Mid Year Meeting
January 27, 2012
The Mid Year Meeting of Bell Street Chapel will be held on Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 11:30 in Eddy Hall.
The purpose of this meeting is to let all members and friends know what has been happening at Bell Street since the Annual Meeting in June, to review the state of Bell Street finances, and to discuss those matters that come before the meeting.
Inclement Weather Notice
January 19, 2012
Do to the possibility of inclement weather this evening (January 19), the Death and Loss Reading Group will not be meeting tonight.
Adult Religious Education for 2012
January 14, 2012
Simply Pray: A Modern Spiritual Practice to Deepen Your Life
Session Dates: February 19, March 4, March 11, March 25
Sessions begin at 12:15 p.m. in the Parish House
Session Dates: April 29, May 6, May 13, May 20, June 3
Sessions begin at 12:15 p.m. in the Parish House
Pulpit Poinsettias
December 4, 2011
Soon our halls will be decked for the holidays. That is, our sanctuary will be decorated. We would like to place live Poinsettia plants in front of the pulpit and would like to offer to place a plant in memory of your loved one. You are asked to offer the name of your loved one and a $15 donation to purchase the plant. Your offering and the name of your loved one will be printed in the order of service for the month of December. Should you wish to remain anonymous it will be arranged. Simply email Rev. CJ at cjmcgregor@prodigy.net with your request or place your donation and name in the offering clearly marked that it is for a plant and a plant will be placed. We’d like to collect your donation and information by December 10th.
Christmas Eve Service
November 22, 2011
Rev. CJ McGregor
The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. The interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations.
Installation of The Rev. CJ McGregor
October 21, 2011
The installation of Rev. CJ McGregor as our minister is Sunday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. Please celebrate with us! (Regular Sunday service is still scheduled at 10 a.m.)
Religious Education Meeting
October 14, 2011
Religious Education Meeting 11:30-12 noon on Sunday, October 16th in the RE room. Please attend if you are interested in volunteering to teach RE at any time this academic year. No experience necessary!
Settled Part Time Minister
October 9, 2011
August 1, 2011 – Rev. CJ McGregor joins Bell Street Chapel as our settled part time minister
Accessibility Part 2
October 9, 2011
Our beautiful curved stairlift to our second floor sanctuary has now been installed. Many thanks to all of the members and friends of Bell Street Chapel who worked hard to achieve this inclusivity goal. We can be proud of our efforts and can now welcome more people to our services.
Ministerial candidate
April 5, 2011
I just opened the March newsletter and saw the column which I wrote a few weeks ago. It begins, “Not much to report from your committee….”
Have things ever changed! Candidating week will run from April 2 through April 10 and the congregation will be able to meet Reverend CJ McGregor.
Reverend McGregor is currently serving as a minister at the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church, a position he pursued so as to gain further ministerial experience as a student minister. Prior to this, he had served as an intern minister at First Church Unitarian of Littleton, Mass., from September 2006 through June 2008. While he was just ordained over the last weekend of February, he brings a host of life experience in his first career in human services working in the area of developmental and psychiatric disabilities. Reverend McGregor is also the spiritual director of Aseracare Hospice in Marlborough, Mass., a position which is flexible and part-time and which would easily allow him to grow into the increasing number of hours we hope to offer a settled minister over the next few years.
Reverend McGregor is married to his husband of 7 years (partnered for 20!), Richard, a licensed mental health counselor. They are the fathers of two sons, both adopted when they were 7 years old. Tony is now 21 and Robert is now 19.
The Search Committee had the pleasure of spending the weekend with Reverend McGregor (and some of the weekend with Richard as well) a few weeks ago. Over meals, driving tours of Rhode Island, and interviews, we unanimously became more and more excited over the possibility of Reverend McGregor as the next settled minister of Bell Street.
Some of our impressions: Reverend McGregor is a listener. He is deliberate and thoughtful, yet can be quite funny. We were struck by his honesty, and his ability to self-reflect. He seems to truly know his strengths and accepts his weaknesses with grace and without defense. He repeatedly spoke of his appreciation of how we at Bell Street “should not be doing all you’re doing,” referring to our ability to overcome our small size when it comes to social action, and other aspects of our community. He understands the importance of lay leadership, music, religious education, preaching, and social action to this community and truly seems to us on the committee as one who would guide us to our highest potential. He also spoke of what would be his commitment to us, stating that Bell Street would NOT be a “stepping stone” for him, but rather a spiritual home where he hopes to settle indefinitely. Even before he read our packet, he spoke of how he “fell in love” with our community. We are the church where he feels he fits best and those of us on the Search Committee agree that he would be a great asset to our community.
Please come a meet Reverend McGregor over candidating week. The week will begin with a potluck dinner at Carol Crowley’s home in Providence on Saturday, April 2, followed by a service conducted by Reverend McGregor the next morning. Then, over the course of the week, Reverend McGregor will be holding office hours to meet with him one to one, as well meeting with committee members and conducting an adult religious education program in Eddy Hall on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. He will conduct a second service on Sunday, April 10, and then we will have a congregational vote following the service on whether he should be called as the next minister of Bell Street Chapel.
Please make time to get to know Reverend McGregor and please feel free to contact a member of the Ministerial Search Committee with any questions. Thanks so much for all of your support thus far!
~On behalf of the Ministerial Search Committee,
Wendy Schwartz