years of Mount Vernon Church,” states, “The ministers and members of Mount Vernon Church have always been actively interested in the (City Mission) Society and in its various (summer) camps. From 1844 to 1856, the church contributed over sixteen thousand dollars to City Mission.” Two founders of Mount Vernon, Deacons Daniel Safford and Julius Palmer, were presidents of CMS, which was founded in 1816 by members of Old South Church and the Park Street Church.
Mount Vernon supported an extraordinary number of US and overseas missions, a particular interest of Kirk who served from 1826 to 1828 as an agent of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Mount Vernon had missions in Japan, China, France, Great Britain, and in several African countries. In Chilesso, Angola, the Mount Vernon Church in Africa listed 4,291 members in 1941.
EDUCATION
Mount Vernon members were founders, leaders or major supporters of
Mount Holyoke Seminary, Wellesley College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Doshisha University in Japan, and the Andover Theological Seminary, now
Andover Newton Theological School. Kirk presided over the board of trustees
of both Mount Holyoke and Wellesley College, serving Mount Holyoke from
1858 until his death in 1874 and Wellesley from 1870 to 1874. Edward S.
Tobey, treasurer of Mount Vernon from 1843 to 1863, was a founder in 1861
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Rev. Mr. Fitch, the third
minister, resigned from Mount Vernon in 1909 to become the president of
Andover Theological Seminary in Cambridge.
DWIGHT L. MOODY
The church’s most famous American member is the international evangelist,
the Rev. Dwight Lyman Moody (1837- 1899), who was converted to Christianity
at the age of 18 by his Sunday school teacher at Mount Vernon, Edward Kimball.
Moody was ordered by Samuel Holton, his uncle and a member of Mount Vernon,
to attend church and church school. One Saturday in 1855, Kimball visited
the young man at his uncle’s shoe store in Boston, where Moody worked as
a clerk. Kimball put his hand on the young man’s shoulder and “told him
of Christ’s love for him and the love Christ wanted in return.” Moody later
recalled, , “I don’t remember what he said, but I can feel the power of
that man’s hand on my shoulder tonight. It was not long after that I was
brought into the Kingdom of God.” Ironically, the Mount Vernon Church did
not initially admit Moody. He had been in Sunday school class only a few
weeks and could not answer the examining committee’s question: “What has
Christ done for us all?” The committee worked with Moody for a year to
improve his general and religious knowledge, as his formal schooling had
ended at the 7th grade when he left home to seek his fortune. He became
a member in May, 1856.
Moody was renowned as a preacher, co- author of a best- selling hymnal, head of a 1,500- student Sunday School in Chicago, the founder of the Moody Bible Institute and the Moody Church in Chicago. He also founded Northfield Seminary for Young Women in his home town of Northfield, Mass. and the Mount Hermon School for Young Men in near- by Gillis, Mass.
HOUSING MISSION
A committee of Mount Vernon and Old South members and consultants in
the mid 1970s studied a proposal to redevelop the Mount Vernon Church building
for elderly housing for church members. The committee ultimately determined
that it was financially unfeasible. The vacant building burned in July,
1978, probably as the accidental result of occupation by homeless people,
who regularly broke in to seek refuge. The building and land were sold.
The church shell was preserved and converted in 1984 by architect Graham
Gund to “Church Court,” market-rate condominium apartments overlooking
the Back Bay and the Charles River.
Funds from the sale of the building were put into the Old South Church Housing Fund, now part of OSC’s outreach program money. Interest from this fund was used (among other things) by Old South for operational grants to the Christenson House, the Boston Aging Concerns 100 Rooms Campaign and The Tent City Corporation, which was co-founded by a member of OSC and had offices in the OSC tower room for several years. Tent City Corp. developed 270 units of low, moderate and market rate housing in an award- winning development across the tracks from Copley Place.
MOUNT VERNON’S HISTORIC CHARITIES
In 2005, more than three decades later, two original members of Mount Vernon are still on the membership list but are not active members. For the Old South members who have become members of both churches, Mount Vernon remains a distinct entity out of affection and respect for the original Mount Vernon members whom they knew and out of deference to the congregation’s proud and separate heritage.
Among the charitable organizations which continue to receive funds from Mount Vernon are the City Mission Society, the Andover Newton Theological Seminary and its scholarship fund for Doshisha University in Japan, which was founded by a member of Mount Vernon, Joseph Hardy Neesima.
Andover Newton was first organized in 1807 as the Andover Theological Seminary in a Calvinist and Trinitarian reaction to the appointment of a liberal professor of divinity at Harvard College, who leaned toward Unitarianism. In the early 19th century, the Old South Church (known originally as the Third Church in Boston) and the Park Street Church (organized in 1809) were the only Congregational churches in the heart of Boston that remained Trinitarian, resisting the Unitarian tide that swept the city.
Other major Mount Vernon major funds include the Joseph Hardy Neesima Scholarship Fund at Andover Newton, which is named after a young Japanese samurai who risked capital punishment by illegally fleeing to America to learn more about Christianity. He joined Mount Vernon Church and subsequently co-founded a Christian school in Kyoto that continues today as Doshisha University, home to 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Also Mount Vernon Church also supports Andover Newton students with
the Robert H. Christenson Fund, a scholarship fund in memory of the Rev.
Dr. Robert H. Christenson, an expert pastoral counselor
who served Old South as Associate Minister from 1978 until his death
in 1989 at the age of 56. Christenson was a founding member of Boston Aging
Concerns, a member of Social Action Ministries, and the UCC representative
on the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing.
The congregation and its deacons continue Mount Vernon’s historic support for summer camps, recreational and educational opportunities for children by making grants to Farrington Memorial and Gould Farm. They have made several grants to Match-Up Interfaith Volunteers. They also support the American Congregational Library at 14 Beacon Street.The library holds 28 feet of the records of the Mount Vernon Congregation, which worshipped on nearby Ashburton Place for five decades.
The Mt. Vernon Church Annual Report 2005 is authored by Kenneth D. Campbell, moderator of Mount Vernon, in collaboration with Lawrence R. Bowers, vice moderator, and Susan T. Campbell, member of Mount Vernon and Historian of Old South Church, for the occasion of the 163rd Annual Meeting of Mount Vernon Church, Sunday, March 6, 2005. Full copies of this Annual Report is available on request.
Editor: Old South's Christian Service and Outreach Committee works with and makes grants to numerous local social service agencies. Here is a summary of liaison reports for several of the most prominent ones, describing a) what they do: b) what's new, c) what's their financial picture; d) and how can Old South help them further beyond our monetary contribution.
Each year my visit with the some of the organizations to which Old South contributes is so rewarding. The work done by the dedicated staff of these organizations do is so inspirational.
YMCA Training, Inc. 18 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02108 (617) 542-1800. Training Inc (TI) provides training for men and women who are unemployed or underemployed in healthcare, administrative assistant, business services and, most recently, commercial driving. Director Anne Meyerson shared with me several accomplishments.
Employment Statistics: 100% of the Cycle 64 graduates (completed training 11/04) have jobs, 70% of the Cycle 65 graduates (completed training 02/05) are working, and 50% of the Cycle 66 graduates (completed training 05/05) are currently employed, and most of the rest are in job search. The City of Boston’s standard for their contracts is 60%, while typical city programs have 50% employment rates. Many trainees begin as temporary workers and are subsequently hired full time. Average earnings are $11.50 per hour. More than half of the trainees work in the healthcare field, with the remainder working as administrative assistants, or in business services.
Funding: While raising money is still difficult, it is better than it was in 2004. For the second year TI held a Partner’s Appreciation Breakfast. Modestly more money was raised this year, and private fundraising grew a bit. These have enabled them to add back a staff position that spends half her time coordinating volunteers and the other half performing contract bookkeeping. Bottlenecks continue to plague the approval of vouchers; consequently TI has added more cycles to accommodate people as soon as they are approved. This is the only way to keep enrollments up.
Evening Classes: TI landed a Neighborhood Job Trust contract with the City of Boston, enabling them to open an evening program. Three evenings a week TI offers courses in medical office and computer training. In addition, TI has started a Commercial Driver’s License program in conjunction with Parker Professional Driving School. Written test preparation is done by TI while Parker Professional Driving School does the road training.
Updated Curriculum: Thanks to the volunteer work of the information technology employees of the Boston office of the Federal Reserve, TI will soon have software which better replicates actual workplace software for the office simulation. Having this experience gives trainees a leg up when competing in the job market. Anne is currently exploring the sale of this software to other organizations and researching the use of McGraw Hill software to provide stronger medical office procedures training.
Clothing Drive: Old South’s clothing drive plays a vital role. Once trainees put on their new apparel, Anne said: “They feel differently about themselves.” One trainee said that when she started wearing her new clothes, “People smiled at me on the subway.”
Focus for 2006: Building on a study performed by Boston Collage MBA students, marketing will be the new focus. With a higher profile, TI hopes to attract more funding, additional contracts and more applicants.
How Can Old South members help? Mentoring (after the initial meeting, this may be done by telephone and email), conversational English, mathematics assistance, and resume/interview support are needed. Please contact Anine Myrhagen at the above number at ext. 26 if you would like additional information.
Women’s Lunch Place (WLP), 67 Newbury Street, Boston, MA, 02116 (617) 267-1722 provides breakfast and lunch as well as a host of other services to homeless women. Guests can use showers, do laundry, an on staff advocate, and avail themselves to the services of a physician, nurse, psychiatrist or psychologist. In addition, WLP arranges for clothing donations, and has a staffed resource center which is equipped with computers, fax machines and telephones to enable the guests to search for jobs. An art program provides guests with a creative outlet, so important to increasing self-esteem. A recreational program offers fitness opportunities as well as day trips. Although WLP has a small library, advocates are in the process of working with the Boston Public Library enabling guests to have library cards.
Accomplishments and what’s new at WLP. Based on the strategic plan, developed by the staff and Board of Directors following focus groups and surveys of the guests, a full time cook has been added to the staff, and a second advocate will be hired. A new committee of the board of directors was formed to work on marketing and branding to lead to future development efforts.
Financial Condition. WLP will end the year with a slight surplus, raising all but 1% of the $1.45 million budget from non-governmental sources. $600,000 comes from foundations and the remainder from individuals.
How can Old South Members help?
1. Kitchen volunteers are needed for breakfast and lunch. Hours are
flexible, so members could work from 7:00 AM until 8:30, or until 2:00
PM. Please contact Cheryl Weiner, volunteer coordinator if you are interested.
2. Birthday presents are needed to make the guests feel special on
their
special day. Perhaps you know of a business which would donate jewelry,
body lotions, or other suitable items. How about picking up a bargain at
Marshall’s or K Mart to provide a treat for a homeless woman?
3. Toiletries are needed for the shower facilities. When you travel,
may want to collect these items for donation to WLP.
4. Clothing, especially large sizes are needed.
Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM) - 474 Centre Street, Newton,
MA 02458 (617) 244-3650. CMM is a broker for start-up community service
organizations and coordinator for church partnership programs. Executive
Director Claire Kashuck noted these items.
Accomplishments & What’s New:
1. 8 new member congregations and organizations;
2. 2 new church partnerships;
3. Over 60 congregations attended one or more dinner dialogues;
4. Four Advocacy Workshops which trained approximately 100 people in
letter writing campaigns concerning homelessness;
5. Because of CMM’s efforts, Trinitarian Congregational Church donated
$10,500 to provide scholarships for low-income women;
6. Youth project at Eliot Church of Newton provided 12 backpacks for
children of prisoners;
7. Major linen and cutlery drive for CASPAR, a shelter in Cambridge;
8. Mentor for a child of a prisoner through the Amachi Program;
9. $1,000 for Louis D. Brown Peace Institute;
10. $1,000 scholarship for young person from Bethel AME Church
by their church partner, Pilgrim Church of Sherborn;
11. Pool table for Tieng Xhan Voice, a program serving high risk
Asian youth in Dorchester
12. Used van and $8,000 for insurance donated by Wellesley Hills
Congregational Church to Ella J. Baker House;
13. 20 member congregations became “One Family Congregations”
by joining the campaign to end family homelessness;
14. CMM worked with Monterrians to prevent to deportation of
292 citizens of Montserrat.
15. Wellesley Congregational Church and their partner church,
the Historic Charles Street AME Church established the Roxbury Renaissance
Center to provide education, music, senior citizen support and a community
center;
16. CMM brokered the founding and funding of Massachusetts Literacy
Project to screen high risk youth for Irlen Syndrome, a genetic condition
which interferes with the ability to read.
Financial Condition. CMM experienced financial setbacks in 2005. Consequently
nearly all rainy day funds have been expended. To counteract future shortfalls,
CMM has established an Advisory Board to guide future directions and assist
in developing new sources of funding. In addition CMM is starting a new
initiative with Transition to Work/Project Hope to mobilize business networks
in CMM to offer employment to low income people. It is felt that by providing
direct service, CMM will be in a position to obtain increased funding.
How can Old South Members Help?
1. Mentor a child of a prisoner (in collaboration with Amachi Big Brothers/Sisters
of Massachusetts.
2. Screen children for Irlen Syndrome (certified teachers only).
3. Serve on Committee for CMM's Annual Benefit Interfaith Concert,
Voices in Harmony.
4. Serve on CMM Committee: Special Events, Membership, Development,
Program.
5. Assist CMM with Public Relations and Media.
6. Sponsor a House Party for CMM to help acquaint members of congregation
with mission and work of CMM.
7. Individuals from CMM congregations are welcome to call CMM for suggestions
of where to volunteer if their interests lie in the areas of our mission
and program foci (at risk youth and families, housing and homelessness,
and cross cultural understanding).
Please contact Claire Kashuck if you are interested in providing assistance.
Rosie’s Place 889 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 (617) 442-9322.
The mission of Rosie’s Place is to provide a safe and nurturing environment
to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity
and find security in their lives. I met with Kate Grundy, Director of Foundation
and Corporate Relations who related these items.
What’s new?
1. A formal adult education program has been formed. In addition to
English as a Second Language (ESL), the program offers adult literacy courses
and classes to obtain a General Educational Development (GED). On staff
are an Adult Education Director and a Coordinator. Teachers and tutors
are volunteers. Classes are in the morning (M/W and T/T) with tutoring
offered at flexible times.
2. An Outreach Component has been added. Part of it is the Homelessness
Prevention Program. The program has an outreach worker who visits chronically
mentally ill women in their homes. These women may use the advocacy services.
Rosie’s place contracts to provide a housing search specialist and a substance
abuse counselor, while credit counseling services to teach budgeting and
lessons on how to save are available from experts on a pro bono basis.
Home visits are made regularly to help insure housing retention. Even though
the program is young, it has a 96% retention rate.
3. Plans for 2006 include expansion of the Outreach Component to encompass
the elderly and physically disabled.
How can Old South Members Help?
1. Preparation of lunch and dinner.
2. Gift wrapping at Cambridgeside Galleria during the holidays. Proceeds
from this go to Rosie’s Place.
3. Teach or tutor.
4. Food, Button and clothing drives.
Please contact Marty Weingert, Director, (617) 442-9322 if you’d like
to volunteer.
Final Note: Please consider contacting these agencies directly or via Old South's Christian Service and Outreach Committee to offer your volunteer help for these opportunities.
Several questions lie at the heart of this study: is men’s spirituality different from women’s spirituality? Is older men’s spirituality different from that of younger men? And, is older men’s spirituality different from that of older women? While it is beyond the scope of this research to examine these questions in detail, our assumption in undertaking this study was that such differences do exist. The research explored the spirituality of selected older men living in MHA’s (Methodist Homes for the Aged) Care Homes, some of whom partake in regular prayer and Bible study meetings. Data collection involved a literature review, a mail survey, and semi-structured interviews in the UK.
One of our key areas of focus is raising awareness of the spirituality of aging. Our working definition of spirituality is that it is “what gives continuing meaning and purpose to a person’s life and nourishes their inner being,” This pilot study sought to improve understandings of the spirituality of older men from a Christian perspective in order to help MHA Care Group <www.mha.org.uk> and the Church recognize and support their spiritual expression.
Older men are a minority, both in British society and in MHA’s Care Homes. According to the 2001 Census, men comprise only 32.5% of the population aged 80 and over, only 27.6% of the population aged 85 and over, and just 22.4% of the population aged 90 and over. Within MHA, men comprise just 17.3% of the residents in Care Homes and 24.1% of the residents in Sheltered Housing Schemes. Because of their small numbers in relation to older women, it is easy to neglect, overlook, or misunderstand older men’s particular needs.
Masculinity, male spirituality, and men’s political and social movements
There is extensive literature (some of it academic, a great deal of
it popular) on the subjects of masculinity, male spirituality, and men’s
political and social movements. With respect to spirituality, a brief examination
of the literature reveals that there is a strong belief that differences
between men’s and women’s spirituality are real and important. While there
is no overall agreement on what constitutes a male spirituality (nor even
a Christian male spirituality), some themes dominate (see below). The proliferation
of texts on the subject alone indicates, if not a crisis, at least a strong
need to understand manhood, masculinity, and male spirituality and then
use them productively to resolve personal issues and/or to strengthen the
church.
Influences and themes
Various personal and cultural influences on men aged 80-100 were considered,
as a means of preparing to meet and understand the generation(s) of men
in the study. The issues considered were national (e.g., world war, post-imperialism,
economic depression and austerity, birth of the welfare state); personal
(e.g. being a son, brother, husband, father, widower, friend); education
and work (including retirement); identity (e.g. home, community, race,
gender roles); social (e.g. class, hobbies and entertainment, clubs); and
religious (e.g. Sunday school, adult roles in church). The following six
themes, and the associated questions they raise, were those most frequently
discussed in the literature [and are followed by analysis of these themes
after our interviews.]
Being a man
This includes issues of sexuality (i.e. maleness) as well as gender
(i.e. masculinity). Bodily change as men age is something to consider (e.g.
increased vulnerability, approaching death). Gender issues revolve around
social roles and expectations, with patriarchy being a key topic. The lack
of formal initiation rites for most men in Christian western society is
discussed as a problem, as boys do not learn how to be men. With all of
the negatives pointed out by feminists, and with all of the changes to
men’s traditional roles in our society, is it possible for men to celebrate
their manhood?
Analysis: This generation of men had very traditional masculine roles
socially and within the family. None of them brought up any concerns regarding
struggles with this. Some of them acknowledged that society and its expectations
have changed in recent years, but this has not directly affected them.
Sexuality and the body were not discussed, with the single important exception
of illness, disability, and infirmity, all of which were of concern. The
decline of strength and bodily functioning are not much discussed in the
literature, but are significant for older men. Having an older body is
a reality that cannot be avoided.
Fatherhood
A man’s relationship with his father is critical to his image of himself
and to how he interacts with others. According to the literature, men commonly
have damaged relationships with their own fathers, who in turn had damaged
relationships with their fathers, and so on back through the generations.
These relationships need to be healed. Being a father is also important,
especially as it gives a man the opportunity to provide what was missing
in his own relationship with his father, thereby bringing up a more whole
and healthy generation of boys and young men.
Analysis: Only a few men mentioned their fathers, and the references were either positive or neutral. No one discussed having a damaged relationship with his father, or unresolved issues. Several of the men did discuss being fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, and took pride in their generations of offspring. Because the literature does not discuss older age in depth, it does not explore the role of the very old man within his family.
Friendship
Western society has tended to perpetuate the belief that men are competitive
loners. Most of the authors commented on the need for men to seek community
and companionship with other men, to build open, honest and trusting friendships.6
Intimacy and deep sharing are necessary, as is non-judgemental listening.
Small groups (not necessarily church-based or religious) are recommended.
How is this imperative balanced with a need for solitude and aloneness
to pursue one’s self-examination/spirituality?
Analysis: Many of the older men in this study have succeeded in establishing close, intimate, sharing friendships—sometimes with men and sometimes with older women. In the residential homes, male friendships may be more often one-to-one rather than in groups, due to the small number of male residents at any given Home. Nevertheless, the aspiration of the literature is lived by these older men. Where such friendships are lacking, loneliness is acutely felt. Indeed, loneliness, even within a community of fellow residents, was a common theme among the interviewees. There is sufficient solitude for thinking one’s own thoughts and recalling memories, but not always enough people (or the “right” people) to listen to stories or hear deeper concerns.
Spirituality
Is male spirituality based on certain archetypes drawn from millennia
of male living, such as the “Wildman” or “Warrior” (to give two examples)?
Is it based on a deeper connection with nature and creation? Is it based
on teachings from the Bible? Is a quest involved? The idea of “connection”
is important to spirituality; but connection to what and to whom? What
sorts of ideas of “God” does a man have, and can men be open to a wider
range of ideas? If spirituality involves feelings, emotions, intuition
and the unconscious — even the body — can men relate to this? Where
can men comfortably ask the questions they want to ask?
Analysis: For those men in the study who are practicing Christians,
the Bible and the teachings of the church are key components of their spirituality.
Coming into relationship with God was possible with these men: experienced
by taking communion; by reading his hymn book; by preparing sermon, by
meditating on his relationship with Jesus. From the mail survey responses,
there was also a widespread sense of awe and wonder regarding nature, creation,
and the universe. Lastly, death and what follows it are certainly of concern
to some very old male residents. For example, one man’s spirituality is
dominated by thoughts of reuniting with his late wife in the afterlife.
The Church. Are mainline Christian churches a healthy place for men or are they women-only spaces? Can men be men at church, or do they need to be either “feminized” or “androgynous” to fit in? Is the church a place where men can turn to help them on their spiritual journeys? Or, are answers to be found outside the churches?
Analysis: Many of the respondents in this study have strong ties to their local church. In fact, some of them gain a great deal from their churchgoing, and none of them mentioned too many women, of any age, being present there. Some of the men who no longer attend church miss it greatly and find that services in the Home, however good they are, can never replace the experience of going to church.
Work. A man’s identity is often inseparable from the work he does. If work is a source of spirituality for men, what happens after retirement? Is it possible for men to become less competitive, more collaborative and more receptive? Is older age (i.e. post-retirement) an easier time for dealing with spirituality because a man is not engrossed in the ethics and activities of the workplace?
Analysis: The interviewees’ experience of having retired crossed the range from regret and loss to not looking back to still being engaged in his vocation. This range was also reflected in the mail survey. This issue needs further exploration to see what bearing it might have on spirituality.
Gaps. Most of the literature on masculinity, male spirituality and men’s political and social movements is US-based and the majority of it is quite recent (from the 1990s onwards). Also, much of it is written by and for young to middle-aged men. Almost no mention is made of older men, other than to suggest to these younger men that they seek out older men as repositories of wisdom.
Another gap in the literature is that old age is viewed as universally good. But, what are older men’s unmet needs and desires? Has no one directly asked older men about their concerns, let alone their spiritual questions? What is the downside of growing and of being older? What are the disappointments, problems, painful issues?
Lastly, studies of older people often focus on both men and women combined or only on women (due to their larger numbers). The minority of very old men (80+) makes this area a specialist, hard-to-generalize area of investigation. When subdivided further by accommodation (e.g. own home, residential home, nursing home, etc.), this makes it even more difficult to generalize.
A Picture of Older Men’s Spirituality Begins to Emerge.
The interviewees were very open and spoke “from the heart.” Their willingness
to share ideas and feelings, even prejudices and anxieties, was striking.
Having worthwhile work and activities to do and important people to share
their lives with — to love — was key. As a group, the men were thoughtful
and considered when answering questions.
The men used words from the Christian language to discuss spirituality in general as well as their own spirituality. In fact, most of them preferred to use words such as “faith”, “belief”, “worship”, and “Christ,” rather than “spirituality.” Their spirituality was grounded in a traditional, early-twentieth-century Christian context of Sunday school and churchgoing.
God was seen as having a direct relationship with humanity. Living a good life was equated with the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments. There was nothing that would be described as unconventional in their spirituality.
Spirituality was expressed by attending worship services in the Home, at a local church, or both. Bible-reading, hymn-singing, listening to church music, and prayer were common.
Some of the men were also involved in small groups for Bible study and one practiced private devotions. More generally, spirituality expressed itself in sharing stories and mementoes of loved ones, feeling hopeful because of one’s faith, engaging with others in the Home and with family, and continuing to lead a good life. One man’s spirituality was very much wrapped up in his connection to his late wife: recalling past good times and seeking present contact (at the graveside) and future contact (in the afterlife) with her.
Time to reflect was important, but so was the fellowship of like minds. Factors that inhibited their spiritual expression were varied. For some, physical disabilities and infirmities made them unable to attend worship outside the Home. All of the interviewees noted a lack of other men they could relate to, either among the residents or staff. Loneliness, described as not having someone on the same wavelength to speak with, led to feelings of not being understood and of being isolated emotionally and/or intellectually. A couple of the men were rather shy and described their late wives as having been very outgoing; this could contribute to their loneliness. Not being able to seek, or not having found, companionship outside of the Home indicated that not all needs for company were (or necessarily should be) met in the Home.
One Older Man’s Thoughts.
• ‘I often sit and wonder if I’ve lived life as God would have wanted’.
• ‘I recall almost all the time the wonderful memories of my marriage
to a very wonderful lady for nearly 54 years and the lovely children and
grandchildren we have’.
• ‘I am bewildered that life still offers so much, even at my advanced
age’.
• ‘Since the death of my wife, my faith has increased and not decreased
because I think thoughts of God, more now than before.’
• ‘I shall carry on. Still a lot of good people around, such as those
I have met at this Home’.
Summary of Key Issues
• Companionship/Friendship:
The men experienced powerful feelings of loneliness and isolation when
these were not present.
• Affirmation:
Feeling valued, loved, and useful—as a friend, a grandfather, a resident
were important to the men.
• Celebration:
The men wished to share the high points of their past lives via memories
and mementoes, as well as to share the good news and special occasions
of today.
• Confirmation:
The men sought space in their relationships and in their churchgoing
to express/experience faith worries and doubts and to be reassured.
• Reconciliation:
Being able to make peace with oneself, with others, and with God was
touched upon by some of the respondents.
• Integration:
Particularly for the interviewees, there was an overwhelming need for
someone to listen as they tried to pull all the pieces of life together.
Emphasizing these six needs and the themes of friendship, conversation, God, and church would seem to be of much more direct use in understanding the spirituality of older men than the texts on male spirituality have previously suggested.
Conclusions and Recommendations.
While the themes which are most commonly mentioned in the literature on male spirituality were relevant to these older men, they were nuanced by the factors of older age and living in a residential home. There are both positive and negative aspects to each of these factors. For example, more time to enjoy friends and family often coincides with an increase in the number of bereavements; freedom from household pressures and responsibilities is exchanged for less independence and reduced privacy. Therefore, it seems more useful to compare these findings with texts on the spirituality of ageing.
Additionally, four strong themes emerged from the empirical research: friendship, conversation, God, and church. For the participants in this study, these four elements were important — even critical — factors in their spiritual well-being. In simple and direct terms, this is how the four elements fit into a scheme of factors that help or hinder spiritual expression:
Helps spiritual expression
• Memories and mementoes.
• Regular worship services in the Home.
• Friendships with men and women.
• Conversation on meaningful subjects.
• Attending church services.
• Fellowship with other Christians.
• Family.
• Time to think/reflect.
• Prayer.
• Music.
• Bible and hymn book.
Hinders spiritual expression
• Lack of other men (residents, staff, visitors) “on the same wavelength”
to chat with.
• Lack of companionship from outside the Home.
• Not feeling free to discuss faith worries or doubts.
• Not attending church services.
• Physical restrictions (e.g. sight, hearing, speech, mobility, pain).
• Illness.
• Isolation (emotional, practical).
• Loneliness (i.e. feeling friendless).
Recommendations for Churches. The men who participated in this study indicated that belonging to a local church — however that is worked out in practice — is important to them. Therefore, churches should recognize that not all needs for fellowship, companionship, and friendship are met within a residential home. Are older men from residential homes included in church fellowship groups and house groups? Also, clergy and church members alike are encouraged to invite male residents to their own homes or to a local cafe for a meal or for coffee or tea; and some residents might enjoy a trip to the local pub for a pint!
There is no single path to follow. We must make many investigations in order to understand and perhaps, just possibly, generalize about older men’s spirituality. A small study such as this is a beginning and perhaps leaves us with more questions than we began with. Readers of this report are invited to reflect on what is offered here and to share with this author their own experiences, ideas, and discoveries.
Note: The full unexcerpted report (by permission of author) is available free of charge from the Old South Church website <www.oldsouth.org>.
About the Author: Janet Eldred left Boston in 1996 to pursue graduate studies in England. She completed her doctorate from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom last year with a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies. Her doctoral thesis on a Christian Feminist practical theology of older women formed the basis for the book, Like Spring Without Flowers: Why Older Women and Churches Need Each Other and obviously set the stage for this current study about the spirituality of older men. She is also an award-winning poet as well, who has made numerous contributions of her work and words to Old South publications over the years. She and husband, John Heath, live in York and continue to extend the geographic reach of the Old South community. She has also kindly provided autographed copies of her book for sale through the Old South web page <www.oldsouth.org> (see Books and Media) with the majority of the proceeds to be donated to Old South Church.
Good-bye Jennifer
by Elizabeth England
To the tune of Sunrise, Sunset
We know you really need to leave us,
going out to fulfill all your dreams
But that does not make it much easier to let go?
We know that you miss your Josh a real lot,
and that you want to live with him.
Could we just pack our bags and follow, would you let us in?
Refrain:
Good-bye Jennifer. So long Jennifer, we know you must go,
We will miss all those games of softball,
boy can you really hit and throw,
Good-bye Jennifer. So long Jennifer, we know you must go,
Yet we will miss your smile and presence,
never forgetting your advice.
We will miss all of your children’s sermons;
GBIO will miss you too,
Who will go out to help the needy, and all that you do?
Is this the moment that we dreaded;
is you office all packed and clean?
We could just lock you in the tower room,
Nancy, would that might be to mean? Refrain
Letting you go was not so easy, there were so very many tears.
We sent you off with lots of laughter and lot of new gear.
The path you’ve lead us on is changing,
we are unsure where it will end
It’s always sad to lose a minister,
yet you’ll remain our dear friend
Refrain:
Good-bye Jennifer So long Jennifer, we know you must go,
We will miss all those games of softball,
boy can you really hit and throw.
Good-bye Jennifer So long Jennifer, we know you must go.
Yet we will miss you smile and presence,
never forgetting your advice.
Good Luck and Godspeed to
Jennifer Mills-Knutsen
in her new post as
Pastor of St. Luke's UCC
329 Walnut Street
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Faith Faces Forward II: Beyond the Ordinary
by Carl F. Schultz, Jr.
A Book Review by Evan H. Shu
Ordinarily, interim senior ministers are an under-appreciated lot. On the whole, they are treated respectfully but no more than as the caretakers they are, holding down the fort until the cavalry comes in the form of the new senior minister. But "ordinary" is not the standard modus operandi of the Old South Church in Boston. So, in calling the Rev. Dr. Carl F. Schultz, Jr. as its interim Senior Minister in the fall of 2002, Old South Church called an interim senior minister of vast experience, wisdom, abundant sermon skills, and a perfect fit to take the church forward during this critical time of transition. As he himself says, "You are either going forward, or you are slip-sliding away."
So, in the light of this extra-ordinary interim service, it is not so surprising that Old South Church has seen fit to publish a book of collected sermons by Carl Schultz entitled, Faith Faces Forward II: Beyond the Ordinary. In 2002, his first collection of sermons from his time serving the First Church of Christ, Glastonbury, Conn. was published as Faith Faces Forward. This brand new collection of ten personally handpicked evocative sermons from his time at Old South Church will move you through the liturgical year while recounting both current as well as timeless spiritual themes. Reading these sermons for the first time or reading them anew even after having already heard them from the pulpit, the reader will be caught up again in Carl Schultz's warm, inspiring, spellbinding style.
With a Foreword by then-Moderator Russell Gregg and "before and after" Reporter articles on Carl Schultz's experience and accomplishments at Old South during this period, this book also serves as a wonderful historical record on this pivotal time in Old South Church's history. It is sure to be a keepsake as well as ongoing source of inspiration. Whether you are an Old South regular, a time-to-time visitor, a friend from afar, or simply like to read good sermons, we think you will find yourself reading these sermons time and again, each time drawing new strength and inspiration from them.
Note: Copies of Faith
Faces Forward II: Beyond the Ordinary are now on sale at the church
narthex desk or online at Old South Church's website <www.oldsouth.org>
for $10.00 each. A limited number of autographed copies are available.
All proceeds from sales go to support the work and program of Old South
Church.
Old South Reporter
(Back Issues)
OSC Reporter, a voice for the extended community of the Old South
Church, explores the mission of the church and aspects of the Christian
life through news, stories, poetry, essays, and commentaries
Communications
Committee:
Evan H. Shu , chair, Lois Harvey, David Clark, Mark Strickland,
Janet Eldred, Elizabeth England, Eleanor Jensen, Helen McCrady, Estelle
Ellis, Nancy S. Taylor and Michael Fiorentino.
Deadline for next issue: December 18, 2005
Old South Church in Boston
Gathered 1669
A congregation of the United Church of Christ
645 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617)536-1970
(617)536-8061 Fax
http://www.oldsouth.org
Nancy S. Taylor, Senior Minister
Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, Assistant Minister
Patricia Hazeltine, Church School Director
Tadd Allman-Morton, Ministerial Intern