Tag Archives: Chapel in the Pines

“Nuclear Power to Save the Climate?” with Diane Turco

Program for Sunday, March 28, 2021

Now that Pilgrim Power Station in Plymouth is closed, there is serious concern over the ongoing and long term storage of nuclear waste in dry casks. Holtec’s decommissioning of the Pilgrim plant is proceeding with minimal federal regulations and poses new dangers for the surrounding communities. However, these dangers are sometimes neutralized by the belief that nuclear power helps reduce greenhouse gases and is therefore deserving of support from climate activists. Diane Turco and her team at Cape Downwinders feel an urgency to address these two concerns together. They’ll be sharing their research and explain why nuclear power surely won’t save the climate. 

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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00. 

Diane Turco is director of Cape Downwinders, a grassroots activist organization with the goal to protect our communities and environment from the dangers present at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station and nuclear waste dump in Plymouth, MA.  She is a retired special education teacher who has lived in Harwich for over 35 years, where she raised her two children with her spouse, Barnstable volleyball coach Tom Turco.  Since 1984, Diane has been actively working to halt nuclear power and nuclear weapons. The photo above shows her speaking at an event with Dr. Helen Caldicott.

“Cape Cod and Beyond” with Robert Finch

Program for Sunday, March 21

Essayist Robert Finch will welcome spring by reading a selection of his recent and favorite works, exploring the wonders of the natural world around and apart from us.

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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00.

Widely regarded as one of America’s leading nature writers, Robert Finch has published eight books of essays and is co-editor of The Norton Book of Nature Writing. His weekly radio commentaries have been broadcast since 2005 on WCAI, the Woods Hole NPR affiliate of WGBH, and for which he received the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Radio Writing in 2005 and 2013. For his body of work he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016 and, in 2017, published The Outer Beach: A Thousand-Mile Walk Along Cape Cod’s Atlantic Shore. He lives in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, with his wife, the writer Kathy Shorr.

“Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve: Why We Must Protect It and How“ with Mark Forest

Program for Sunday, February 28, 2021

Mark Forest will discuss the controversial siting of a machine gun range on the base and ongoing efforts to preserve one on the most ecologically important regions in the northeastern United States. This location is one Forest knows intimately. He was the driving force behind the creation of the 15,000 acre Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, which is also the source of much of Cape Cod’s drinking water supplies. As a former aide to Congressmen Gerry Studds and Bill Delahunt, he spent 26 years working on a wide range of issues at Joint Base Cape Cod and played a key role in securing funding for the clean-up of pollution at the base.

Pre-register for this program at

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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00.

Last November, Mark Forest was elected as a Barnstable County Commissioner. He is also a Yarmouth Selectman.  He teaches American Government and International Relations at Cape Cod Community College. In addition, he works for Suffolk University, coordinating the Masters in Public Administration (MPA) degree program on Cape Cod.  Mark is Chairman of the Cape Cod Conservation District which raises funds for the restoration and preservation of Cape Cod’s salt marshes, shellfish and fisheries resources. Recently he served as Chairman of the Housing Assistance Corporation and was a founder of the Community Development Partnership.  He started his career in the Provincetown Town Manager’s office and recently served as the Interim Town Administrator for the Town of Brewster.

“Biting the Apple”: Powerful Stories and Poems from Kristin Knowles

Program for Sunday, February 21

Spoken word artist Kristin Knowles invites us to share in her journey toward healing and wisdom. Through poems and stories of her travels and travails, Knowles illustrates the inextricable ties connecting artistry and activism.

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Kristin Knowles is a visual artist, poet, storyteller, activist, farmer, mom, and ambitious thrift shopper. A deeply-rooted Lower Cape girl, she lives in Orleans with her husband, Tom, daughter, Sasha and son, Jack, two dogs, a cat, and a sizable flock of ducks and chickens. She and Tom practice and informally teach permaculture practices for regenerative agriculture. And grow organic fruit, nuts, and other perennial foods on their property. She has also done work as a human trafficking public educator, potter, and human services counselor. As an activist, she focuses mainly on human rights, gender violence, racism, and socio-economic disparity. Her hope is that more egalitarian business models will continue to be invented and implemented, replacing the status quo of extractive, exploitative, and corrupt predatory capitalism. She believes that eradicating poverty would go a long way toward creating a more just, safe, and peaceful world.

“Of Love, Death, and Beyond — Exploring Mahler’s ‘Resurrection Symphony’” – a film by Jason Starr

Program for Sunday, February 14, 2021

When composing the Second Symphony, Gustave Mahler famously posed the questions “What is this life—and this death? Is there for us, a continuation? Is all this only an empty dream, or does this life and this death have a meaning?” Many people have interpreted the symphony as a depiction of a conventional religious account of the afterlife. But as Jason Starr’s gorgeous film shows, while Mahler evokes the apocalyptic judgement day through his composition, he also offers the deeply uplifting all-pervading experiences of love that are part of everything we care about. Shot on location in Germany, Austria, Italy and the United States, the film includes historical reenactments and interviews.

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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00.

Conductor and composer Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911) acted as a bridge between the 19th century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. This acclaimed performance is by a blended orchestra including the NY Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Neeme Jarvi and recorded at Riverside Church in New York.

Jason Starr holds a B.M. in composition from Hartt School of Music and a M.M. from Manhattan School of Music.  He resides in New York City where, in 2006 he formed Cultural Media Collaborative, a not-for-profit corporation, to create performing arts films and interactive media. 

“The Greatest Beach – the History of the Cape Cod National Seashore” with Bill Burke

Program for Sunday, January 31, 2021

What you always wanted to know about Cape Cod National Seashore but were afraid to ask – or asked and never got a straight answer.  The National Seashore contains a treasure trove of historic things, including homes, archeological sites and landscapes. Bill Burke enjoys pondering the meaning of it all, and teaching as well as learning from others about our small universe of the Outer Cape. Bill’s presentation will include:  genesis of an idea, philosophy behind new parks, formation of the park, growing pains, big issues, controversies, what’s historic and what’s not, reality today, successes and failures, the future.  Following all that, Bill will be happy to field any questions you have left!

Pre-register for this program at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcequrTItGNUbWCxWEahUYOMfq4ajxFIW

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00.

A wash-ashore from Western Massachusetts, Bill Burke is a National Park Service employee who serves as the Historian for the National Seashore.  He has worked there in a number of roles over the past 30 years. He assists researchers and educators by providing access to the park’s collection of archives, historic photographs and objects. Bill is a native of Holyoke, MA and currently lives in Harwich. He has a B.A. in History from Providence College and a M.A. in History and Archeology from the College of Willian and Mary.

 

“All in a Day’s Work” with photojournalist Steve Heaslip

Program for Sunday, January 24, 2021

Award-winning photojournalist Steve Heaslip will take us behind the scenes as he pursues his daily beat for the Cape Cod Times. Steve’s photos are widely published and admired, and he’ll be illustrating his talk with a generous selection. You can preview some of his work on this blog.

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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00.

Steve Heaslip was born and raised in Canisteo, NY.  He started his photographic career by working on the high school year book.  A native of Canisteo, NY, after graduation, he attended Rochester Institute of Technology. His first newspaper job was in the summer of 1980 for a small daily, The Hornell Evening Tribune. Moving to Cape Cod in the fall of 1981 he freelanced as a photojournalist for the Boston Globe, Associated Press and the Cape Cod Times. Steve joined the staff of the Cape Cod Times in 1986 and was named their chief photographer in 1994. His work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, Life, National Geographic and Yankee magazines. He has won awards in the New England Press Association, including Photographer of the Year in 2001 and 2005, New England Associated Press News Editors Association Awards and the National Press Photographers Association’s Best of Photography Award in Pictorial Photography. Steve lives in Barnstable Village with his wife Holly, daughter Kate and son Scott.

“When Yesterday was Perfect” with the Reverend Pancheta Peterson

Program for Sunday, January 17, 2021

Pancheta Peterson is weary of listening to stories that begin with the wish to return to a time in America perhaps best described as “the good old days.” Her title speaks to her longing for a relief from such utterances, tone deaf to a context which includes the daily murder of members of the black community. How can we shift the story to maintain consciousness of this and other racist realities that are not new, but deeply embedded in this country’s history? And in shifting the story, can we make space for a more inclusive—and clear-eyed—conversation about the future?

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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00.

Reverend Pancheta Peterson is well known to many Cape Codders for her untiring efforts on behalf of social justice while being a calm and measured presence, seeking to engage and inspire participants.  She was an active lay leader in Eastham UMC for about 20 years before being invited to join the staff at First Parish, Brewster, where she served for about 10 years and was ordained as Community Minister.  Passionately interested in Diversity Issues, she was actively involved with Cape Cod schools for many years as a Trained Diversity Specialist.  She was born in Jamaica and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, and her M.A in Diversity Issues from Cambridge College.

Isn’t It Romantic

Program for Sunday, January 10, 2021

On January 10, we’re pleased to offer you a short play written and produced by Candace Perry. Isn’t It Romantic interrogates the white privilege that would imagine a Southern plantation as a romantic setting for a wedding. Yes, destination weddings are still a “thing” and restored plantations are popular—albiet controversial—tourism destinations, as a recent NY Times article attests. Following the performance, there will be a “talk back” with the author and actors, who include Sallie Tighe, Cynthia Harrington, and Racine Oxtoby.

 Pre-register for this program at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIocu6tqjktE9SwCYJ8qZ1itZDIT1swuiT0

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Meeting platform will open at 9:30 for informal socializing. Program will begin promptly at 10:00.

A social worker by profession, Candace Perry began her playwriting career in 1989 when the Provincetown Theatre Company produced her one act, Keepers.  Ten years later, she returned to the Provincetown Theater’s Playwrights’ Lab, and my ten minute play, Meryl Streep, Meryl Streep, was produced featuring the legendary Julie Harris.  Since then, she had more than thirty short plays produced in Provincetown and elsewhere, has written four full length plays, and won many awards.  She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Provincetown Playwrights’ Lab.

Living with purpose: Sustainable Practices

Program for Sunday March 15, 2020

Madhavi Venkatesan started the Sustainable Practices film series in the fall of 2017 and screened Divide in Concord in the spring of 2018. The film documents the first plastic water bottle ban in the U.S., in Concord, Massachusetts and this screening was a turning point for Sustainable Practices Ltd. The film’s embodiment of all the elements of sustainability literacy, stewardship, environmental activism and courage inspired and helped the group understand what is needed to make the individual behavioral and system-wide economic changes required of us today. In many ways, Divide in Concord influenced the Sustainable Practices Cape Plastic Bottle Ban campaign and the filings of the 2019 Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban and the 2020 Commercial Single-use Plastic Water Bottle Ban. Madhavi will share information about these efforts, along with the motivation for the environmental activism that defines the actions of Sustainable Practices.

Madhavi Venkatesan is the executive director of Sustainable Practices Ltd.  She earned a PhD, MA, and BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University, a Masters in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University, and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. A recipient of a Fulbright Distinguished Lectureship (Philippines), she has contributed to numerous books and journal articles on the subject of sustainability and economics. Madhavi resides in Brewster and is on the faculty of Northeastern University in Boston.