CentralNEWS/April 2011

VOLUME 19 NUMBER 4

296 Angell Street Providence RI 02906 401-331-1960

FROM YOUR SENIOR MINISTER

Dear Friends,

It has been a long and tough winter. And as I write this, the tragedy in Japan with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami is still unfolding. There is war and violence throughout the earth. There is injustice and poverty in our small state. And yet, I write this newsletter article to you in the beginning of Lent with the splendid hope of Easter unfurling amongst us and in our world. It seems to me that whether we are young or old, hit by tragedy or so far unscathed by deep sorrows and disappointment, that we cannot go further on our journeys of life without deciding what to do about Easter.

“Do you believe in the resurrection or not? The answer to this question will shape the rest of your life.” It is time to reaffirm your answer or give an answer for the first time.

“What do you believe about Easter?” What I have come to believe after many detours and searching has indeed changed my life…It has changed my goals and changed my objectives. It has changed me. So in these early days of Lent, looking toward Easter, I proclaim to you, “Christ Lives!” I do not do this lightly, nor without some doubts. But I do believe that I am destined for everlasting life; that my life has a central purpose, and that each of you is a part of that purpose. I am glad to be alive, to be your pastor, and to have you as my friends. Pray for me as I pray for you. It is time to choose!

With great love,

Rebecca

Our thoughts and prayers are with

John Chaney, his father, Herbert Chaney, died in March.

SERVICE OF LESSONS & CAROLS

On Sunday, May 1 we will celebrate a Service of Easter Lessons & Carols. During the regular Sunday worship our pastors, deacons, and choirs will offer praise to God in the form of readings and songs about the triumph of Easter.

We will also honor our 50 year members as we honor new members. A nod to Heritage!

Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism is an important part of our worship life together. The next Baptism will be celebrated on Sunday, May 1, 2011

Meetings to prepare parents for Baptism are usually held in our Fireplace Room at 9 am on the Saturday of the preceding week. Please speak with The Rev. Rebecca Spencer if you would like to be included in this very important part of life at Central—The Sacrament of Baptism.

Easter SCHEDULE

Wednesday Meditation 5:30 – 6:00pm
March 30 Paul Armstrong
April 6 Maureen Whittemore
April 13 John Trevor
Palm Sunday, April 17
Worship Service 10:30 am
Preceded by the outdoor procession with Jasper (the donkey), palms, choir, & children at 10:10
Maundy Thursday, April 21 7:30pm
Service of Tenebrae and Communion
Preceding worship, our Deacons invite you to a potluck supper in Chapel Hall.

Tenebrae, Latin for Shadows, is a service of lessons and is accompanied by the gradual extinguishing of light. The readings, preceded by Communion, commemorate the events of Holy Week: Jesus’ betrayal & arrest, His passion, trial & death on the cross. This is a moving & important service that allows us to walk with Jesus in those last days & hours of His life. It prepares us to celebrate the glory & the light of the Resurrection on Easter.

Good Friday, April 22 12 Noon
Our adult choir presents a John Rutter’s “Requiem”
Easter Vigil Service, April 23, 8 – 9 pm Wilson Chapel
Easter, April 24
Ecumenical Sunrise Service 6:00 am at Swan Point Cemetery
Easter Breakfast 9:00am. Proceeds benefit the 2011 Youth Mission Trip to Chicago
Children’s Egg Hunt 9:45am
Festival Service of Worship 10:30am with organ, brass and timpani Preludes begin at 10:10am

From Claudia

Triduum, which literally means three days, is the word for the three days before Easter—Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. It’s an ancient way of grouping these very important days of the liturgical year as a distinct moment in time—the very time for which Lent has been preparing us. Therefore, to go from the Lenten journey skipping over these three days right into Easter means that part of the journey is lost for us. In other words, we’ve missed part of the story!

Maundy Thursday is a solemn night and in our service of Tenebrae (meaning darkness) we hear the ancient readings and we experience the Lord’s Supper. We remember the intersection of life and death—and Jesus’ betrayal on that night. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment, as we recall Jesus’ words, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another even as I have loved you.” Just how much? The second day of the Triduum will make that clear on Good Friday when Jesus is crucified.

And, then we come to Holy Saturday. Joan Chittister says, “Holy Saturday faith is not about counting our blessings; it is about dealing with darkness and growing in hope.” So it is that our Easter Vigil Service on Holy Saturday evening opens with the lighting of the candle—the new fire of hope that breaks into the darkness! At Central the ancient tradition is maintained of combining four short services into one—of light, of the Word, of our baptisms, and communion. Here, we can know the entirety of the Christian life. It is no coincidence that this service ends where the Triduum began—with the Lord’s Supper.

I hope that you will experience all of these times for worship this year. The new fire of the Easter Vigil shines through the betrayal and darkness for us at Central, just as it did for the first Christians. We are an alleluia (which means praise God!) people! Alleluia! Christ is risen!!! And let the people say, “Christ is risen, indeed!”

Yours in (anticipated) Easter Joy,

Claudia

From Kat

Thank you for all of your donations and prayers for the Haiti Mission Team! Our group, which included Lora Spalt, Bill Inlow, Kara Lund, Daehler Hayes, Suzanne Swanson, Amanda Manjone, Gadner Munro, and Warren Jagger all returned home safely after a busy week on the ground in Haiti.

Over the past 20 years, the Haiti Task Force, in partnership with the Mission Evangelique Baptiste Bethesda (MEBB) churches in Haiti, has been working to meet basic spiritual, physical, and educational needs through sponsorships for school children; hands-on construction and post-earthquake rebuilding of schools, clinics, wells, and churches; direct donations of food, clothing, and medical supplies; micro-lending projects; medical missions; and pastoral care. The Task Force has also diligently worked to empower Haitian congregations to educate and employ Haitian professionals from the local community.

The longevity and success of the MEBB and Haiti Task Force programs were immediately apparent when we arrived at the airport and were greeted by volunteer translators who all grew up in MEBB/UCC churches and schools. Throughout the week, we met Haitian doctors, nurses, artists, pastors, teachers, and directors of non-profit relief organizations who had been sponsored and put through school by the Haiti Task Force.

Every dollar, diaper, and book you sent with us was delivered and received with overwhelming thanksgiving. Each item was hand carried to a person or agency in need and put to immediate use. The donated school supplies made it to three orphanages in addition to a new community school in Leongone. Donations of diapers, formula, and other baby supplies were given to partner orphanages in great need. Money given for Haiti orphans will help buy food and formula and will help Operation Love the Children build a new bunkhouse for 12 children, who are currently housed in an over-crowded shelter with two nannies and 6 babies. Clothing was distributed to Operation Love the Children, New Horizons Orphanage in Grecia, and the Notre Damme Orphanage in Fontamara.

In addition to delivering your donated supplies, we participated in a variety of community projects. Bill Inlow and Warren Jagger were invaluable in building desks and benches for the Bellvue School, where students previously sat and worked on crude log seats. At the orphanages, we worked with a local artist to lead an afternoon of fun and art projects with school children. We also spent considerable time visiting the many clinics, wells, and churches built by the Haiti Task Force over the last 20 years, sitting with members of the community and listening to their stories of the earthquake and life in the aftermath. We also connected with pastors and church members at our partner MEBB churches, worshiping with them in a beautiful building constructed by the Haiti Task Force. Our time was also spent negotiating contracts to rebuild and repair damaged buildings and meeting with pastors and women from the community to talk about microlending.

It was a week packed with activity, information and spiritual growth and I am still unraveling the many facets of our trip. I look forward to sharing more with you throughout the year. If you are interested in learning more or in participating in next year’s trip to Haiti, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Blessings,

Kat

MUSIC AT CENTRAL

Our choirs will offer up music in worship this year for Holy Week and Easter that sings the story of death and resurrection in music that comforts, excites, and challenges.

On Maundy Thursday, we sing all unaccompanied hymns and anthems in keeping with the solemnity of the service of Tenebrae and Holy Communion, including the variations on ‘Ah Holy Jesus’ as featured on our CD recording “Thanks We Bring.”

On Good Friday we present the Requiem by John Rutter. Featuring soprano solo and an orchestral ensemble, the Requiem has seven contrasting movements which beautifully set the familiar texts in contrasting styles, opening and closing with the same musical motif.

Easter Day brings us the joy of the resurrection in music with brass, harp, cello, and timpani! Come celebrate as we hear “Phoenix” by Peter Hallock, a contemporary American Composer, and “Light’s Glittering Morn Bedecks the Sky” by New England composer Horatio Parker who composed at the turn of the 19th century. Along with the exciting hymns with brass, these two contrasting pieces express the wonder and thrill of the resurrection peacefully and jubilantly!

Preludes begin at 10:10 a.m. on Easter Day.

NEW CCC MEDITATION GROUP!

April 7 – 6:30pm Deacon’s Room

Our new meditation group is meeting for the first time and all are welcome! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to explore your faith through thoughtful reflection including Lectio Divina and a variety of prayer practices. Whether you call it meditation, contemplation, mindful deliberation, or any other descriptive name, the practice of spending regular time in such a practice is just plain good for the body and the soul.

For the time being we will meet monthly alternating between the first Thursday evening and early morning on the first Tuesday of each month. Come join us! Call Claudia with any questions—331-1960.

Volunteers Needed!

The Calling Committee is helping organize and serve at the ‘Wisdom Lunch’ scheduled for Wednesday May 11. We need volunteers to help set up the Fireplace Room on Tuesday, May 10 and to help serve the meal and clean up on Wednesday, May 11. If you are available either (or both) days, please contact Janet Carter. This lunch is held alternate years to honor those who have been members of Central for 50 or more years. Invitations will be going out in April. Please come help us honor these faithful and devoted members.

CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS

What images come to mind when you think of the stories of Holy Week–of Jesus entering Jerusalem, the last supper, the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ arrest and trail, his death and burial? And how about Easter?!! What are the symbols of our faith that help us remember these stories? Palm branches, a young colt, garments, a basin and towel, bread, a cup of wine, a bag of silver, a heavy cross? What are the feelings that each story evokes? Which characters do we particularly ‘relate’ to as we read these? Does that change as we grow, as the years go by? What about our children?

These particular Bible stories can be difficult ones for parents and families. Jesus, who preached the Sermon on the Mount, and teaches us about peacemaking with our neighbors, shows anger in the temple in Jerusalem. He weeps. He is emotionally and physically abandoned by his closest companions. Crowds of people become angry at him. These are stories we’d rather not read. But we parents will no doubt gain some fresh insight/perspective by reading these with our children. And remember, it’s not about ‘having answers’, but about listening deeply to their questions and thoughts, sharing our faith openly and honestly, and being on the journey together!

Love & light,

Cathy Clasper-Torch

DATES TO REMEMBER

April 17, PALM SUNDAY
9:45 am—with annual visit from our donkey friend, Jasper
PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION at 10:00 am!
April 21, MANUDY THURSDAY
Potluck supper at 6:00 pm
Worship Service at 7:30 pm
April 22, GOOD FRIDAY worship at 12 noon
(Childcare provided)
April 23, EASER VIGIL 8:00 pm (no childcare)
April 24 EASTER
BREAKFAST at 9:00 am
EGG HUNT at 9:45 am
(gather in Fireplace Room at 9:30)

Easter morning childcare provided for all children age 5 and under (There are no Church School classes Easter morning.)

GOD IN AMERICA

CCC Adult Sunday School

9:00 a.m. on 4/3, 4/10, 4/17

Fireplace Room

This comprehensive history of religion examines the relationship between religious faith and democracy in this country including the role that “religious ideas and institutions have played in social reform movements, and how guarantees of religious freedom created a competitive religious marketplace in America.” Our discussion will explore wide-ranging themes through this history and the political and spiritual journeys of historical figures. Are there insights to be learned from almost 400 years of our history as we move through the 21st century? Come find out! Questions? Call Claudia.

FROM THE DEACON’S BENCH

My mom gave me a patchwork quilt in 1971. She bought it at her church from the Women’s Quilting Circle. I don’t know what pattern it is but it has a solid green backing and then circles of many colors on top. It is well worn and is truly a “comfort blanket.”

As I began this article, I thought of the quilt and how it seems to represent our relationships at Central. The building provides the strong backing and the wonderful clergy give us our design and structure. But it is not complete until the members bring their colors, patterns and swatches of talent.

Sometimes, life seems so hectic that you are sure that not one more activity will fit in the schedule. However, the beauty is that you can participate at Central just once a year by providing a meal through the Acts of Random Kindness (ARK); or once a month by serving on a committee or helping out at Habitat for Humanity; or once a week by compiling bulletins for the weekly service or once a day by praying for support and guidance for members in need. Opportunities exist while making dinner, on weekends, weekdays, evenings, early mornings, or in the special times you find to pray. As your life changes, hopefully you will re-evaluate your role and vary the time and activities that call to your personal mission and talents. Be assured, however, at Central there is a place for you, regardless of where you are in both your life and your faith journey.

The solid backing of our quilt is awaiting your colorful addition – no piece of fabric is too small, no design too outrageous. I look forward to matching our pieces together to colorfully enrich the mission of our church and the faith of our community and to enjoy the resulting comfort with you.

-Janis Loiselle

My Favorite Poem

The Poets Page wants to post poems with a special meaning for the reader of poetry.

Please submit one favorite poem by any author. Time period and country of origin are all-inclusive. Structure and meter do not matter. Rhyming or not-rhyming verses are both welcome. However, we do ask that the poem not consist of more than twenty lines. When appropriate and desired, a line or two of explanation may be added to the author’s name.

Please send poems to poetlaureate@centralchurch.us

Guest Preacher

Sunday, May 8

The Reverend Bruce Jacobson

Rev. Jacobson is Kirsten DeShaw’s father

Dedication Sunday is April 3rd

The Stewardship Committee appreciates all the participation of Facilitators and Participants for the fabulous Small Group Sessions. As you know our theme is “Caring, Community, Commitment, and Contribution – 4 C’s for 3 C. We have been receiving very positive feedback from these sessions which shared what we are proud of about CCC as well as what our hopes and dreams are for the future. At the end of these sessions, we gave you your pledge cards and asked you to take them home and fill them out. Everyone should have also received a letter with another pledge card enclosed. Please bring your pledge to church on Sunday, April 3rd and join in to Dedicate your pledge during a special ceremony or mail it to the church office as soon as possible. We need your pledges so we can complete the final budget–as you know, one cannot budget without knowing what revenue is expected.

Thanks for all you do to make CCC a caring, committed community.

Mary Hazeltine and Ann Scott

Co-Chairs of the Stewardship Committee

Spring Cleaning

Saturday, April 16 is our SPRING Church Clean-up Day

Please help clean the church building and grounds Saturday, April 16 from 9 am to 12 noon. We need expert or not so expert help cleaning, dusting, washing windows, raking, weeding…you will surely find an area of interest. A list of jobs is available. Coffee, doughnuts, and good company abound! Call Wes Yando at 722-2357 with questions.

HOLY WEEK PREPARATION

Did you ever wonder how and when the Holy Week bulletin is assembled? Here’s your chance to find out as you help to collate 1,000 copies of our Holy Week Order of Worship on Thursday, April 14 from 12 noon to 7 pm.

Our Holy Week Bulletin is a 32-page booklet that describes all the services celebrated by this congregation for the full week from Palm Sunday through Easter Day. There are those who walk along the stage in Chapel Hall collecting the pages in the proper order; those who carefully fold; and then pass it along to the volunteer who staples. You’re invited to come for an hour or for as much time as you can spare.

Happy hour refreshments will be shared. Please call Peg in the church office if you can help.

Save Those Dates

A monthly calendar of church events is included with this newsletter. If you receive it electronically, the information can be found by viewing the calendar on our website www.centralchurch.us

April in Providence XXI

Providence is like Chicago
Is like Haiti like New Orleans
They are waiting for resurrection

Something tiny flies through the air
It may be an early bee
In search of blossoms and honey

Or it might be
A miniature angel
Offering manna from heaven

Today a spring
Freshly erupts
Out of the snow-soaked earth

O my God O my God
You have risen again

In Haiti and New Orleans
In Chicago and Providence

-Ilse Kramer

ARK Group

(Acts of Random Kindness)

This wonderful group is available to those who may have a need in our faith community. It maintains a list of individuals willing to provide meals, rides, etc. for you on an as-needed basis. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Gretchen Yealey or Claudia (331-1960). If you have a need for some help or know of someone who does, please let Claudia know! Volunteers are waiting!!

Women’s Caring/Sharing Circle

Are you feeling the need for an intimate space to share spiritual and/or prayer concerns within the church? This circle welcomes you to explore faith issues and personal concerns in an informal sacred space. We meet once every three weeks at a circle member’s home. If interested, please call Cathy Clasper-Torch at 272-3942 or Claudia Demick at 331-1960.

20′s / 30′s

Laser Tag and Black light Mini-Golf

Join us on Friday, April 8 for Laser Tag and black-lit mini-golf. Meet at Central at 8PM to carpool. Contact Laura Kerber for more details.

The Bursting Pomegranate Shop

Spring Sale — Sunday, April 17

Stop by Chapel Hall after church on Palm Sunday to see the cheery Easter and spring items! All purchases support artisans & craftspeople in developing countries around the globe, a mission outreach of our Church.

A CELEBRATION OF SPRING BRUNCH

A Fundraising Event at Hamilton House

Sunday, April 10, 2011 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

$30 per person

Menu
Roast turkey, Baked Ham,
Seafood Newburg,
Cheddar Cheese Grits,
Assorted Egg Entrée’s
Home-made Apple Sausage Patties, Bacon, French Toast, Fresh Fruit Salad, Assorted Muffins, Breads & Sweets, Coffee, Tea, Juices
Mimosas & Bloody Marys

Special Guest – RORY RAVEN

Mentalist & Mindbender

The entire house will be open for seating.

Choose your favorite room & reserve a table.

Guests are welcome. Please call 831-1800 for tickets.

New Members

New Member Orientation*

Thursday, April 14

Faith Exploration*

Wednesday, April 27

New Member Sunday

May 1

*These meetings are held at the home of the Rev. Rebecca Spencer 15 Taber Ave at 7 pm.

Family Dance Party!

Saturday, April 16

4-7 p.m.

Come support our youth and dance the night away at our all-ages dance party in Chapel Hall! Enjoy delicious food cooked by our high school WORD Fellowship while Anna, aka “DJ Neon” spins your favorite tunes. Try your hand at karaoke, meet new friends in our family game room, or take a break from the party in our quiet conversation lounge. Have a favorite dance tune? Bring your labeled CD or tape or cue up your iPod for DJ Neon, and she’ll add your tune to the mix. Suggested donations of $5 for kids, $10 for adults, or $25 per family will go to support the WORD Fellowship summer mission trip to Chicago.

Book Group

Rebecca’s Noon Book Group meets next meets on Thursday, April 28 to discuss The Unforgiving Minute by Craig Mullaney. All are invited to join this lively group.

SHARING BRINGS JOY TO US. TO OTHERS. TO GOD.

Months have passed since the devastating floods in Pakistan. The loss remains incomprehensible. A 50-year-old widow from Punda Balla Village lost her husband in the quake and was living in a shelter with her son. The shelter has since been destroyed as half the land under it was washed away.

At the Immanuel Clinic a grandmother brought her 1-year-old granddaughter in and was seen by a Global Ministries Missionary. The child had been playing with a rooster, when it attacked her. Her face and head were scratched and needed stitches. The missionary had never stitched anyone’s face before, but prepared the child with Lidocaine. Just as she was ready to stitch a Clinic Nurse stepped in to help the grandmother hold the child.

Without the right nutrition the first two years of a child’s physical and mental development are compromised irreversibly. One child dies every 5 seconds from hunger related causes—16,000 children each day. Nearly one in four children in the US are at risk for hunger.

Joy and urgency propel the work of One Great Hour of Sharing. Central will receive the OGHS offering on Palm Sunday, April 17. Please give as generously as your means permit.

REFLECTIONS AND RESPONSE

A Lenten Mini-Retreat

Wednesday, April 6

6:00-8:30 p.m. in the Deacon’s Room

Immediately following the Lenten Service we will gather together for a quiet mini-retreat. At 6:00 we will enjoy a soup and bread supper as together we begin to explore our reflections and responses to Lent and Holy Week. After supper we will find a quiet place in the church to observe contemplative silence. At 8:15 we’ll gather together again for a time of sharing and prayer. Please R.S.V.P. to Claudia (331-1960).

ANGELLIC KNITTERS

Sunday, April 10

11:30-1:00 p.m. Deacon’s Room

Come join your knitting friends in the Deacon’s Room! Whether or not you knit, feel free to stop in and visit with Central’s knitters as we carry on this special ministry for church members and friends. Not only are Prayer Shawls knitted with prayers for the one who will receive it, but they are also prayerfully blessed by the group before they are given away. Interested in being part of this? Call Janice Libby or Claudia.

Feed a Hungry Youth Volunteer in Chicago!

This summer, youth volunteers from Central will travel to Chicago for a week-long mission trip. This year, we are responsible for providing our own food. How much do you figure it costs to feed one student for a week (21 meals)? $50? $100? $150? Don’t let a young person go hungry for the week! Donate as you are able—every little bit counts! Checks can be made payable to Central Congregational Church and left with Peg or Marilyn in the church office. Please note that your check is for the “Youth Trip” or “Youth Meals.”

Youth Group Wish List

The youth group is in the process of restoring their youth room! To help us keep the youth room clean and safe, we could really use…

2 dehumidifiers

Can you help us?

Paul

2:00 p.m. Sunday, April 10

The Gamm Theatre, Pawtucket, RI

Sign up today to join your friends at Central for a trip to the theater! We will attend a performance of the North American premiere of Paul “British playwright Howard Brenton’s intriguing secular take on the evolution of a belief was produced to acclaim and controversy” in London. After the performance plan to stay for a Pawtucket Humanities Talk Back Forum with a panel sponsored in part by the RI Council on the Humanities. Call Claudia, 331-1960 for more information. (Group tickets are $38; $28 for seniors and $15 for students).

RETREAT INTO READING

Monday, April 11

7:00-8:30 p.m. Hamilton House Parlor

This month we will discuss the second part (pp. 46 to the end) of Esther De Waal’s wonderful little book called To Pause at the Threshold: Reflections on Living on the Border. In this profound book de Waal looks at what it is like to live in “border country” on the thresholds between events in our lives. It “explores the importance of opening up and being receptive to one’s surroundings, whatever they may be.” Claudia has a few copies available to lend. Please call her with any questions at 331-1960.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Thursday, May 26

In May Food for Thought will discuss Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese’s extraordinary novel. So, start reading! Questions? Call Claudia (331-1960).

Have you Got Mission?

Be part of the numerous activities of the Mission & Action Committee. Spring Mission Day

Our next mission day will be Saturday April 30th from 9 a.m. until about noon. We expect to service Camp Street Ministries and Sojourner House. Please contact Beth Taylor if you are interested in volunteering at Camp Street or Debra Moorhead if you are interested in Sojourner House.

All of the organizations that we support are struggling financially to meet the growing demands of the hungry, impoverished and homeless in our Rhode Island community. Please remember the on-going collections at Central as you are cleaning out your closets or out shopping for basic needs. Also watch in February in church to hear about creative ways to contribute to mission!

Sandwich Brigade is Back!

April is Sandwich Brigade month at Central. Please join us on April 3rd and April 10th at 9 a.m. in the kitchen at Chapel Hall to assemble sandwiches. This month, however, we will be doing a new twist on Sandwich Brigade. For Palm Sunday (April 17th) and Easter Sunday (April 24th), we are asking individuals and families to bring sandwiches and food into Central to go towards the Sandwich Brigade. The proceeds saved will go back into our operating budget.

We need:

• 13 families/individuals to make 20 sandwiches each (instructions and ingredients to be provided)
• 8 families/individuals to each bring in 25 bananas, oranges or clementines
• 8 families/individuals to bring in either 25 boxes of raisins, boxes of fruit snacks or individual mini-packages (individual serving sizes) of Fig Newtons each

Please contact Tracy Baran for more information or if you are interested in signing up.

Camp Street Clothing Collection

Donate new or gently used clothing for the clothing closet at Camp Street Ministries. Drop off your donations at the large wooden box in the hallway in Chapel Hall. Email Beth Taylor for more information.

Don’t forget your weekly food donations, to be brought up to the front of the church during the first hymn. The amount of those living in hunger in Rhode Island is growing each day—Camp Street needs your donations more than ever!

Amos House Appeal for Toiletries

Amos House has a critical need for winter and toiletry items for its residents and walk-in guests.

Please consider donating:

• New or gently used blankets or sleeping bags
• New or gently used coats (no other clothes please)
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste (full size)
• Bars of soap (full size)
• Shampoo and conditioner (full size)
• Shaving cream
• Disposable razors (for men and women)
• Feminine hygiene products

Please drop off your donated items at 413 Friendship Street in Providence, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. You can also bring your donations to church. See Tracy Baran to coordinate drop-off/pick up.

Hands-on Opportunities

In addition to donations, the M&A committee provide numerous opportunities for involvement in our Mission projects throughout the year. Each Tuesday, members serve breakfast at Amos House from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. Contract Tracy Baran for more information.

On the first Saturday of each month, members serve with Habitat for Humanity for a half-day from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., no experience required. Contact Sandi Seltzer for more information. On the second Saturday of each month, members assist with the Mount Hope Learning Center cooking club from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Contact Janet Anderson for more information. Members participate in the Camp Street Neighborhood Ministries food distribution on the last Saturday of each month from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. Contact Beth Taylor  for more information.