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            [post_date] => 2026-11-04 19:55:03
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            [post_content] => Dear United Parish Family,

I have wonderful news to share!

The United Parish in Brookline has officially signed a contract with Folan Waterproofing and Construction to restore our beloved steeple. Hallelujah!! This is a truly exciting and historic step for our congregation and our church building.



Our steeple has long stood as a beacon over Brookline, a visible and audible sign of faith, welcome, and hope. Reaching this milestone has been the fruit of much prayerful support, thoughtful judgment, and a great deal of hard work. Every step of this journey has been carried by the generosity and dedication of our church, our community, and our commitment to God and one another.

With Deep Gratitude

On behalf of our congregation, we extend a heartfelt appreciation to everyone who worked so faithfully to secure funding for this project, including the many hours devoted to pursuing and stewarding our grants from the National Fund for Sacred Places and from the Town of Brookline Community Preservation Act (CPA) program. These grants are powerful affirmations of our church’s historical significance and value to our community, and they would not have been possible without a great deal of persistence, vision, and care.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Mary Loden and David Rockwell, Building Manager Rebekah Shore, and John Kurpeski, our engineering consultant from Gale Associates, for their remarkable skills and faithful dedication. Their expertise and guidance have been invaluable at every turn: determining the detailed project scope, attracting and assessing contractor bids, editing and negotiating the contract, and so, so much more. We are blessed beyond measure by their wisdom and commitment to our church.

What’s Next?

The masonry work will begin in early spring, after the winter season concludes, and should take about 8 months. At that time, you’ll see Folan erecting the scaffolding and getting underway. But with the contract now in place, Folan will soon be doing some additional testing. We expect a boom lift on site as they do that testing.

Rebekah is overseeing this project for United Parish and attending weekly meetings with our engineer and the contractor. Our project team of Mary and David will continue to support Rebekah as needed.

A Meaningful Step Forward

Restoring our steeple is about far more than preserving a beautiful structure. It is a meaningful step in our ongoing transformation work and a bold investment in our future of serving God and our community. As our steeple is restored, may it continue to rise as a symbol of our faith, our welcome, and our shared commitment to being a place of light and love for many years to come.

Please join me in celebrating this milestone and in keeping this project, the Folan construction team, our engineer, and all who have labored on its behalf in your prayers. Expect more updates as the restoration work begins. Thanks be to God!

With joy and gratitude,

Stefan Reed
Moderator
moderator@upbrookline.org
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            [post_date] => 2026-11-03 16:02:28
            [post_date_gmt] => 2026-11-03 16:02:28
            [post_content] => Please join us Friday, November 20, 2026 at 7:30pm for the next Jazz Sanctuary concert featuring the music and extraordinary talent of Matt Greenwood, a highly inventive, genre-blurring contemporary jazz guitarist and composer representing the vanguard of the modern Boston jazz scene.
Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, before spending six years refining his craft in Toronto, Greenwood holds a Master’s degree from the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute. His musical voice is defined by a deeply cinematic, atmospheric aesthetic that masterfully bridges the gap between intense jazz improvisation, traditional African rhythms, and modern production textures.
For this concert, Matt will be joined by tenor saxophonist Gregory Groover Jr. and bassist Max Ridley. Together, they will explore Greenwood's original music shaped by his years in Zimbabwe, Canada, and the US. Blending delicate compositions, cinematic soundscapes, improvisation, and echoes of Zimbabwean musical traditions, the trio brings together a range of influences that is both grounded and exploratory.
GET TICKETS

About the artists:
With melody as the guiding star, guitarist and composer, Matt Greenwood, creates cinematic musical landscapes where composition and improvisation intersect. Having first lived in Zimbabwe and then in Canada and now the United States, Matt’s music is inherently nomadic, and pushes against the confines of genre and geography. Matt has had an extensive career as a sideman, working with legendary Zimbabwean artists including Oliver Mtukudzi, Gemma Griffiths and Forward Kwenda as well some of Canada’s most acclaimed jazz musicians such as Robi Botos, Brian Dickinson and Mike Downes. Matt's debut album ‘Atlas’ was released in January 2023, receiving critical acclaim from Downbeat Magazine, The WholeNote and countless other publications and he has just released his follow up album, ‘Daybreak’.
Praised by saxophonist Walter Smith III as a “thematic musician” who leads with heart, energy, and direction, Gregory Groover music is rich with narrative and spiritual depth. Rooted in the lineage of jazz while boldly pushing its boundaries, his artistry seamlessly bridges tradition and innovation. Pianist Kevin Harris, is known for his deeply interactive, exploratory performances that blend tradition with contemporary expression, drawing on Black Gospel and Afro-Caribbean influences. A sought-after collaborator and international performer, Harris brings a profound sense of conversation, curiosity, and play to his musical performances.
Max Ridley is a Boston-based musician, composer and teacher has shared the stage with renowned jazz musicians, Kenny Werner, Ingrid Jensen, Bob Mover, Jason Palmer, George Garzone, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses and Perico Sambeat. He has performed in venues such as the Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Umbria Jazz Festival. He has toured domestically and internationally and has also spent some time living in Valencia, Spain and considers it his second home as well as the other artistic community to which he belongs. Today, he is active in the musical community as sideman, leader and co-leader of groups in and around Boston.
Admission is "pay what you can," eliminating financial barriers to ensure that our concerts remain open and accessible to all members of the community. Jazz Sanctuary is a community-driven cultural initiative that transforms a historic sacred space into a vibrant hub for live music, art, and human connection in the heart of Brookline. Audience contributions support the performing artists and United Parish's magnificent sacred space as a haven for live music, community gatherings, and worship.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5W8oBATxUPUSWVCcvq7zZF?si=4cfe626016e741a1
https://open.spotify.com/track/1HEK5BlcEBuiqp8Hht97Ln?si=8aec7acd05ce41d7
"Jazz has exemplified all that is most admirable about the country that created it – freedom, inclusiveness, individualism and a willingness to sacrifice one's own interests for the greater good." - Duke Ellington
            [post_title] => Jazz Sanctuary - November 20
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            [post_date] => 2026-10-30 17:32:06
            [post_date_gmt] => 2026-10-30 17:32:06
            [post_content] => The election is coming up. We encourage everyone eligible to vote to do so on or before November 3. Elections offer an opportunity to elect officials who reflect your values. The Stretching Team has prepared an information sheet on the nine ballot questions HERE. We have made recommendations for how to vote on four of the questions and have provided in depth information on all of the questions. Thank you all for taking voting seriously.
            [post_title] => Voting Resources
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