MemChurch Update
October 2, 2021
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From the Memorial Church
Dear friends,
As we move deeper into the fall, we’re happy to be resuming some of our familiar and beloved ministries at the Memorial Church. This weekend, the Rev. Calvon Jones and all our church school teachers from the College will welcome children back into our church school. Our gospel message for Sunday has Jesus instructing his disciples that God’s kingdom belongs to children, and we are so glad this weekend to welcome these young ambassadors of Christ’s love and goodness into our Sunday morning worship once again.
Also this week, we will resume our Faith and Life Forum, where I will be leading the first in a series of discussions on Holy Communion. In past months, while church was only online, we were able to build an international community of Faith and Life Forum participants. Though we are glad to be meeting in person again in the Buttrick Room at the church, there will be a zoom link available for those who might want to join us for conversation and formation from abroad.
The Rev. Matthew I. Potts
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Be sure to go to the MemChurch website for the latest news, events and features. And please join us tomorrow for Sunday worship in the sanctuary of the Memorial Church, or streamed live on WHRB 95.3 FM beginning at 11 a.m. Our preacher this week is the Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Ph.D., Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church. We look forward to seeing you!
The Memorial Church of Harvard University
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AFTER SCHOOL SNACKS
@Sparks House!
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Harvard Students!
Looking for a space to relax, connect with the MemChurch community, and grab some food toward the end of your week? Join the Potts family and their dog Suki, for weekly After School Snack at Sparks House! Thursdays beginning Oct. 7, 4-6 p.m. Feel free to drop in and out as you need, and bring a friend!
For more information contact Anna Burnham, Student Program Coordinator. Sparks House is located at 21 Kirkland St., Cambridge MA.
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SUNDAY SERMON
The Rev. Matthew I. Potts
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The Sign of God is a Child
By the Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Ph.D.
Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church
Plummer Professor of Christian Morals
Faculty of Divinity
Excerpt from Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021
I am still haunted by the image of that young Kurdish boy, Alan Kurdi, who washed up on a shore in Turkey in 2015. A few weeks ago, a drone strike in Afghanistan killed 10 innocent people. Seven of them were children. To whom were those seven children sacrificed? And we don't need to think just internationally, in our own country these last months, 25 million children last year did not go to school at all in this country. Twenty-five million children did not go to school last year. This year, somewhere between one and three million of those children, we have no record of. We don't know where they went. They left school, and they never came back.
Now, we are in the midst of a global pandemic, and I know that there are no easy answers. I'm not suggesting that there are answers that are easy or perfect. But I do know because I have friends who live abroad and family who live abroad, I do know that while we in this country were arguing over when and how to reopen bars and restaurants and hair salons and other places, they were trying to figure out how to open school safely, especially to the children who are most vulnerable and needed to be in school because their homes or other circumstances were unsafe. That was the argument in other places and not enough the argument here.
If the words of Jesus this morning are hard to hear, it might not be because the choice He gives us is hard. It may be because we keep choosing wrong.
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Upcoming Events and Services
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The Memorial Church is following health and safety guidelines for the wellbeing of Harvard and the surrounding communities. Face coverings continue to be required in all indoor University spaces for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. This is an ever-changing situation, so please review the latest guidelines before attending services or other events on campus.
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WORSHIP
Sunday Worship
Oct. 3, 11 a.m.
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Preacher: The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Ph.D., Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, Faculty of Divinity. Anthems: Benjamin Britten: O Be Joyful in the Lord (Jubilate Deo); William Byrd: Sing Joyfully. The service will in the sanctuary of the Memorial Church and broadcast and streamed on WHRB 95.3 FM. A recording of the service will be available on our website.
Faith & Life Forum
Oct. 3, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m., Buttrick Room; Online Zoom
Speaker: The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Ph.D. The Faith & Life Forum explores matters of faith and public life through readings, discussion, interviews, and lectures. The discussion is accessible in person at the Memorial Church, or virtually on Zoom. To participate online, please register here. Those attending the forum in person will be asked to register on site. All are welcome.
Church School
Oct. 3, 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Church School is offered on Sunday mornings during Sunday Services throughout the academic year. The program is for children ages 3 through 16. It is part of a nurturing Christian environment that strives to honor the intelligence, creativity, and diversity of the children in our care. For more information, please contact the Rev. Calvon Jones, Assistant Minister, the Memorial Church, and go to our Church School page.
Morning Prayers
Oct. 4 - Oct. 8, 8:30 - 8:45 a.m.
Monday: David Von Behren; Tuesday: The Rev. Daniel Smith; Wednesday: The Rev. Matthew Potts; Thursday: Terrence Murphy, M.D.; Friday: TBA.
Compline
Oct. 7, 9 - 9:30 p.m.
Based upon the traditional evening liturgy of scripture, music, prayers, and silence, this ancient, brief service is sung in the candlelit space of Appleton Chapel by members of the Harvard University Choir. All are welcome. After 5 p.m. please enter Harvard Yard through Johnston Gate, Widener Gate, Thayer Gate, or Solomon Gate (formerly the Lamont Gate).
Sunday Worship
Oct. 10, 11 a.m.
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Preacher: Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Muslim Chaplain to Harvard University. Anthems: Benjamin Britten: O Be Joyful in the Lord (Jubilate Deo); William Byrd: Sing Joyfully. The service will in the sanctuary of the Memorial Church and broadcast and streamed on WHRB 95.3 FM. A recording of the service will be available on our website.
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