Where: Wilson Chapel at Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre, MA

When: Sunday, February 27, 2011.  5:00 p.m. Gathering & Worship; Potluck Dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Who: Led by the OpenSpirit Worship Collaborative; Music by Willie Sordillo and Co.; Poetry by Wendell Berry

You: Open to the public, free!

Dinner: Hot dishes provided; bring your appetite and, if you can, something to share

Directions: www.ants.edu

The poet Wendell Berry asks what it takes to “pass through the narrow gate,” a well-worn metaphor in Jesus’ teaching.  He suggests that we “cannot pass beyond it burdened,” but must “leave behind the six days’ world, all of it, all of its plans and hopes” and

. . .come without weapon or tool, alone,

expecting nothing, remembering nothing,

into the ease of sight, the brotherhood of eye and leaf.

Join us for a meditative evening with Berry’s poetry, the smooth jazz of Willie Sordillo and Co., and the opportunity to journey into the labyrinth.  As we prepare for the Lenten journey, we heed the invitation to be those “coming into the shadow” as the poet puts it,

. . .the shadow of the grace of the strait way’s ending,

the shadow of the mercy of light.

We gather for music and song, for prayer and meditation, and for the walk into the labyrinth of our longing.  Join us at 5 p.m., and stay for a simple potluck supper at 6:30.  We’ll provide the hot and hearty fare; bring a cold dish to share, if you are able to do so.

A warm OpenSpirit welcome to you all!

This Epiphany, experience real star power!

WHEN:  Sunday, January 9, 2011 7:00 pm

WHERE:  First Congregational Church of Natick, 2 East Central Street, Natick, MA

Join us on Sunday, January 9th at 7:00 PM when the OpenSpirit Collaborative and First Congregational Church of Natick present an exceptional opportunity to usher in the season of Epiphany!

First Congregational Church will be one of just three locations in our area to experience the energy and vision of The Oîkos Ensemble: Music and Stories to Change the World. The Oîkos Ensemble is a consortium of gifted musicians celebrating stories of transformation and enlightenment from around the world.

Transcending musical boundaries, Oîkos paints vibrant soundscapes with the brush stroke of jazz improvisation affirming the human family as one, global ensemble.

During the past four years, the Rev. Clifford Aerie and The Oîkos Ensemble have received rave reviews from congregations, national/regional gatherings, religiouscommunities, colleges and seminaries around the country.  They will be joined on January 9th by the talents of our good friend, Willie Sordillo.

Cliff has a unique background in the arts and ministry. He has pastored five congregations, founded an experimental arts ministry, and worked as a media producer before coming to the UCC national office as Special Events Producer, a position he held for nine years. Cliff has been leading creative jazz worship and telling stories for more than thirty years. He now leads the ensemble as a full time adventure in ministry.

“Cliff and Oîkos took us around the world though the rhythms and refrains of jazz, an innovative and inspirational way to explore global mission.” ~ Tim Downs, Southeast Conference

“I salute Cliff Aerie and the Oikos Ensemble for their inspired music and mission.  They are serving the world with their song.” ~ Paul Winter, Paul Winter Consort

What better time of year to affirm that our world is a global village then to join the magi on their Epiphany journey back out into the world with the good news that God has made us one family!

Join in the celebration and discover the many ways and place where the star of Bethlehem still shines!

Where:  The Outdoor Pavilion at The Massachusetts Conference Center
One Badger Road, Framingham, MA 01702

When:   Sunday, July 18, 2010

Time:    4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Cost:    $5.00

Wheelchair Access:  Yes

Sponsors:  Edwards, Plymouth and Grace Churches, Framingham; First Congregational Church in Natick; OpenSpirit; The Mission Partnership Committee, the Commission for Mission & Justice Ministries and the Just Peace Ministry of the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Contact:  Willie Sordillo: 508/628-9294; or Debbie Clark: 508-877-2050

On Sunday, July 18 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm, a consortium of MetroWest churches and church mission organizations will host an outdoor concert to raise funds to provide homes for survivors of the February 27 earthquake and resulting tsunamis which left hundreds of thousands of Chileans homeless.   The concert features a band led by local jazz saxophonist Willie Sordillo and home-made Chilean delicacies such as fruit empanadas and alfajores.

Proceeds will be distributed to Global Ministries, whose Lifting Up Hope project oversees the purchase of materials from local Chilean suppliers and construction of the houses by donated labor.  For about $1500, a small “Blessing Cabin” can be built which houses a family whose home was completely destroyed and does not have relatives with whom they can live.  The Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ has collected over $81,000 towards this effort to date, and has set a goal of building 150 homes.

Willie Sordillo has toured internationally, recorded extensively, co-written arrangements which have been aired on the tv show, ER, and with the band, Flor de Caña, won multiple Boston Music Awards.  A resident of Framingham for the past 14 years, he has performed at local jazz venues including Amazing Things, The Regattabar, Scullers, and the Acton Jazz Café.

Willie currently directs the music for a weekly jazz and gospel worship service at Old South Church in Boston and is the musical director for OpenSpirit, a creative worship offering based in Framingham.  Willie will be joined by a talented group of friends, including Bob Pilkington, Marlene, Lisa Durkee and Russell Lane.

For more information about Willie Sordillo, please visit www.williesordillo.com
For more information about Global Ministries’ Lifting Up Hope project, please visit http://globalministries.org/news/lac/earthquake-in-chile-and-the.html

Tickets for the concert and Chilean snacks are $5 and may be purchased in advance from Edwards Church:  508-877-2050.  A free will offering will be received at the event.  All are welcome.

When:  Sunday, May 16, 2010
Time:  7:00 p.m.
Cost:  Free
Wheelchair Access:  Yes
Sponsor:  OpenSpirit
Contact:  Willie Sordillo:    508/628-9294
Website:  http://www.comeopenspirit.org

The OpenSpirit Collaborative invites you to join Rev. Bert Marshall, New England Regional Director of Church World Service and talented singer/songwriter on a multi-media journey to Haiti in song, story and sacrament.  We gather at 7:00 pm on Sunday, May 16 at Andover Newton Theological School’s Wilson Chapel.  All are welcome and admission is free.

A gifted story-teller who offers a dramatic telling of the Book of Mark to groups across the United States, Bert weaves stories in song as well as prose, and has recently released a CD of original songs entitled Prairie Child.  An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ whose most recent service in parish ministry was in Lee, Massachusetts, Bert now coordinates humanitarian efforts across New England for Church World Service.

Church World Service works with partners in countries around the world to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice world-wide.  Recognized as one of America’s Most Efficient Charities, Church World Service has earned an “A” rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy and was named one of the Top 100 Highly Rated Charities by GiveSpot.com.   CWS has long–standing affiliations in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, though which much of the current aid to Haiti is channeled.

The OpenSpirit Collaborative is a group of four ordained ministers and a worship musician who offer creative worship experiences on an ongoing basis.  OpenSpirit serves people with a spiritual hungering who may not feel that traditional church meets their needs and people who may attend church regularly but are drawn to creative spiritual expression.

On May 16, we will join Bert as he takes us to Haiti through story, song, image and spirit.  The journey will take the form of worship, but it is unlikely that this will be like any worship experience you may have had.  Bert will be joined by members of the OpenSpirit Collaborative and musicians Willie Sordillo and David Hunte.  A free will offering will be received to support Church World Service’s relief efforts in Haiti.

For more information, please visit www.comeopenspirit.org or contact Willie Sordillo at
508-628-9294 or wsax@rcn.com.

Christ is Risen!

“An Easter Insurrection.” – Join us for food, fellowship, and creative, experiential worship.  Bring a friend, a child, anyone who longs to practice the presence of God, hungers for spiritual community.

We gather at 6 pm for a potluck meal, and at 7 pm for shared worship.  Come for one or both events!  Take note – 6pm is a new time for dinner.  Bring something yummy to share.

“An Easter Insurrection.” What does that mean?? In a wide variety of ways, from sunrise services to festival worship to hunting Easter eggs, we have already celebrated the resurrection.

This Sunday evening, we invite you to join with us to see what changes in our celebration if we change just a few letters.  What if we get rid of the “re” and replace it with “in”? What does it mean to celebrate an Easter Insurrection?

What happens when we highlight the radically disruptive nature of the Easter event? How are our own lives disrupted? What new hope awakens in us?

OpenSpirit meets at Edwards Church UCC, 39 Edwards Street, in Framingham.  You will find us in Edwards Hall, just down the hill from the Church building.  There is plenty of easy parking; there is a place at the table set just for you.

Sunday, March 14, 2010, Edwards Church UCC, Framingham, MA

Potluck Supper at 5:30 pm, OpenSpirit Worship at 7:00 pm

The journey home is rarely a straight line. 

Instead, it is full of twists and turns, of circling around, of coming close and moving away.

It is a journey of discovery: discovering that what seemed to be a wrong turn might instead be an opportunity, awakening to grace revealed on the road.

On Sunday, March 14, join OpenSpirit as we reflect on this circuitous, grace-filled journey home.  We will seek to hear the familiar story of the Prodigal son with new ears.

We will have the opportunity to walk a labyrinth, drawing upon an ancient spiritual tradition to reclaim our own experience of journey and home.  As always, we will be inspired by lively music and nourished by bread and cup.

We will gather at 5:30 pm for a potluck supper.  Worship will begin at 7 p.m. Come for one or both!

February 14, 2010 at Edwards Church UCC in Framingham

Community Meal begins at 5:30, Drum Circle at 6:30, and Worship at 7pm!

Valentine’s Day, February 14, is the occasion for a special OpenSpirit gathering, as we listen for the ‘heartbeat of the holy.’  The Spark of Love Joy Band will be featured, leading you in playing percussion at this OpenSpirit evening at Edwards Church in Framingham.

This will be the second of our reconfigured OpenSpirit gatherings, having gone from once a week to once a month as of the new year.  Our new format begins with a potluck supper starting at 6:00 pm.

This time around, we’ll follow that with a half hour percussion workshop beginning at 6:30 before moving into worship at 7:00.  You’re invited to come to any or all parts of that, so come when you can and leave when you have to!

Pianist/vocalist extraordinaire David Hunte and jazz saxophonist Willie Sordillo will be joining the Sparks band, and there will be ample opportunity for you to use your newly acquired (or perhaps seasoned and honed) percussion skills as well.

Come and experience some of the ways in which the heartbeat of a drum can help us tap into a deep sense of spirituality.  Bring your own drum if you have one, and if not, we’ll hook you up!  Edwards Church is located at 39 Edwards Road, Framingham.  You’ll find us in Edwards Hall, off of the parking lot below the main building.

Potluck Meal at 5:30 pm, and Worship at 7:00pm.  Bring something yummy to share!

Join us at Edwards Church UCC, Framingham.  39 Edwards Street.  We’ll gather in Edwards Hall.

Directions:  www.edwardschurch.org/directions.html

Ice.  Cold.  The ornaments are put away, the tree is down … and we’re settling in for a chilly weekend.  “In the bleak midwinter”… the echoing words of the carol seem so true, too true.  In this season of ice, we long for our world, our hearts to melt and thaw.

Ice.  A season to endure.  And yet … are there lessons that ice can teach us?  Its beauty can sparkle from every twig and branch!  What energy is trapped in its frozen mass, waiting to be released?  What rivers of life are running beneath its surface?

In the depth of winter, let us learn from the ice.  And let us take comfort in the warmth of the Spirit’s fire as we find it in our midst.  Come, join OpenSpirit as we gather for experiential worship, moving music and prayer.

We meet at 5:30 for a potluck Sunday dinner, and then gather for worship from 7 – 8.  Come for part or all of the evening, as your schedule permits.  OpenSpirit is a spiritual community in the Christian tradition focusing on creative worship, prayer, and the arts.  All are welcome!

5:30 pm Potluck Supper, 7:00 pm Worship

39 Edwards Street, Framingham, Education Building

Directions:  http://www.edwardschurch.org/directions.html

With input from those who’ve joined us in this experiment, we’ve decided to continue to gather on the second Sunday evening of each month, rather than a weekly basis, from now on.  So there will not be an OpenSpirit gathering this Sunday, and our next meeting will be on Sunday, January 10.

In addition, we’re changing both the location and the format.  We’ve appreciated the warm welcome we’ve received from the staff at the Performing Arts Center of MetroWest, as well as the flexibility of the space, which is both intimate and easily transformed to meet the needs of our weekly focus.  But both because it’s been challenging to park and because the feedback we’ve received has told us that participants are looking for a greater sense of community, we’ve decided to move to a space which affords both easier parking and a full kitchen.

So while we may experiment with different spaces in the coming months, when we meet on January 10, we’ll gather at 5:30 pm at Edwards Church, UCC, 39 Edwards Street, Framingham, in the Education Building, for a potluck supper, followed by worship at 7:00.  All are invited to join us to share a meal and worship, or any part of that.

Come, mark the Solstice with OpenSpirit!  The weekend’s snowfall announces the arrival of the season of winter, but the Longest Night, the Solstice, heralds the sure return of the light!  We gather on a different night (time enough to shovel out!) and in a different place this week, but the same Spirit will be with us.  Monday evening, at Edwards Church in Framingham; directions below. 

The sounds and sights of the Christmas season stir a wide range of emotions.  There are joyous memories and painful ones.  There are moments of connection and times of loneliness.  There is hope for the future and grief at lost opportunities.  Too often, in this season, we do not pause to acknowledge the complicated mix of emotions we experience in this season.

On Monday night, December 21,  we will honor this complicated mix of emotions with a Longest Night Service. On the longest night of the year, we acknowledge the spiritual and emotional “nights” in our lives, and we also lift up the promise that new light is coming. The service will include lighting of candles of remembrance and hope, poetry, silence, story, and saxophone and piano music.

Our service will be held at 7 p.m. at Edwards Church, in the Edwards Hall building.  Directions to Edwards Church can be found below.  Turn right at the first parking lot; Edwards Hall is a long, low building by the lot.  There is plenty of parking!

From the Mass Pike and Route 30:

Take the Mass Pike to Exit 13 (Route 30).
Take Route 30 West through four signals.
Turn right onto Route 126 North, Concord St., towards Saxonville.
Follow Route 126 North for about 2 miles.
When 126 abruptly turns right at School Street, continue straight, staying on Concord St.
Go by the mill and through the light. Concord St. becomes Elm St.
At Stapleton Elementary School, turn right just after the school parking lot onto Maplewood St.
Turn left onto Edwards St. You will see the sanctuary and education building ahead. Park to the right.

From Route 9:

From Route 9 in Framingham, watch for signs for Route 126 North.
Take 126 North (Concord Street), going away from downtown Framingham, towards Saxonville.
Follow Route 126 North for about 2 miles.
When 126 abruptly turns right at School Street, continue straight, staying on Concord St.
Go by the mill and through the light. Concord St. becomes Elm St.
At Stapleton Elementary School, turn right just after the school parking lot onto Maplewood St.
Turn left onto Edwards St. You will see the sanctuary and education building ahead. Park to the right.

From Route 20:

From Route 20 in Sudbury, turn south at Landham Rd. (a left turn going west or a right turn going east).
Follow Landham Rd, into Framingham, where it becomes Elm St.
You will cross the aqueduct and pass Cameron Middle School on the left.
Shortly after, on the left, look for Maplewood St which is just before Stapleton Elementary School’s parking lot. Turn left onto Maplewood St.
Turn left onto Edwards St. You will see the sanctuary and education building ahead. Park to the right.