Heard it at Council: July 2024
By Kate Silfen, Church Historian | July 9, 2024 Council Meeting Report
Audrey Woodhams, Old South’s new Creative Director for our Twilight Service opened our July Council meeting with a reading from the Reverend Howard Thurman’s prayer “The Growing Edge.” Audrey told us about the journey that brought her to Old South and her vision for the Twilight Service. She grew up on a dairy farm in Virginia and began singing at the tender age of two. Audrey wants to have the Twilight Service to have an acoustic vibe and a “sense of home” for people who have been hurt by the church in the past. Looking ahead, she hopes that the service will be shaped by the gifts and talents of our services’ regular attendees.
The Reverend John Edgerton offered a financial update on the church. The news continues to be good. We are ending the first half of the fiscal year with a surplus rather than the previously projected deficit due to strong enrollment in the preschool and pledges that have come in ahead of schedule. John was also pleased to report that Old South has received an unexpected financial gift from an anonymous donor. The gift is unrestricted and will go into our endowment.
Maren reminded everyone to save the date for our upcoming retreat on Saturday, August 10th. Members of Council, the Board of Ministers & Deacons, and the Board of Trustees are all invited to attend a day-long retreat at the Roxbury Innovation Center. The purpose of the retreat is to foster relationships among Old South’s leaders and to build a foundation for engaging the congregation in our visioning process. The Reverend John Edgerton will have his installation ceremony on September 22nd, so the retreat will lay the groundwork for envisioning the era that we want to inaugurate.
To prepare for the retreat, Council members broke into small groups to reflect on two questions: 1) Ten years from now, what would we like to remain the same about Old South? 2) What would be different? After engaging in small group conversations, council members came back together to report on what they had heard. Members expressed their hope that we would be even more concerned about climate change and more assertive with our outreach efforts in the city. Many expressed their desire for Old South to become a more racially diverse church. We heard a wish for deeper connections within the Old South community. Several people mentioned holding onto our history while also repenting for our past mistakes. A recurring theme was a desire to see Old South become even more of a nationally known church that is not afraid to tackle difficult conversations and issues.
Neil Miller highlighted recent activities undertaken by the Climate Crisis Task Force. On Care of Creation Sunday, members of the task force led a forum for members to share green tips. The Task Force has recently begun partnering with other organizations in the city. They joined a climate justice initiative to help plant more trees in Boston. Task Force members have been discussing the possibility of joining Emmanuel Church and Central Reform Temple for Sukkot, a Jewish celebration of the fall harvest. Maren asked Council members to help build enthusiasm for participating in climate justice initiatives in the city.
Phillip Dearing discussed recent initiatives from the Christian Service and Outreach Committee. He discussed the New Neighbor Task Force which was formed to help newly arrived immigrants in the city. On July 27th, the New Neighbor Task Force will host a “Respite Care Day,” a day for new arrivals. The day will feature opportunities for learning to cook, English language practice, and participating in games and other relaxing activities. Phil invited members of Council and the Church to volunteer to help out on July 27th.
At the end of our busy meeting, the Reverend Rachel Barton read aloud from John Greenleaf Whitter’s poem “In the Old South,” where the poet proclaims:
So long as Boston shall Boston be,
And her bay-tides rise and fall,
Shall freedom stand in the Old South Church
And plead for the rights of all!