09/05/2026
Sunday Worship Service with Communion and announcements for September 6, 2026
Sunday Worship Service with Communion
Please join us for the Sunday Worship Service with Communion in the basement, in person or remotely, at 10:30 a.m on Sunday, September 6th. For worshippers joining us remotely, it is a Communion Sunday, so please have bread and juice available if you wish to partake.
To access the link for the remote service, please send an email to [email protected]. All are welcome.
Shares & Prayers
Shares & Prayers will meet remotely on Wednesday evening this coming week (September 9th) beginning at 7:00 p.m. You can ask for prayers if they are needed, or just have a nice chance to share what is on your heart and mind in the middle of the week in a smaller, more intimate setting with your fellow church friends. For more information about Shares & Prayers, please email [email protected].
NEW! Fellowship Event - Welcome Back Potluck
Please join us for a welcome back potluck, right after the service, on Sunday, September 13th. We hope to have an update about the STEM CURES program in Jordan. Spend some fellowship time enjoying a meal and discussing your summer adventures with your fellow church friends. Please bring a dish to share (appetizer, soup, salad, main dish, side dish, or dessert). NO NUTS PLEASE! Gluten free items are also appreciated. All are most welcome to attend. We'll provide hot and cold beverages.
NEW! Session meeting
The Session will meet on Tuesday, September 21st at 7:15 p.m.
NEW! Collection of Food for Riverside head Start Emergency Food pantry
For the next few months, we will experiment with changing the date for collecting food for the Emergency Food pantry at Riverside Head Start. Rather than doing it every first Sunday of the month, we will do it on those Sundays when we have a potluck. So as you are at the grocery store buying items for your potluck dish, pick up an extra item or two for the food pantry.
You can deposit your items in the baskets at the back of the sanctuary. The foods that are commonly used and needed are: peanut butter, cereal, beans, dry or evaporated milk, oatmeal, cream of wheat, pasta, white rice, sugar, flour, lentils, tomato sauce, brown rice, tuna, sardines and any other non-perishable food items that you wish to donate. Thanks for helping with the high cost of food for our neighbors in Somerville, Medford, and Cambridge.
If you are interested in helping with this local mission project, we are looking for someone to deliver the items we collect to Head Start. Please email [email protected] if you'd like to help.
Upcoming Fellowship and local mission Events:
Here is a listing of fellowship and local mission events that the Congregational Care Committee/Deacons are planning to hold through the end of November. Dates may change, or be postponed or cancelled due to weather or other issues, but please pencil them in on your calendar and plan to join us.
These September, October, and November events and dates are tentative, as weather or other issues may cause the dates or events to change:
Sunday, September 13th - Welcome Back Potluck after the service; possible update on STEM CURES; collection of food for Riverside Emergency food pantry
Sunday, September 27 - full coffee hour after the service
Saturday, October 3 - apple picking outing, 2:00 P.M. at Shelburne Farm, Stow, MA
Saturday, October 10 - rain date for apple picking outing
Saturday, October 17 - 2:00 p.m, walk at Horn Pond, Woburn, MA
Sunday, October 18 - Children's Sabbath service; full coffee hour; possible program from Head Start during coffee hour; begin collection for Mass Bay Veterans Center (MBVC)
Saturday, November 7 OR Saturday November 14 - service project for all; project, date, and time TBA
Sunday, November 8 - last day for MBVC collection
Sunday, November 15 - Congregational Care Committee/Deacons meeting, 12:45 p.m.
Sunday, November 22 - baptism during service; Thanksgiving potluck after the service service; collection of food for Riverside Emergency Food pantry
Capital Campaign for New Accessible Bathrooms has begun!!
As part of the overall funding for this long-desired project, we have committed to raising at least $25,000 from the wider public, our current congregation, and the far-flung diaspora of people who have been with us in the past! We are hoping to raise this money by donations and pledges before the end of this year, so that the work can be completed before Easter. The more money we raise now, the less the church will have to borrow (at a very low interest rate) from our national Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program. Further information is available at church and also (very soon) other ways to donate (and more information) will be available on our website. Please give as you are able, over and above your current giving if possible and as you are able. You can pick up a pledge card on Sundays and we will send out other ways soon. God bless the church in this undertaking.
Here is the information on our "GoFundMe" page, along with a link where you can make a donation.
Help Us Complete Our Church Accessibility Project
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, Somerville MA https://clarendonhillchurch.org/
We long have been committed to the belief that "ALL ARE WELCOME" at our church. In early 2025, in preparation for our 100th year anniversary, we began focused conversations about the barriers that our beautiful 100-year-old building presents. Our resolve increased as some new folks with physical challenges began to show up regularly for worship. We determined that our bathrooms were outdated and difficult to maneuver in; ignoring the problem has become unacceptable to us.
Our leadership decided after many discussions to direct our resources and energy towards accessibility as an opportunity for community service and social justice. The specific purpose of this GoFundMe fundraiser is to help finance the construction of 2 new ADA-compliant bathrooms and other accessibility improvements throughout our 100-year-old building including handrails and repairing passageway limitations.
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church – Who We Are
CHPC is a progressive, peace and justice community of faith; we are a small but mighty Presbyterian USA congregation (https://pcusa.org/). We are long-time partners with our two mission-based tenants – The Open Center for Children (https://www.open-center.org/) and the all-volunteer Nave Gallery (https://navegallery.org/wp/). We also serve the greater community by offering reasonable rental costs for 12 Step Recovery groups, band rehearsals and community groups such as the Girl Scouts.
We believe this project is critical to our mission. Our sincere hope and long-term goals are to make our community spaces more accessible for all. These ADA-compliant bathrooms are the first step to realizing this dream. For more information about these projects and our church’s missions, please visit clarendonhillchurch.org
Thank you for considering a donation to this cause.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-complete-our-accessibility-project
Volunteer Sign-Ups
To help support the vibrancy of our worshipping community, we are requesting volunteers to sign up to occasionally host coffee hour and assist with worship services. For coffee hour, responsibilities include making coffee, setting out snacks, and helping with clean-up.
You do not need to bring a lot of food - fruit, crackers and cheese, healthy snacks or cookies are some examples. All food must be nut-free, and some gluten free items are appreciated.
For assisting with worship, responsibilities may include reading scripture, passing out bulletins, or learning to run the technology aspects of worship.
To sign up, please contact Kristen Sheau ([email protected]) and Pastor Allen ([email protected]), or add your name to the sign-up sheet posted in the fellowship hall. Please include your Name, Email, and Phone Number.
STEM CURES High School Committee
I'm excited to announce the formation of the STEM CURES High School Committee! This committee will bring together high school students from neighboring towns to organize STEM CURES exhibitions at their schools and write articles about STEM CURES projects in refugee camps or about the refugee status.
We're looking for students of all ages to join. Our goal is to create a community to raise awareness about the refugees within their high schools and their communities. I understand that seniors could be very busy, but we need them to guide and mentor freshmen to organize events in their schools.
We also plan to create engaging social media content and start an Instagram account to share our work and inspire others.
If you know of any high school students who might be interested in joining the STEM CURES High School Committee, please encourage them to reach out to me at [email protected].
Thank you!
Ayman Halaseh
Photo Permission Policy
The Session plans to discuss and revise the Photo Permission Policy originally approved by Session on July 26, 2012. No new photos of individuals will be posted on the church page or website without their permission, until a new revised policy is approved.
Offerings
Here are the various ways that you can continue to support the church through your offerings. Thank you so much for your generosity!
Prayers for our church community are always needed and much appreciated.
You can also -
Write a check, and mail it to the church:
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church
155 Powderhouse Boulevard
Somerville, MA 02144
If you use a bill paying service through your bank, add us to your list. You can use your envelope number for an account number; our mailing address is listed above. The phone number for the church is 617-625-4823.
You can use your PayPal account, a credit card or a debit card,through our website: www.clarendonhillchurch.org. Look for the "Donations" button on the home page.
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, Somerville MA https://clarendo… Rev Allen Fairfax needs your support for Help Us Complete Our Church Accessibility Project
