On Sunday, January 25th at 4 p.m. organist Katherine Ou will perform an organ concert at The Lutheran Church of the Savior.  Katherine has been serving as the organist for four years.  She began her training at the age of 13 in Waco, Texas.

The program will include a seldom-heard but dazzling baroque chorale partita by Georg Dietrich, an inspiring Organ Sonata, a work by living British composer Tom Scott, the stirring “Variations on The Star Spangled Banner" by Dudly Buck and "Yankee Doodle" by New England organist Fred Feibel.
Admission is free.  Reservations are not required.  There will be a light reception following the concert and a Freewill Offering to help purchase a new organ.

Location: Lutheran Church of the Savior, 426 Davis Road, Bedford, MA

February Program
Date Feb 3, 2026, 10:30am
Location Acton Town Hall
Speaker Lisey Good, Wild Cohasset founder
Topic Invasive Plants: Techniques you don't know + how to fight them with native plants
Invasive plants range from a minor nuisance to a dire threat to endangered species and entire forests.  How to tell the difference?  And what are the best ways to identify and remove the plants that can do the greatest harm? This program will help gardeners identify common invasive plants in Massachusetts and will teach them how to deal with the very worst offenders.  It will include new techniques developed abroad-- and even some "passive” methods that use native plants to fight the battle.
LIsey Good is the founder of Massachusetts-based environmental group Wild Cohasset, which works to support the native plants of New England and to help all the wildlife that depend upon these plants for survival. A frequent lecturer on issues related to biodiversity and wildlife, Lisey was formerly the on-air interior designer for the Emmy Award winning television program This Old House. Today, she works in marketing, PR and fundraising for animal welfare organizations such as Second Chance Animal Services.
Lisey will discuss the major issue of invasive plant species in our area, how to identify them, and why and how we should combat them involving the restoration of appropriate 

Date March 3, 2026 10:30am
Location Acton Town Hall
Speaker Kim Smith, Award Winning Documentary Filmmaker
Topic Beauty on the Wing | Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly

Experience the inspirational story of a magnificent species found in our own backyards!  Kim Smith will present her award-winning movie filmed along the shores of Cape Ann and in the heart of Mexico’s forested volcanic mountains. Every stage of the butterfly’s life cycle is experienced in vibrant close-up, from egg to caterpillar to adult and set to the background of sea and forest, sun and wind. Movie runtime is 56 minutes followed by Q&A.

Kim Smith is a documentary filmmaker, wildlife conservationist, lecturer, photojournalist, author, illustrator, and an award-winning landscape designer.
Kim’s first film in the threatened species film trilogy, Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly, is a narrated documentary that premiered in August 2020. Since its premier, Beauty on the Wing has received a number of honors and awards at environmental and children's film festivals.
The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay, the second film in the trilogy, is a feature-length documentary that premiered in September 2024. At the time of this writing, the documentary has been accepted at twenty-two film festivals and received numerous awards. 
One of the greatest hopes for our nature documentaries is that they are inspirational and educational to both adults and children and we are delighted that the films are finding their audiences.
Kim was recently interviewed by the BBC and PBS for her work in documenting the Monarch Butterflies. She worked with the show’s producers in writing and creating the story, providing film footage from her film Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly for the BBC produced show “Autumnwatch: New England.”

By Andrew Campanella

All parents in Massachusetts and across America want their children to thrive in learning environments that reflect their diverse interests, talents, and individual challenges.

That’s why one in five parents last year enrolled at least one of their children in a new K–12 school. In fact, the process of moms and dads actively choosing how and where their children learn—often referred to as school choice—reached a five-year high in 2025.

Meanwhile, more than 60% of parents say they are likely to consider a new school for at least one of their children in 2026—suggesting another active year for families making enrollment decisions. What that means for your family depends, in large part, on where you live.

In Massachusetts, parents have more education options than they may realize. In addition to assigned traditional public schools, the Bay State has taken steps in recent years to give families more flexibility in choosing schools.

Within the public education system, tuition-free schooling options include charter schools (available in some areas), theme-based magnet schools (available in select communities), and full-time online schools with district approval. In some districts, parents may also be able to send their children to traditional public schools outside of their zones, if seats are available.

Parents can also consider private schools, which charge tuition and sometimes offer scholarships to help make private education more affordable. Finally, Massachusetts moms and dads have the freedom to educate their children at home, and some families pair homeschooling with learning pods or Montessori-style microschools.

If you want to explore these education options in advance of the 2026–27 school year, the time to begin that process is now. National School Choice Week begins January 25, with 265 school events across Massachusetts, including school fairs, open houses, parent nights, and information sessions.

Before starting your search, it can help to pause and write down your goals for your child and what you want in an ideal learning environment. Doing so helps center the process on what—and who—really matters: your daughter or your son. When possible, visit schools and schedule tours or meetings with staff. Research shows that parents who visit schools in person are twice as likely to enroll their children in a new school as parents who search without touring or visiting.

During those visits, ask questions. One of the most common mistakes parents make is accepting education jargon—of which there is plenty—at face value. If you do not understand a term, a reference to curriculum or instructional methods, or a school policy, ask for clarification until you do. You may also want to talk with other parents about their experiences, while keeping in mind that their perspectives are shaped by their own child’s unique needs.

And remember: you know your child better than anyone else. When it comes to your child’s well-being, you are the expert. Finding the right school is not about choosing what works for everyone—it’s about choosing what fits your daughter or son best.

To access a free guide to K–12 school choice options in Massachusetts, visit https://myschoolchoice.com/massachusetts.

Andrew Campanella is the CEO of the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, the nonprofit organization that coordinates National School Choice Week, Navigate School Choice, and Conoce tus Opciones Escolares. He is also the author of The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Choosing the Right School for Your Child.

24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day Breakfast ♦ Monday, January 19 ♦ 9:15 AM at Congregation Beth Elohim & Zoom
This year's speaker, William Harlan Dickerson II, is Co-Executive Director of Massachusetts Communities Action Network (MCAN). William Harlan Dickerson II, also known as Brother Will, is a seasoned community organizer and faith-rooted leader with over 14 years of experience advancing justice. He currently serves as Co–Executive Director of the Massachusetts Communities Action Network (MCAN).
Brother Will’s organizing work spans critical issues including racial and economic justice, mental health services reform, education reform, criminal justice reform, and police accountability. He is nationally recognized as a powerful trainer, strategist, and developer of leaders, with a deep commitment to building people power and cultivating transformative leadership. Brother Will approaches organizing as both a moral and communal practice.
At the core of his work and life is a steadfast belief that Black liberation is essential to the liberation of all people, a principle that guides his leadership, organizing, and vision for a more just and compassionate world.

9:15 AM doors open for breakfast
10:00 AM guest speaker Brother Will (and Zoom session begins)
Congregation Beth Elohim
133 Prospect Street, Acton, MA
You may also attend via Zoom
Please let us know you are coming by signing up   www.bethelohim.org/mlk-2026
This event, a presentation of Na’aseh, the social justice arm of Congregation Beth Elohim, is free and open to all. Donations are welcome and will support Na'aseh's social action work, including next year's breakfast.

Acton: Are you worried about winter energy bills? You are not alone! Please join Carrie Katan, of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, as she helps us understand our utility bills, reveals energy saving options from the utilities themselves, and looks at energy efficiency actions to take in our households. Topics include consumer energy rates (e.g. income eligible options and heat pump discounts), significant efficiency savings through Mass Save, and a look at possible future directions in the energy market.  Carrie is a fun speaker who takes a complicated energy landscape and makes it comprehensible! Co-sponsored by MassEnergize.org. Info and registration at
https://community.massenergize.org/ActonMA/events/2108 or go to EnergizeActon.org and click “Events.”

Program Highlights:

• “Hallelujah!” The Nashoba Valley Chorale is celebrating its 50th Anniversary Season with a concert on Sunday, January 18, 2026. The performance will include music by Bach and Britten and will close with Beethoven’s magnificent Mass in C, featuring four professional vocal soloists and full orchestra. The concert’s repertoire “reflects the different aspects of our history and showcases where we are now,” says Anne Watson Born, the group’s musical director. 

Event Details:

• January 18, 2026, 3pm at the Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center (344 Main St., Groton, MA) 

Ticket Information:

• Pay-what-you-can; available at www.nvcsings.org   

The Nashoba Valley Chorale is well known throughout Central Massachusetts and draws singers from towns in the heart of Nashoba Valley, as well as from all over the metro-west Boston area and southern New Hampshire. For more information about the Nashoba Valley Chorale and our season concerts, visit https://nvcsings.org/

"Find a Stillness"
Sunday, December 21st, 10 AM. Light here, light there, light everywhere all winter long. But what wisdom could we find if we found a stillness in the dark of the longest night? The service will be led by Yaakov Trek Reef, Intern Minister
CHRISTMAS EVE FAMILY STORY SERVICE
Wednesday, December 24th, 4 PM. Led by our Minister Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Landrum, Intern Minister Yaakov Trek Reef, and Director of Religious Education Rayla D. Baldwin-Mattson, This family-oriented service features traditional and modern carols, stories, and shares about the meaning of Christmas in our lives.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDELIGHT SERVICE
Wednesday, December 24th, 9 PM. Led by our Minister Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Landrum and Intern Minister Yaakov Trek Reef and featuring our choir and additional music under the direction of our Music Director Chris Hossfeld with our Accompanist Trevor Berens and soloists Jessica Tunick Berens and Margot Law. This service will share the ancient story paired with poetry, readings, and music, and end with a candle-lit congregational signing of O Holy Night.