Frederick Buechner in his Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (1973) defined vocation this way:

The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done….The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.

As the sign on the Lindsey Chapel door says, we who call ourselves Emmanuelites are inheritors of a legacy dedicated to subverting dominant paradigms. The way we see it, until justice and peace come to all God’s creation, we have a lot of work to do, both in this and our wider community.

Our rector Pam Werntz frequently reminds us, “If we are living fully into our mission we will always be able to identify a need for more resources than we have—whether it’s heads or hands or dollars.”

At the heart of Pam’s work at Emmanuel is the desire to cultivate a community that lives into Frederick Buechner’s description of “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

There are many ways to volunteer at Emmanuel. We have parishioners who have dived right in from their first Sunday. Others have been more methodical. Take your time, get to know us, and chances are, whether it takes a day or several years, you’ll feel called to participate in ways you never imagined.

Please see Boston Warm Shelter for current opportunities.

If you can write notes or make visits, we would love to have your help. Do you know someone who is in the hospital, or confined at home? Know someone who needs a ride to or from a medical appointment, or would just appreciate a visit? The Care Commission needs your help.  Please contact Pauline Ratta or Walter Jonas.