Keeping the faith, outdoors
The first major winter storm hit the area in early December, but the bitter temperatures and slippery pavements didn’t deter a group from the Harvard and Cambridge communities from their regular meeting. Despite biting sleet that turned several of inches of snow into icy slush, the Rev. Jedediah Mannis and a handful of attendees and volunteers trekked to the Porter Square MBTA stop on a Sunday morning for their weekly prayer ritual there. Two volunteers wheeled a small metal table into a corner of the subway station and transformed it into an impromptu altar, covering it with a poster painted with a white cross and the words “The Outdoor Church.” On the table, they placed a plate of communion wafers. A small glass pitcher of apple juice filled in for the communion wine. The group formed a semicircle around the makeshift dais as commuters hurried by, oblivious to the solemn ceremony. “We really...