The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Mozart’s Requiem being performed in Wellesley

by Leave a Comment

Mozart’s “Requiem” will be presented on Sunday, March 24 at 10 a.m. at the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church (207 Washington St.) as part of the regular worship service. The Chancel Choir of the Hills Church will be accompanied by a full symphonic orchestra. Soloists will include Laurie Stewart Otten, soprano, Shannon Lebrón, mezzo-soprano, Christian Figueroa, tenor, and Stephen Lebrón, bass. John Finney, Director of Music for the Hills Church, will conduct.

The Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart includes the famous Dies Irae and Lacrymosa (well known to many through their use in numerous film-scores and other soundtracks). Mozart composed the Requiem for soloists and choir, accompanied by an orchestra consisting of strings, trumpets, timpani, and trombones, as well as two bassoons and two basset horns.

For more information, the church office can be reached at 781-235-4424.

Share

Wellesley church Bingo game humbles this fierce competitor

by Leave a Comment

wellesley bingo

We settled at a table smack in front of the letter and number callers at Saturday night’s Wellesley Village Church Bingo game, not taking chances that our fading hearing would cause us to miss any crucial calls. I exchanged banter with one of the emcees at the start, hoping to boost my karma.

I arranged multiple Bingo cards in front of me, upping my chances of victory and scoring any number of fabulous plastic prizes. A treasure trove of yo-yos, flashing rings, and candy were no doubt coming home with us.

Organizers of the event, which raised money to send students on a service trip to New Mexico during April vacation, attempted to soften everyone up early by doling out ice cream sundaes. I gulped mine down early, so as not to be distracted.

wellesley bingo

I couldn’t afford to be off my game. The ladies at the adjacent table were not messing around with the little beans distributed to the amateurs among us to mark their Bingo cards: these ringers brought custom markers. They weren’t about to fall prey to a table being shaken by some sugar high tot and the beans scattering hither and yon.

Games begin

The first game of “regular” Bingo came and went before I could fill in a single  I, N or G. As a student of the game, I smugly knew not to clear off my card after the first winner yelled Bingo!, and watched as others unwittingly disqualified themselves from being eligible for follow-up wins.

I still failed to achieve 5 squares in a row, but not to worry.  I was biding my time anyway for the more sophisticated games, like 4 corners and the X formation. That’s where I knew my experience, preparation, and concentration would give me an edge.

But no. The kid sitting next to me quickly won twice, after nimbly dotting his card with beans in just the right configuration.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by theswellesleyreport (@theswellesleyreport) on

While I was happy for him, and even happier when a sibling got to hit the prize table courtesy of Dad’s victory, I was still left fretting. I was on the verge of getting shut out and wanted to turn the clock back on this Daylight Saving Time eve.

Funny ha-ha

The teen emcees tried to lighten the mood by inviting youngsters to the mic to tell jokes and riddles, such as:

Why do you have to be quiet at church?

Because everyone is asleep

and…

Why was the football stadium so hot?

All the fans left

 

Yes, these and the other zingers might have been hilarious under other circumstances, but this Bingo game was no laughing matter.

The “plus” formation Bingo game that followed proved to be a minus for me, as again my cards failed to produce a winner. At that point, the number callers announced that we were onto the final game, an all-or-nothing Blackout Bingo where you had to cover the entire card.

wellesley bingo

Number & letter combos were called, excruciatingly, by the teens. Then they were echoed by the spirited elementary school kids. It was as if they were mocking those of us who’d yet had a chance to strut to the sparkling prize table, which started to take on the look of the Wellesley dump’s give-and-take area late on a Saturday afternoon.

B-I-N-G-O!

Alas, the emcees ended the night in “everyone’s a winner” mode, and called letters and numbers until all of our cards were filled. “G65”, just 3 numbers from the end, patronizingly filled my card.

I barely had the heart to push through the crowd of kids to secure a prize at the end.

But this isn’t over. We still have a chance at winning Red Sox tickets in the raffle. Winners will be announced at a later date, and I’m feeling lucky.

wellesley bingo

SUPPORT SWELLESLEY: Here’s how to Advertise and/or Donate to support our independent journalism venture

Share

Elmwood Chapel in Wellesley closes, new church to take over the space

by Leave a Comment

Elmwood Chapel, Wellesley MAAfter 67+ years of ministry, Elmwood Chapel held its last service on Sunday, February 17, 2019. Church staff members say the decision came after many months of prayer and fasting. In a Facebook post, leadership for the evangelical non-denominational place of worship said, “We are grateful for the countless lives that were impacted and the ministry God has allowed us to participate in over the years.”

Starting Easter Sunday (April 21) at 42 Elmwood Road, Milestone Church, which has a location in Natick, will launch Milestone Wellesley. Between now and Easter, the property is being cleaned and prepared for this new Wellesley church.

Milestone identifies as a life-giving Bible-based Christian church with big plans to start ten new churches in the next ten years.

Elmwood Christian Preschool, which operates out of three classrooms and a playground located on church grounds, going forward will be affiliated with Milestone Wellesley and will not experience any  suspension in service. Starting in Fall 2019 the preschool will offer a transitional kindergarten program in addition to their programs for children from ages 2.9.

Wellesley’s changing religious landscape

In 2017 Christ United Methodist Church at 2 Brook St., faced with decreasing membership, ceased worship services, with many of its members choosing to go over to a church in Needham. After a short period of no religious activity in the Christ United sanctuary, a new church took over the space and the house of worship is now known as Metrowest Baptist Church. Pastor Dave Melton and his wife Kim Melton have lived in Wellesley for more than fifteen years and raised their four sons in town.   

Back in 2015 St. Paul School, affiliated with St. Paul Catholic Church at 502 Washington Street, was shuttered, upsetting families who had plenty to say about what they called an abrupt and unexpected decision. St. John School in Wellesley Hills ended up absorbing many of the displaced preK – grade 8 students into its program.

Also in 2015, St. James the Great church on route 9 was razed to make way for the Wellesley Sports Center. The Catholic church’s parishioners held vigils for 7-plus years before ending the stay in 2012 as the archdiocese sold off its property to the town of Wellesley. St. James was one of many churches the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston started shuttering in the early part of the century so that it could pay costs associated with its many sexual abuse cases. The Town of Wellesley purchased the property for $3.8 million.

SUPPORT SWELLESLEY: Here’s how to Advertise and/or Donate to support our independent journalism venture

Share

Film screening at UU Wellesley — “Come Sunday”

by Leave a Comment

UU WellesleyThursday, January 10 at 7:00pm in the UU Wellesley Chapel, 309 Washington St.
UULC Film: “Come Sunday”

Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Bishop Carlton Pearson, a Pentecostal megachurch leader whose 40 year ministry ends when he is branded a heretic for abandoning his belief in hell.  As we explore the Touchstones theme of Grace, this true story speaks to the power of Universalism.  Based on a 2005 episode of This American Life.

UU Wellesley also has monthly LGBTQ Pride movie nights. Here’s the schedule.

Share

Birth of a Movement: Film & discussion at Wellesley temple on Oct. 21

by Leave a Comment

Temple Beth Elohim at 10 Bethel Rd., in Wellesley invites the public for a viewing this Sunday, Oct. 21 from 6:30-9pm, of the film Birth of a Movement, followed by discussion.

The documentary covers the controversy over the notoriously Ku Klux Klan-friendly blockbuster film, The Birth of A Nation, about 100 years ago. Human rights, freedom of speech and a changing media landscape will all be up for discussion following the film. Panelists include:

  • Dick Lehr, author, journalist, and Professor of Journalism at Boston University. Long-time Boston Globe legal affairs reporter and Spotlight team member, author of Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI and a Devil’s Deal and the 2014 book, Birth of a Movement: How Birth of a Nation Ignited the Battle for Civil Rights.
  • Dr. Dolita Cathcart, Associate Professor of History, Wheaton College. Scholarly interests in race, gender, class, gender and identity, and the History of the Americas and African Diaspora Studies.
  • Dr. Bob Bellinger, Associate Professor of History, Suffolk University; Director, Black Studies Program; Director, Clark Collection of African American Literature. Research interests include late 19thcentury African American history, West African history and culture, and West African drum traditions.
  • Michael Curry, Esq., Senior Vice President of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and NAACP National Board of Directors. In 2017 he helped launch the NAACP’s inaugural “Next General Young Professional Leadership Program.” He portrays the role of William Monroe Trotter in the film Birth of a Movement.

RSVP to [email protected]

Share