Chapel Camp 2021

That love is all there is, is all we know of love.
–Emily Dickinson

Our 14th Year of Chapel Camp Activities Evolves

This summer Emmanuel Church will be worshipping at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary with livestream via our YouTube Channel. After the service, we will engage in a variety of activities, some in person and some through Zoom, that will strengthen our connections to one another, to our traditions, and to our larger community and the world. We will learn together “That love is all there is, is all we know of love.”

Details about times and places or Zoom links will be announced through This Week@Emmanuel Church (e-news) and Sunday announcements. Please fill out this form to receive our e-news.

Download a PDF of this year’s brochure.

Summer Schedule of Programming

Check back each week for individual event descriptions.

June 6: How does the “Ruach” grow? A tour of Emmanuel’s ventilation system. (in-person)

Join Julian Bullitt and Mike Scanlon for an in-person tour of Emmanuel’s strange and wonderful heating and ventilation system, the albatross that turned into a swan during the pandemic. We will walk the route of the fresh air, see how it gets pumped to the pews and visit the huge fan in the basement. Julian will show his instruments to demonstrate how he has been monitoring air quality.

 

June 13: How does the Church grow? A conversation about deacons. (virtual at 12:30pm)

Join us as Pam Werntz interviews Deacon Bob Greiner about the diaconate. We will talk about the origin of the Order as well as its history, particularly in the Episcopal Church. Bob will discuss what led him to seek ordination, and talk about some of the work deacons are engaged in here in our diocese. We will also welcome your questions! June 13th has been designated as Deacon Sunday throughout the diocese and we hope that those joining the conversation may find themselves excited about this wonderful work that grows the Church!

 

June 20: How does the City grow? Byron Rushing leads a tour. (in-person at 12:30pm)

The Honorable Byron Rushing has generously agreed to give Emmanuelites a tour of John Eliot Square in Roxbury. Rep. Rushing is a long standing member of St. John St. James Church at 149 Roxbury Street where we will gather. St. John St. James is one of the historic black congregations that is at the focus of our diocese’ renewal of urban ministry. We will follow Byron as he traces the history of the square and of BIPOC communities in Boston. Rep. Rushing was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1983 to 2018. He has been an elected deputy to the general Convention of the Episcopal Church since 1973. He was elected Vice President of the house of Deputies in 2012. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Episcopal Divinity School.

 

June 27: How do children grow? Three Sopranos fundraiser for B-SAFE. (in-person)

Three sopranos will offer a brief, live concert to benefit B-SAFE, a wonderful and essential summer program for Boston children. Gail Abbey, Margaret Johnson, and Shannon Larkin are getting the band back together for this one-time-only performance of their greatest hits, including ancient and contemporary works by Mendelssohn, Tann, Clemens non Papa, Weelkes, and Holst. The theme throughout is the glory of nature. Join us to hear songs in praise of mountains, birds, crickets, and grasshoppers!

Learn more about the raffle fundraiser>>>

 

July 4: How does our garden grow? Parish picnic at Emmanuel House. (in-person)

All are welcome and encouraged to join us for the annual parish picnic on Sunday, July 4th immediately following the service! (Note: there will be no Lemonade Hour on July 4) This year, the picnic will be held at the Emmanuel House, 7 St. Lukes Road in Allston. Come out to see, taste, and smell the Emmanuel House community garden, and to learn more about what the Emmanuel house is all about all while enjoying fellowship and great food! Parking is available, but limited, so carpooling is encouraged. Also, the house is a short walk from Packard’s Corner on the B line. Please bring a dish to share and RSVP to Jamie Shore at Jamie.shore@emmanuelboston.org.

 

July 10: *Saturday morning gardening at Emmanuel House for kids! (in-person)

Children ages 2-8 years old are invited to a Tiny Gardeners Gathering at the Emmanuel House Community Garden (7 St. Lukes Rd., Allston) on Saturday, July 10 from 10:00-11:30am. We will learn about how we help God make things grow through stories, exploring, creating, and planting together. While the event is aimed for children 2-8 years old, younger and older kids are certainly welcome. There will be snacks! Please RSVP to Jamie Shore at jamie.shore@emmanuelboston.org if you plan to attend.

 

July 11: How does happiness grow? Ice cream sundae Sunday! (in-person)

Immediately following our service in the Parish Hall, we will enjoy our annual Summer Sundae bar in celebration of Pam and Joy’s 17th wedding anniversary. Our rector and her wife will scoop ice cream and you can add your favorite sauces and toppings. (You don’t want to miss Penny Lane’s homemade sauce!) Non-dairy frozen treats will be available, too.

 

July 18: How does justice grow? Pauli Murray’s Poetry as Portent and Promise of Progress. (virtual)

Pauli Murray’s poetry offers a cry of social injustice and a call to building a better world. In this Chapel Camp we will explore her poetry as a startlingly relevant context for today’s social justice needs while imagining what Pauli Murray might say to us today. Join us for a conversation about Pauli’s journey as poet, social activist, academic, attorney, and, eventually, priest. Read and watch in advance for some helpful sources of preparation (but definitely not required!):
1. A Saint for All Saints: A Conversation about the life and legacy of The Rev Dr Pauli Murray (video)
2. Excerpt from an interview with Pauli Murray (Documenting the American South: Oral History Collection)

 

July 25: How does witness grow? A conversation about Mary Magdalene. (virtual)

Pam Werntz and Karen King (Emmanuelite and the first woman appointed to Harvard University’s distinguished Hollis Chair, the oldest endowed chair in the US) will talk about the witness of Mary Magdalene, in and out of the Bible. What draws us to her? What is her witness? And what is Mary Magdalene’s gospel testimony?  Join our conversation via zoom at 12:30-1:30.

 

July 31: *Saturday morning gardening at Emmanuel House for kids! (in-person)

Children ages 2-8 years old are invited to a Tiny Gardeners Gathering at the Emmanuel House Community Garden (7 St. Lukes Rd., Allston) on Saturday, July 31, from 10:00-11:30am. We will learn about how we help God make things grow through stories, exploring, creating, and planting together. While the event is aimed for children 2-8 years old, younger and older kids are certainly welcome. There will be snacks! Please RSVP to Jamie Shore at jamie.shore@emmanuelboston.org if you plan to attend.

 

August 1: How does urban mission grow? Byron Rushing leads a tour with Mike Scanlon. (in-person at 12:30pm)

The Honorable Byron Rushing has generously agreed to give us a tour of lower Roxbury, where the first Emmanuel House and a mission church were “planted” in 1894 and 1897, respectively. We will gather between 12 and 12:30 at St. Augustine’s and St. Martin’s Church at 29 Lenox Street with the people of that parish as well as the people from St. John St. James Church, who are worshiping there while their buildings in Eliot Square are being renovated. After sharing a light lunch there, we will follow Byron as he traces the history of the neighborhood and Emmanuel Church’s early urban mission. Please bring food to share.

Anyone who needs transportation or can offer transportation may gather in the lobby for carpooling after getting a drink in the Parish Hall.

Rep. Rushing was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1983 to 2018. He has been an elected deputy to the general Convention of the Episcopal Church since 1973. He was elected Vice President of the house of Deputies in 2012. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Episcopal Divinity School.

 

August 8: How does beauty grow? Arthur’s Garden. (virtual)

Primarily known as a ceramic artist, Arthur Halvorsen is well-known and highly regarded both as an artist and as an educator. During the summer of 2020, after the city’s windows were filled with plywood, Arthur decided to cover all that plywood with murals to bring some joy into that very distressing time. When his murals were removed from the Cartier store across the street from Emmanuel we invited him to paint the plywood covering our West Entrance while the doors were being restored. Our doors are back, but we have preserved the mural for permanent display in the west entry lobby. His studio is in Somerville and you can see his work on his website. He kindly agreed to spend an hour discussing his process and philosophy. Be prepared for fun and excitement!

 

August 15: How does hope grow? Poetry of promise. (virtual at 12:30pm)

Some of our most touching poetry grows openly out of loss and darkness, but also manages to celebrate the approach of wonder and healing. Join Tom Barber and Mike Shea on Zoom to celebrate some words of promise and recovery from a variety of traditional and contemporary poets.
We will read and invite reflections on a few selections from this collection. (You might find it helpful to print a copy in advance.) Please have at hand your own favorite poem or two on our themes of hope and promise. We will include as many as time allows.
The Zoom information will be included in our regular Sunday morning e-blast with the bulletin and live-streaming information.

August 22: How does black cultural identity grow? The art of Kadir Nelson. (virtual at 12:30pm)

Art historian Dr. Dennis Raverty is an Associate Professor at New Jersey City University where he teaches 19th and 20th-century art history, the art of West Africa, the diaspora and African American art, as well as the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Europe. Dr. Raverty is currently co-authoring a book on American illustration with Dennis Dittrich, former president of the Society of Illustrators. In his presentation today, Dr. Raverty will discuss the art of African American illustrator Kadir Nelson, whose work has appeared in children’s books, as well as in various periodicals, including several New Yorker magazine covers. Kadir Nelson has recently emerged as a major spokesman for the Black Lives Matter movement.

August 29: How does prayer grow? Hannah Burr book reading. (virtual at 12:30pm)

Contemporary artist Hanna Burr is the author of four books about direct connection to inspiration and new ways of seeing and being in the world. Her latest book, entitled Contemporary Prayers to Whatever Works, was just published this spring. Hannah’s artwork has been on view at the MFA among other museums and she has been the recipient of several awards. Hannah will give us a short reading/talk from her latest book and an opportunity for in the moment prayer writing; how to both put your prayer into your own language based on a current situation, and more gestural and physical ways to offer things up.

September 5: How does community grow? Dim Sum Sunday. (virtual at 12:30pm)

Please join Bao Zhang as he prepares a tasty dish, pork patties, that you can prepare for yourself or share with others in your family or for others who might join you for lunch or dinner. Or, feel free just to watch and imagine how you might create a dish.