The Clarendon Connection

News of Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church February 2008

Sunday Schedule

Choir rehearsal 9:45 a.m.

Worship 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Education 10:45 a.m.

Refreshments and fellowship 11:30 a.m.

Communion will be celebrated on February 3rd.

February Calendar

Horizons Bible Study will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 1st (for more info, see page 3)

ArtSomerville Pancake Breakfast, Saturday, February 2^nd, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (for more info, see page 3)

Orders for Equal Exchange items will be taken at church on February 3rd (for more info, see page 4)

Yoga, at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, February 3^rd (for more info, see page 5)

Ash Wednesday Service, Wednesday, February 6^th at 7:30 p.m.

War, Madness and Delusion runs from February 7^th through April 15^th at Andover-Newton Theological Seminary, and is co-curated by Karl Gustafson, with an opening reception on Thursday, February 7^th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. (for more info, see page 5)

“Be A Villen” runs at The Nave Gallery through Saturday, February 9^th. (for more info, see page 3)

Sunday, February 10^th, right after coffee hour, Adult Ed. (for more info, see page 5)

Joint Session and Deacon’s meeting on Wednesday, February 13^th at 7:30 p.m.

Peace, Justice and Mission will meet on Thursday, February 14^th at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 17^th, right after coffee hour, Cambridge to Bethlehem presentation (for more info, see page 5)

Writing Group meets on Wednesday, February 20^th at 7:30 p.m. (for more info, see page 6)

“Ghost Town Planet” at the Nave Gallery, from Friday, February 22^nd – Friday, March 21^st. Opening reception on February 22^nd from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. (for more info, see page 3)

Sunday, February 24^th, right after coffee hour, Adult Ed. (for more info, see page 5)

Book Group/Bible Study on Wednesday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m. (for more info, see page 6)

Worship Committee will meet on Thursday, February 28^th, at 7:30 p.m.

COMING IN MARCH:

ArtSomerville Yard Sale, tentative date, March 29th

Parish News

News from Nathan and LeanneWilliams: Nathan was ordained on January 27th, and accepted a call from the pastor nominating committee at Hope Community Presbyterian Church, in Virginia, Minnesota. They write: “The church building itself is gorgeous and is 1 block from the end of the main downtown area. It’s right across from the public library, the courthouse, and the high school. The downtown is suffering a little (like most are), but is still doing okay for itself. There’s a Target, a small mall, and a large supermarket on the edge of town that have taken some of the business away from downtown. But we still counted about 3 delis, 1 bakery, 2 pizza places, 1 chinese place, a flower shop, two clothing stores, an outdoor store, 1 hotel (where we stayed) and a natural foods co-op in the near-downtown area. So that’s not too bad!

I think we’re looking at a start date of somewhere around March 1^st , but the PNC is going to try to keep things moving as quickly as they can without skipping any of the important steps in the process.

We feel very, very happy (and also very, very scared!) with this situation, and I think this is going to turn out very well for us. It just feels right.

So…if you’re every headed up to the Boundary Waters, we’ll only be about an hour away – you’ll have to come visit us!

Thanks again for your support! We’ll keep you updated as the process continues.”

Julie and Will Miller’s Christmas card to Karl and Katherine says “We are halfway through law school. Oops…I mean Will is halfway done! We have two dogs. Daisy is a Boston Terrier and Booda is a stray Chihuahua mix we adopted. We miss Somerville. The CHP website looks great. Blessings to you and CHP church.”

Sue Pew’s Christmas card to the church says: “To all at Clarendon Hill Church: Happy Epiphany 2008. We hope to welcome as many of you as possible at the January Presbytery meeting at Newton Church. A friend sent this and we want to share it with you:

‘Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.’ – Melody Beattie”

We pray for continued healing for Ching Ling Kung and her family as she recovers from a stroke. You can reach Ching Ling at 617-783-4269 or by mail at 28 Wiltshire Road, Brighton, MA 02135.

Congratulations to the Gift family! Jonah David Gift arrived on December 21, 2007, at 1:28 p.m., weighing 6lbs., 12 oz and he was 19 ½ inches long. We wish God’s richest blessings for Jonah.

Doris Fisher would so much appreciate a call, a card or most especially, a visit. You can reach her at 1 Draper Street, Woburn, MA 01801. Her phone number is 781-305-3023. (see page 8 for more info)

Friday afternoon Horizons Bible Study

On Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., February 1st, all interested in a once a month Bible Study are invited to come to Salam Lebbos' house in Arlington. We will be using the 2007-2008 Horizons Bible Study: Above and Beyond - Hearing God's Call in Jonah and Ruth, published by Presbyterian Women. If you are interested in participating, please contact Gusti Newquist, Katherine Gustafson, or Salam Lebbos. Get in touch with Katherine if you need a ride or directions.

The Nave Gallery

On Saturday, February 2^nd, the Nave Gallery hosts a pancake breakfast, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Pancake breakfast to benefit the Nave curatorial program. $6.00 for all the pancakes you can eat, along with coffee and juice.

“Ghost Town Planet” runs from Friday, February 22^nd through Friday, March 21^st. The opening reception will be on Friday, February 22^nd from 6:00 –8:00 p.m. An installation at the Nave Gallery curated by Martha Friend and Marcella Ann Stasa featuring the work of: Andrew Child, Martha Friend, Alice Grossman, Michael Guertin, Erik Hansen, Gretjen Helene Hargesheimer, Connie Johnson, Adam Scott Miller, Leah Oates, Janie Owen, Thea Paneth, Eli Sidman, Marcella Anna Stasa, Carolyn Wirth and James Zall.

Ghost Town Planet, and installation at the Nave Gallery in Somerville, is a walk-through environment of our mother planet in a process of transformation. Life forms die and decay, creating sustenance for future generations. Civilizations fall, and others emerge slowly over time. Ruination lays bare the underlying structures of a limitless variety of life forms from the animal and planet kingdoms. Ghost Town Planet reveals the remnants of lives that were slowly being swallowed by the lives that will be. Nature is a powerful force that consistently through time had succumbed to death and destruction yet prevailed by its insistence on bring forth new life again. We humans build cities, gather together in villages, create homes, join with nature, defy her, live in awe of nature’s beauty and go to great lengths to annihilate it. Out of this elemental striving and conflict there at times comes a great deal of beauty and an understanding of the ephemeral nature of life as we know it. Fifteen artists come together at the Nave Gallery to explore ideas of ruination, decay, rebirth and spirituality.

The Nave Gallery is an important partner in Somerville’s vibrant arts community. It is a project of ARTSomerville, a volunteer organization that draws upon the talents of local creativity, strengthening communication among artists and the public by presenting exhibits, performances, and educational activities, in collaboration with the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church. The gallery is a noncommercial art space featuring work of both emerging and established artists. Run and staffed completely by volunteers, the Nave provides an important exhibition space for both local and regional artists.

All exhibitions are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Friday 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

To see a schedule of events, which is updated often, please look at the website: www.artsomerville.org/upcoming.html

The Presbyterian Coffee Project

Orders will be taken for Equal Exchange COFFEE (drip or whole bean) and TEA (English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Green, Rooibos),hot cocoa mix, baking cocoa and chocolate bars ($3.00 per bar, or $30.00 for a box of 12), at church on Sunday, February 63rd. You can send orders to Katherine no later than the evening of February 3rd by phone (617-628-6716) or email (kath.gustafson@gmail.com)

Due to higher organic cocoas prices, Equal Exchange has had to increase their chocolate bar and cocoa prices. The 12 oz cans of organic hot cocoa mix and the 8 oz cans of organic unsweetened baking cocoa will now be $5.00 per can.

Remember that Equal Exchange makes contributions to the national Presbyterian Church

For every pound of fairly traded products that Presbyterians purchase, Equal Exchange donates $0.15 to the Presbyterian Church USA. For 2006, that amount totaled $21,012. The funds were used to support a reforestation and environmental sustainability project with a coffee cooperative in Nicaragua.

What is EQUAL EXCHANGE? In 1991, Equal Exchange became the first U.S. company to adopt international fair trade standards as guiding principles on 100% of their products. By working with democratic farmer cooperatives around the world and paying a fair price, Equal Exchange supports efforts to improve local communities, putting more control and greater income in the hands of impoverished, small-scale farmers in developing nations. We also serve freshly made Equal Exchange coffee at Clarendon Hill’s coffee hours!

Introduction to Yoga

Come join our small, half-hour class during coffee hour (12:15 p.m., on Sunday, February 3^rd) to practice mindful breathing and gentle yoga postures. Great for stress release, improved flexibility and strength. If interested, please email Liz at cavatorta1@hotmail.com for more info.

Ash Wednesday Service

There will be an Ash Wednesday service at the church at 7:00 p.m. on February 6^th. Come and mark the beginning of Lent as we journey to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

War, Madness and Delusion

A Juried Exhibit at Andover Newton from Thursday, February 7th through Tuesday April 15, 2008. Karl Gustafson is a co-curator for this exhibit.

Andover Newton Theological School will host the art exhibit "War, Madness, and Delusion", from February 7 through April 15, 2008, in the Meetinghouse and Wilson Chapel Galleries. The purpose of the show is to address the experience and contested morality of war in our times. It will be displaying works from 33 selected artists (featuring several Somerville artists) whose work directly addresses the nature and meaning of recent wars, and the challenges facing those committed to making peace in the midst of the conflict of war.

On Thursday, March 13th, there will be a special symposium featuring Bill Schultz, former executive director of Amnesty International USA, which will bring exhibiting artists into conversation with activists, politicians, veterans, etc. in an attempt to understand both the complexities of war and the moral and political arguments involved in its justification. It is the presumption of this show that art holds a peculiar ability to confront the public with the complexities and moral ambiguities of war.

The Opening Reception for War, Madness, and Delusion will take place Thursday, February 7, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Meetinghouse Gallery. All are welcome.

Adult Education

Jesus: The Man, the Myth, the Mystery. Join us this Lenten season as we explore the historical and spiritual significance of the person of Jesus Christ. All are welcome; all that is asked is that you come with an open mind and an inquiring heart. We will be using as a guide Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright’s book, “The Meaning of Jesus, “ which is available for purchase through the church. We will begin on Sunday, February 10^th, after coffee hour, and meet again on Sunday, February 24^th. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Glass.

City to City, Cambridge to Bethlehem

On Sunday, February 17^th, the Peace, Justice and Mission committee will have a presentation from John and Kathy Roberts, along with Marty Federman (from Temple B’nai Brith) about their recent trip to Palestine right after coffee hour.

Cambridge to Bethlehem: People-to-People intends to bring people together for direct communication and learning about one another, the sharing of cultural expressions among all age groups and a process of mutual education. It will build on and expand existing relationships between people and organizations in both communities such as cultural and arts centers, universities, religious/faith-based/spiritual centers, peace/conflict resolution groups, educational institutions, women's cooperatives, youth groups, healthcare facilities, and media outlets.

Members of Cambridge-Bethlehem Delegation visited the West Bank of Palestine this past November 2007. This diverse delegation included Jews, Christians, Secularists, Palestinian Americans, educators, Peace Commissioners and representatives from the Human Rights Commission and Women’s Commission of Cambridge. They met with students, teachers, theatre people, municipal officials, hospital staff and patients, business leaders, college professors, refugees in camps, women in cooperatives, and human rights workers and activists. The Delegation was welcomed back by the Mayor of Cambridge at a City Council meeting in December 2007, and made a moving and informative “Report-Back” sharing slides and personal experiences with a packed house at the Cambridge Senior Center in January 2008.

We are looking forward to hearing Marty, John and Kathy’s stories and experiences. Please join us, and bring your curiosity and questions!

Writing Group at Clarendon Hill--all are welcome!!

After exciting and productive meetings in the fall and early winter, the writing group will meet on Wednesday, February 20th, at 7:30 p.m. in the Green Room. Please join us!! We will begin with a group check-in, move through 1-2 writing exercises, share as we feel moved, and finish with a group check-out. We are open to everyone, regardless of previous writing experience and will tailor each session to the needs and interests of those who show up. Contact Gusti or Liz for more information: gusti_newquist@yahoo.com or Cavatorta1@hotmail.com

Book Group/Bible Study

There has been a simmering desire for more bible study opportunities at CHPC. The book group of the past few years is now a bible study that will be reading and listening to the Gospel of Matthew. We will go through it chapter by chapter at whatever pace we

need. Although meant to be more about listening for God's voice through this gospel, we will certainly also be ready to look at issues of interpretation and history. If you have been looking for something like this you are invited to join us on Wednesday evening February 27th at 7:00 p.m.

Thank you from families from Somerville Early Head Start

We received multiple thank you letters from Somerville Early Head Start. The first two were from the families who were the recipients of our gifts:

To Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, Thank you so much for the gifts my family has received due to your thoughtfulness. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. May God bless all of you.

Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church: I appreciated the gifts that you gave to my family. Without the new winter things you gave us, the kids wouldn’t be prepared for this upcoming cold weather. Once again I would like to thank you gratefully for the generous gifts.

And from the Program Director, Marie Galvin:

Dear Parishioners of Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church,

Thank you for your kind and generous gifts to Somerville Early Head Start.

The food certificates will be given to two families who are having the most difficulty feeding their families. The clothing and gifts for two of our families have made a significant difference in their Christmas.

I am personally grateful that we at Somerville Early Head Start have such wonderful compassionate neighbors to help ease the difficulties of being very poor in this country. As you may know, our grant does not cover expenses for many of our families needs, so your presence in our lives has added great value to their lives and to our work.

We are deeply appreciative for your good works.

Annual Meeting Notes

The annual meeting was held on Sunday, January 20^th.

Finances and the building were major topics of conversation, but we also highlighted all the many forms of mission that occur through your words and work.

David Anderson was approved as the new treasurer for the church, and Pierre Auger and Jaja Kumpa as the auditors. Mary Reynolds and Margaret Braga agreed to be congregation members at large for the Nominating Committee in 2008.

Richard Liberace accepted a nomination for a second three year term as a session member, and Jill Auger accepted a nomination for a three year term as a session member. Many thanks to Naila Jirmanus for her 6 years of service. Your Session members are: Jill Auger, Paul Beran, Jeff Bray, Liz Cavano, Sarah Donovan (clerk) and Richard Liberace.

Keri Siggers accepted a nomination for a three year term as a deacon member. There is another member needed for the deacons! Many thanks to Anne Camelio for her 6 years of service.

Your Deacon members are: Valerie Donovan, Munir Jirmanus, Mike Nickey, Keri Siggers and Randy Winchester.

Per Capita and Initial Envelopes

Offering envelopes for 2008 have been ordered and should be arriving soon. The per capita amount for 2008 will be announced at church and via email once that number has been determined. The initial offering envelope amount will also be calculated shortly, and announced as well.

Rental Space Available!

Teen Empowerment has recently left their rental space at the church, so there is room available! If you know of a group or organization that is in need of office space, please have them get in touch with the church right away.

Doris Fisher celebrates Richard Liberace

Val Donovan sent this to me, and said that Doris asked for it to be put in the newsletter: Doris says “Thanks so much!” to Richard Liberace for always bringing such a ray of sunshine to her life. For those of you who don’t know, Richard always brings Doris the most beautiful roses there are. He always seek out the color that in now just ordinary. The color is always special, just like him and like the person they are for, Doris. He has been bringing her flowers for many years and she truly appreciates this “Random Act of Kindness.”

Val continues “Doris finds the days very long and she surely appreciates people taking the time out of their busy lives to share a minute or two to talk with her. Whether that be by phone, by card, or of course, most preferred, a visit, where she can talk one on one for a little bit…. Doris also loves Karl’s visits and she loves to talk to him whenever she can….Doris is planning on her church family coming as soon as weather permits and having a cook-out in Susan and John’s backyard!…

Celebrating the life of Charles Reynolds

Some background information on Little Children of the World (LCW): The organization, started as a memorial to Bessie Collins Carroll of Etowah, Tennessee, established upon her death, in 1980, by her children: Bettie, Luther and Peggy. They announced in the paper that in lieu of flowers they would be gald to receive gifts to a memorial fund to help needy children in Dumaguete, Phillipines, where Bettie and her husband were already assigned as educational missionaries. Later, the name Little Children of the World was adopted. The name was inspired by the familiar hymn phrase, “Jesus loves the little children of the world” and by the words of Jesus: “Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:5).

The overall purpose of LCW is to help create caring communities around the world for children at risk. The following important principles have guided LCW (incorporated in 1987) throughout the past 20 years: (1) empowerment of indigent community residents; (2) a child and family service program based on participatory management; (3) cooperation and partnership with like-minded agencies. LCW has come of age to expand to other parts of the Philippines and to other countries – hence, the opening of new projects in Leyte, Haiti and the U.S.A. (Etowah). This was envisioned from the beginning, as the name of the organization suggest.

A multi-faceted program it is best described by the acronym HELP. Basic to all child services is the Health program, which includes regular physical exams, a nutrition program for malnourished kids, reproductive health services for pregnant women, and a program for children with a disability partly funded by the Liliane Foundation and the Shriners. Housing is provided in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity and the Conseulo Foundation. Education is the heart of the total program, ranging from preschools to college graduation and help in job placement. Livelihood is a skills-training program to supplement the family’s income. SWAP (“Service with a Purpose”) gives recipients an opportunity to “give back” through voluntary service, so the benefits received are a “hand-up”, not a “hand-out”. The Peace and Faith program undergirds all the others as it teaches spiritual values based on biblical teaching.

The late Charlie Reynolds, together with his wife, who survived him, served on the LCW (Little Children of the Word) Advisory Board for twelve years. It can be said that LCW began to grow when Charlie, in 1987, invited Bettie and Doug Elwood to the Presbyterian Church of Sudbury, MA to speak and meet with the Outreach Committee. Charlie and Ruth were also child sponsors and recruiters of numerous other sponsors, supports of the LCP preschool program, beginning in 1987, and among the earliest volunteers at LCP, in 1990, and again in 1992.

Their first trip to LCP was Charlie’s Valentine gift to Ruth – a gift that still lives on in the lives of the children.

In 1993, Sudbury Presbyterian Church adopted the LCP preschools as their major project and designed the month of May as “Philippine Month”. That same year the church, though small, raised enough to cover the cost of three pre-schools and the church continued to support the preschools year after year. As of now, 150 children are enrolled in the eight pre-schools and 127 graduated to first grade in March of this year.

Upon their retirement from the board the couple was honored with a Life Membership. This story demonstrates what an impact a small church with two dedicated people can have. Thank you Sudbury Church and thank you Charlie and Ruth! You have truly made a huge difference!

Two Kinds of Churches: Live Ones and Dead Ones

The anonymous wit who wrote the following words was no doubt a bit excessive, but many may think he has made some astute observations. He wrote:

A live church has parking problems; a dead church has lots of empty seats.

A live church will have changing programs and ministries for service. A dead church says, “We’ve always done it that way.”

A live church has lots of noisy children and youth; a dead church is very quiet.

A live church’s expenses often exceed income; a dead church had enough money to maintain it’s existence…but rarely.

A live church supports missions enthusiastically; a dead church keeps its money at home.

A live church moves out in faith and takes risks; a dead church lives totally by sight.

A live church welcomes new people into leadership; a dead church is cold to new people.

A live church is filled with tithers; a dead church is filled with tippers.

Lent 2007

From the March 2007 issue of The Tower Tidings, the newsletter of Westminster Presbyterian Church, in Auburn, N.Y. and written by the pastor, Rev. Phil Windsor.

As I write this, we are digging out from the biggest snow storm in several winters. I t is hard to believe Lent is upon us; but it is nevertheless.

The season of Lent, which runs from Ash Wednesday (in 2008, February 6^th) to Holy Saturday, is forty days long (Sundays are not counted) and is one of the two most important “seasons” or periods of preparation on the church calendar, the other being Advent. Lent, the older of the two, was first practiced as a time for new converts to prepare themselves for entry into the community by baptism on Easter, but later came to be practiced as a time for all members of the church to prepare themselves spiritually for Easter.

In a highly individualistic culture of which we are a part Lent is often viewed and practiced as a private experience. It becomes for many a time to focus upon my individual spiritual life, my sins, my devotional practices, my own sense of personal piety. In the early practice of Lent, however, the focus was much more upon the community. Lent was time to strengthen the ties with local Christian community, the body of Christ. It was a time to attend those members of the church who were in need, to welcome new converts, and to reach out to those who had fallen away and try to win them back. It was also a time to study together, pray together, and worship together.

This is not to discourage individual devotional practices, for they can be very helpful and very important to a person’s spiritual life. Many people have been accustomed to the practice of giving something up for Lent, and find that to be a significant expression of their Christian commitments. Others have put a new twist on this practice by “adding” something to their lives for those days and weeks prior to Easter. For example, one might add a new devotional practice such as spending time each morning in prayer or in meditating on a portion of scripture, a psalm, or a reading from the Gospels. Or in the spirit of the early observances of Lent, someone might consider visiting members of the church who are unable to get out of their homes or who are living in care centers.

Another possibility would be to participate in some form of communal study (Horizons Bible Study, Adult Education or Bible Study at Clarendon Hill).

I hope you will consider some of these possibilities for your Lenten practices.

Book Review

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

ISBN –13: 9780670018215

This book sounds fascinating, and I have it on my reading list for this winter!

The Barnes & Noble Review

Before you give yourself up to the sweep and scope of People of the Book, the captivating new novel from Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks, grab some paper and a pen. You'll be glad you did. From the opening chapter to the closing page, Brooks crams so many people, places, and events into her ambitious and intricate account of a Jewish prayer book that she leaves you longing for a scorecard.

Synopsis

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war.

In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding—an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—she begins to unlock the book's mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book's journey from its salvation back to its creation.

In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city's rising anti-Semitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah's extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna's investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love.

Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is at once a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity, an ambitious, electrifying work by an acclaimed and beloved author.

The Washington Post - Jonathan Yardley

The good news is that this new novel by the author of March, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006, is intelligent, thoughtful, gracefully written and original. Brooks has built upon her experience as a correspondent in Bosnia for the Wall Street Journal to construct a story around a book—small, rare and very old—and the people into whose hands it had fallen over five centuries…Suffice it to say that it's a book that resides comfortably in a place we too often imagine to be a no-man's land between popular fiction and literature. Brooks tells a believable and engaging story about sympathetic but imperfect characters—"popular" fiction demands all of that—but she also does the business of literature, exploring serious themes and writing about them in handsome prose. She appears to be finding readers and admirers in growing numbers, and People of the Book no doubt will increase those numbers.

Journalist and author Geraldine Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for March, a novel that imagines the wartime experiences of the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women.

Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church

155 Powder House Boulevard

West Somerville, Massachusetts 02144-1613

Telephone: 617-625-4823

www.clarendonhillchurch.org

The Rev. Karl Gustafson, Minister…………………………..John Adams, Music Director

Augustus Kwaa, Parish Associate/Evangelist……………………….. Arnie James, Sexton

Sarah Glass, Seminarian

LECTIONARY TEXTS

Feb. 3: Exod. 24: 12-18; Ps. 2 OR Ps. 99; 2 Peter 1: 16-21; Matt. 17: 1-9

Feb. 10: Gen. 2: 15-17, 3: 1-7; Ps. 32; Rom. 5: 12-19; Matt. 4: 1-11

Feb. 17:Gen. 12: 1-4a; Ps. 121; Rom. 4: 1-5, 13-17; John 3: 1-17

Feb. 24: Exod. 17: 1-7; Ps. 95; rom. 5: 1-11; John 4: 5-42

Mar. 2: 1 Sam. 16: 1-13; Ps. 23; Eph. 5: 8-14; John 9: 1-41

Mar. 9: Ezek. 37: 1-14; Ps. 130; Rom. 8: 6-11; John 11: 1-45

Mar. 16: Matt. 21: 1-11; Ps. 118: 1-2, 19-29; Isa. 50: 4-9a; Ps. 31: 9-16; Phil. 2: 5-11; Matt. 26: 14 – 27:66 OR Matt. 27: 11-54

Mar. 23: Acts. 10: 34-43 OR Jer. 31: 1-6; Ps. 118: 1-2, 14-24; col. 3: 1-4 OR Scts 10: 34-43; John 20: 1-18 OR Matt. 28: 1-10; Isa. 25: 6-9; Ps. 114; 1 cor. 5: 6b-8; Luke 24: 13-49

Mar. 30: Act. 2: 14A, 22-32; Ps. 16; 1 Peter 1: 3-9; John 20: 19-31

Church Assignments