The Swellesley Report

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

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.

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.

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]

Wellesley parishes unite for outdoor mass at high school stadium

by Leave a Comment

St. John-St. Paul outdoor mass

The St. John-St. Paul Catholic church collaborative formed in Wellesley by the Archdiocese of Boston three years ago joined forces on Sunday to celebrate mass together as a faith community for the first time, and the did it outside at the Wellesley High School sports stadium.

According to St. John, the parishes have looked for ways to preserve their distinct cultures while also working together in new ways.

St. John-St. Paul outdoor mass
Father Robert Blaney, Parochial Vicar

 

St. John-St. Paul outdoor mass
Father James Laughlin serves communion

 

St. John-St. Paul outdoor mass