Central News

April 2024  | Vol. 32 | No. 9

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A Good Word From Patrick

The Christian narrative is a simple, elegant illustration of the best and worst aspects of our life in community. The same God who set the rhythms of the universe and established the laws of nature meets us in our simple, small lives to push back against the popular narrative that you must be remarkable to be valuable. And, this simple message of God’s love for the unremarkable makes the remarkable feel threatened, so they use the power they’ve gained to dismantle the message and crucify the messenger.… [Read More]

Central News

February 2024 | Vol. 32, No. 8

Holy Week Begins March 24 – Come Worship With Us!

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A Good Word from Patrick

Hello, friends! I encourage you to pay attention today. Notice the way your body responds to boredom or anxiety. Notice how your body responds when you drive through traffic or relax into your bed. Notice how your breath changes as you settle into a project you love or begin something you’ve been dreading. Notice. Pay attention.

So much of our lives happens automatically.… [Read More]

Central News

January 2024 | Vol. 32, No. 5

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A Good Word from Patrick

This year, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day. Both of these days, separate from one another, are worth exploring. Together, they highlight a beautiful tension in our lives – the pursuit of love, joy, and connection, and the reminder that our lives and the foundations we build them on are fleeting.

Valentine’s Day, as we know it, has a complicated and mysterious history.… [Read More]

Central News

January 2024 –  Vol. 32, No. 5

Happy New Year!

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From Your New Senior Minister!

Hello, friends! As I write this, I find myself surrounded by boxes in a small ranch-style house just outside of Atlanta, GA. Earlier today, I introduced the incoming pastor to North Decatur United Methodist Church to the staff. Afterward, I spent most of the day assembling boxes, filling them with books, and strategically stacking them to create some semblance of order.… [Read More]

Central News

December 2023 Vol. 32, No. 4

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From Rebecca

Dear members and friends, I begin and end with Thanksgiving. Thanks for each of you with whom I have celebrated the joys of life, shared in its sorrows and remembered its hope. Thanks for this remarkable place called Central, which, as Tom and Ezra reminded us on November 19, has always been an exceptional congregation, offering a sense of belonging to all. This church has always been ready to explore what it means to be a faithful Christian, what it means to truly live in and through the promises of Jesus’ Gospel.… [Read More]

Central News

October 2023 Vol. 32, No. 2

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From Rebecca

Dear friends, One of the many gifts that Centralites share is sending your senior minister book ideas, poetry, newspaper and magazine articles and essays, clippings, and cartoons that you have found meaningful. (Just so you know, I keep most of these, which makes clearing out my desk drawers ever harder!). Not only do I appreciate these gifts in and of themselves, but they are also valuable as I learn new insights and perspectives that are important to you!… [Read More]

Central News

Aug 2023 Vol. 31, No. 11

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From Rebecca

Dear Centralites and friends, I hope your summertime has been filled with love and grace abounding. As I have been weeding and tending cows, I’ve been listening to podcasts of the presidential candidates … as many as I can find!

While there are many with mixed feelings about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., most of us can relate to his feelings of loss, when we share that question of why do bad things happen to good people if there is a God who cares about each and every one of us.… [Read More]

Central News

June / July 2023   Vol. 31, No. 10

Summer Worship Begins June 18 at 10 am!

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From Rebecca

Dear Friends, “If the world has not approached its end, it has reached a major watershed in history, equal in importance to the turn from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. It will demand from us a spiritual blaze: we shall have to rise to a new height of vision, to a new level of life where our physical nature will not be cursed as in the Middle Ages, but even more importantly, our spiritual being will not be trampled upon as in the Modern Era.”… [Read More]