Dec. 09 Newsletter
CentralNEWS/December2009
VOLUME 17 NUMBER 11 296 Angell Street Providence, RI 02906 401-331-1960
From Your Senior Minister
Dear Friends,
I write this on November 23. Yesterday the boys and I were driving home and we noticed all of the lights that people were putting up – already, on November 22. I said, predictably, “Wow, I can’t believe people are putting up lights already. It isn’t even the first day of Advent.” After a moment or so, Ezra said, thoughtfully, “I guess they really love Jesus.” Maybe you had to be in the car at the time, but it struck us so funny as we kept driving by snow globes and reindeer and trees, to think of the families stringing up the lights and the elaborate decorations, doing this to signify their love for Jesus. And then there was a jolly Santa Claus on a very small front porch all outlined in brilliant red and white lights, and I thought, you know, maybe we should not be so quick to think negatively about the whole jumping the holiday syndrome.
Maybe Jesus would find a way to turn this impulse we have to light up the dark night into something profound. Maybe it is up to those of us who are a bit more effusive about our love for Jesus to find a way to include those who may not be as aware as we are. After all, “He is the reason for the season.”
So, my note to myself and to you, my friends, for this last week before Advent begins, is that we redouble our efforts to love Jesus and to find ways to include others in that love. And every time I pass by a house that is gaily decorated, whether with blinking electric giant candy canes or a simple wreath on the door, I am saying a silent prayer that God’s love may enfold all who live therein.
Yours, in the spirit of a hopeful, expectant Advent,
Rebecca
Christmas at Central
Sunday, December 6 11:30 am – 2 pm
- The Lunch Room
- Grandma’s Attic
- Ye Old Bookcellar
- Toy & Sports Treasure Box
- Sweet Shoppe
- Gift Baskets
- Craft Workshop
- The Gallery
- Bursting Pomegranate
- Wreaths by WORD
- Local Artists & Vendors
Prayers For…
Our prayers and sympathy are with the family and friends of Sarah “Sally” Bosworth who died November 19, 2009.
A Memorial Service will be held soon.
May God’s comfort surround all those who mourn.
New Members
New Member Orientation*
Tuesday, January 26
Faith Exploration*
Wednesday, February 3
New Member Sunday
February 7
*These meetings are held at 7pm at the home of The Rev. Rebecca Spencer, 15 Taber Ave.
CAROL SERVICE
We will send out postcards in early December to remind everyone of the Carol Service on Sunday, December 20, at 4 p.m.
In addition, we will provide stamped postcards for you to invite family and friends as well! Look for members of the choir and Music Committee in Chapel Hall during coffee hour for yours.
ADVENT SERVICES
Wednesday, December 2nd, 9th, 16th
5:30 – 6:00 pm
These midweek services provide an opportunity to center and receive the gifts and blessings of Advent. It is a wonderful time to come for quiet and restoring of your soul during this busy time. These services are especially for those who seek God’s healing presence at this time of year. Please invite your friends to the quiet meditation of Advent.
BAPTISM
The Sacrament of Baptism will be celebrated on Sunday, January 31. A pastor/parent meeting will be held at 9 am on Saturday, January 23 in the Fireplace Room.
Please call The Rev. Rebecca Spencer, 331-1960, if you wish to participate in this Baptism.
From Kat
“Santa in the Manger”
When I lived in Tokyo as a child, my mother regularly prepared the communion bread for our services at Tokyo Union Church. She often took the bread left over from the services and fed our neighborhood pigeons—“They’ll be flying high today,” she’d say, laughing.
I have many fond memories of sharing church with my family in Japan, and the Sacrament of communion and our goofy tradition of feeding the birds was only one of the ways our family found comfort in an unfamiliar place through participation in the church.
Although many of us were born in the United States, as Christians, we are still outsiders in many ways. As the holidays begin to ramp up, the secular Christmas frenzy often comes into conflict with the quiet and thoughtful preparation we do during Advent.
In Psalm 137, the Israelites in Babylon lament, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” How can we experience our connections to God and each other in a time that is so full of the false promises of false idols, be they the lie that Christmas means “we’ll all get along,” the lie that our children will love us more if we get them the perfect gift, or the lie that Christmas means we will all be as shiny and happy as the ornaments on our trees.
I remember entering one store in Tokyo at Christmas time and being shocked to find a nativity set with Santa in the manger. What a fitting metaphor for the mixed messages we receive around Christmas time! Ours is not a faith that ignores the secular world; however, as Christians, we are called to testify to much deeper and greater reality than the secular Christmas can offer us.
Give yourself the gift coming to the 5:30PM services during the three Wednesdays of Advent this year. In contrast with the secular holiday season full of noise and blinking lights, our Advent services are quiet and candle-lit. Come at least once and experience the comfort of being with this family of faith as we meditate and reflect on our longing for God’s presence.
In love,
Kat
20’s & 30’s HOLY-DAY Party
Friday, December 11 6:30 pm
If you’re in your 20’s & 30’s (or feel like you are!), you and your family are invited to the Parsonage at 24 Diman Place for an evening of food and fellowship. Kat’ s husband will be smoking meat (and cooking veggie options as well). If you haven’t tried Royce’s BBQ yet, that alone is a reason to join us! Please bring a favorite side dish, dessert, or drink to share. Friends are welcome!
From Claudia
By the time you read this, Advent will have begun. Preparations will already be beginning at church as we celebrate this season of reflection and anticipation. Our little ones are hard at work on the pageant, the colors of the paraments and the clergy’s stoles have switched to purple, and the choir is hard at work rehearsing for this season. Everything seems under control. But is it really?
This waiting for God is a messier business than we often like to admit. Just ask any of the Hebrew prophets. Just ask Joseph…or Mary… Like the unexpected timing of birth itself, God rarely comes in the way we expect. And, like the prophets and peoples of old we wait—and in wonder we hope.
Eugene Peterson reminds us that “Wonder is the only adequate launching pad for exploring this fullness, this wholeness of human life. Once a year, each Christmas, for a few days at least, we and millions of our neighbors turn aside from our preoccupations with life reduced to biology or economics or psychology and join together in a community of wonder. The wonder keeps us open-eyed, expectant, alive to life that is always more than we can account for, that always exceeds our calculations, that is always beyond anything we can make.”
And so it is that we once again enter into this season of wonder that Christ comes again and again. When we sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” may we be a community filled with wonder as we remember that Emmanuel means “God with us.” God is with us all the days of our lives. God breaks into our lives even now—in 2009… in all the messiness of our lives. But isn’t that just like God? In wonder and in joy we approach a humble, darkened stable and there we find the Light of the world!
Wonderingly yours,
Claudia
GOD WITH US
An Advent Mini-Retreat
Wednesday, December 9th
6:00-8:30 p.m. in the Deacon’s Room
Immediately following the Advent Service we will gather together for a quiet retreat. At 6:00 we will enjoy a homemade soup and bread supper as together we begin to explore the meaning of God with us. After supper we will find a quiet place in the church to observe silence in order to contemplate this mystery. At 8:15 we’ll gather together again for a time of sharing and prayer. Please R.S.V.P. to Claudia (331-1960).
BOOK GROUP
Rebecca’s Noon Book Group meets on Thursday, December 10 to discuss The River of Doubt by Candice Millard.
MUSIC AT CENTRAL
Carol Service
We present our annual Carol Service on Sunday, December 20 at 4 p.m., followed by a Silver Tea in Chapel Hall.
Once again, we present the story of the birth of Christ in scripture and song beginning with the creation story in the Garden of Eden. Passages of scripture find an echo in the familiar Christmas congregational carols and anthems sung by both our choirs, and accompanied by organ, harp, and cello.
Following “Oh Holy Night” & concluding prayers, the choir begins a candlelight procession to the Chancel as we sing “Silent Night.” The service concludes with the instrumental “Sleep of the Infant Jesus” with harp and cello.
This beautiful service offers a chance to retreat from the “holiday” hustle and bustle to peacefully reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Bring your family and friends to share this lovely tradition!
WORD Fellowship 9-12th Graders
Saturday, December 5 6:30-8:00 pm
WORD Fellowship & 8th graders interested in participating in the 2010 Mission Trip
Come decorate living wreaths to be sold the following day at Christmas at Central. This is a big fundraiser for our summer mission trip, and we can use your hands and your creativity! Pizza and drinks will be provided.
Thayer St. Rendezvous
Sunday, December 6 6:30 pm
Enjoy some pizza and begin the conversation about the Christmas Eve service we’ll lead. This is a KEY event. Don’t miss it!
Thrifty Bowl!
(Cosmic Bowling & Vintage Awesomeness)
Saturday, December 12 7 – 9 pm
We’ll meet at Salvation Army and see who can find the most awesome/ridiculous outfit or accessories for the least amount of money. Sporting our new looks, we’ll travel to East Providence Lanes for a game of Cosmic Bowling.
Friday, December 18 4 p m
Christmas Extravaganza!
Shopping for our adopted family, wrapping gifts, and watching “Charlie Brown’s Christmas”.
NEOS 6th – 8th Grades
Saturday, December 19 4-6 pm
Parent Free Last Minute Christmas Shopping
Join us for gift-making as well as last minute shopping at affordable spots around the city.
CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS
“Sacred infant, all divine,
What a tender love was Thine;
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this.”
–from hymn/carol “See Amid the Winter’s Snow”
In this part of our journey through the church ‘seasons’ we wait and anticipate the coming of Light amid the darkness of our days and our times; the very incarnation of God, entering into “such a world as this.” We light the Advent candles each week to represent the spirit of our ‘pregnant waiting’: the candle of HOPE; the candle of PEACE; the candle of JOY; the candle of LOVE.
As we light the candles, at home or at church, it is important to take time to reflect on the significance of each candle. One way to deepen our understanding and appreciation is to look at them in contrast. When you light the candle of hope, think about places of despair–in your own life or in the world. Then light the candle. Suddenly it is brighter and has a richer meaning! And the same profundity will happen for Peace, Joy, and Love.
May Advent be a rich season for you and your family, and may the Light shine in our darkness!!
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Sunday, Nov. 29th: the first Sunday in Advent; the first Sunday of Pageant practice during Church School for grades 2nd – 5th. Junior Highs do ‘choosings’ or remain in worship. Remember to take a ‘name tag’ from our ANGEL GIFT TREE in Chapel Hall!
Sunday, Dec. 6th: Continued Pageant practice during Church School. Also, please support “Christmas at Central” (directly after church) and do some Christmas shopping!
Sunday, Dec. 13th: Continued Pageant practice, includes GABRIEL’S GANG pre-schoolers, and K – 1st graders. After worship, please stay for TREE DECORATING and CRAFT-MAKING, followed by ADVENT CAROLING! Please BRING BACK YOUR ANGEL GIFT TREE GIFT THIS SUNDAY!
SATURDAY, Dec. 19th: 10:30 a.m. DRESS REHEARSAL FOR PAGEANT. Meet in Chapel Hall to get your costume first. We will run throught the play twice, and be done around noonish. Parents of children in GABRIEL’S GANG (our ‘angels’ in the Pageant!) and SHEPHERDS/PROPHETS (our shepherds and animals in the Pageant!), and STARGAZERS (2nd grade, more Shepherds, etc.) must stay for dress rehearsal.
SUNDAY, DEC. 20th: 9:15 final Pageant run-through before 10:30 worship.
CHURCH SCHOOL resumes on Sunday, Jan. 10th, 2010!!
Blessings and Joy,
Cathy Clasper Torch, Religious Education Dr.
From the Deacons’ Bench
The holiday season is in full swing. We have enjoyed ourselves, eating and doing all the family Thanksgiving favorites and traditions. Some old ones, some new. We are now into the season of giving; which means running around to find the perfect gift, tree, or place to enjoy the day our Lord was born. For me it’s the time of year when the adrenaline kicks in because I have no clue what to give my loved ones on December 25th. Each year I say I am not going to get stressed out. However, we all we know we do.
This year I have decided to give something far more precious and much less expensive. An item that can’t be bought at the mall or on the Internet… I am going to give my family more of my time. In the past, I have not been very good at giving this (my partner can certainly attest to that). It seems that we, as people, are more than ever involved in many activities, different groups and organizations. Not to mention our kids are in so many extracurricular activities that we sometimes go days without being together as a family unit.
So, I put some challenges out to every one; instead of or in addition to buying material things, this year, give the gift of TIME. Second challenge. . .
Make an effort to make it a very special holiday season for someone you know who is less fortunate. Take an extra few minutes to talk to someone who seems down, asking them “What can I do to make your load a little bit lighter?” You may find that just having someone to listen to them is all that’s needed.
Another way to make this holiday a very special one is to invite someone who may not have family in the area to spend Christmas with you and yours. Even better, invite them to join you for the Carol Service or to come to one of Central’s Christmas Eve services.
Whatever you do this holiday season, make it one that your family will remember and cherish throughout the coming year.
Happy Holidays and Peace to All,
-Larry Kellam
Knitting Group
Sunday, December 13th
12:00-1:30 p.m. Deacon’s Room
Make new friends and visit with older friends at Central as we chat over our needles! Whether you are a beginner or an experienced knitter relax with us and learn something new or share your knowledge. Don’t know how to knit? That’s okay! We’ll teach you! Questions? Call Janice Libby or Claudia
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Trinity Repertory Theater,
Friday December 11th 7:30 p.m.
Join your friends at Central for a production of that perennial holiday favorite featuring Central’s own Benjamin Thornton as Tiny Tim! Cost is $43 for adults, $10 for children and youth 14 years of age and under. Questions? Call Claudia.
Central Delegates Attend Conference
More than 80 delegates and clergy from the Rhode Island Conference of the United Church of Christ met at the Four Corners Community Church in Cumberland on a very rainy Saturday in November for the Conference’s 2009 Autumnal Meeting, one of two held each year.
With the theme of “Going Green, with Gratitude”, the meeting opened with a worship service. Following the service, an informative presentation was given by Dr. Ray Frackelton, a member of Newman Congregational Church, and Chair of the RI Interfaith Power and Light. He discussed the potentially serious impacts of global warming and offered several ways of reducing the carbon footprints of individuals, families, and churches. In the small group discussions that followed, it was apparent that while Central needs to go further, much of what we have already accomplished through our Green Committee places us ahead of many other churches.
Later there were brief presentations on topics from last summer’s General Synod meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Among those topics were Global Mission Churches, and the benefits and value of being a Global Mission Church, presented by Central’s Mary Hazeltine.
Conference Minster, the Rev. Chuck Barnes, reminded delegates that, in every way, “The UCC is not them, but it is us!” Too often, he suggested, local church folks think the denomination offices and programs are distant and not related to our local church concerns. No, he insisted, “The UCC is not them, but it is us!”
After lunch, in a regular business meeting, the delegates unaimously approved a Conference operating budget for the coming year, reflecting challenging economic times.
Meeting attendees are made up of delegates, clergy and visitors from all of the churches in the Conference. Those from Central at this meeting included Frances & Gardner Munro, Mary Hazeltine, John Peters, Lora Spalt, James deBoer, Rev. Townes & Rev. Demick.
-reported by John Peters
COOKIE SWAP
Thursday December 17th
6:30 p.m. in Chapel Hall
Come and enjoy a fun way to cut down on the amount of baking you need to do and to socialize with your friends at Central at the same time! Simply bake 6 dozen of one type of cookie (no brownies or bar cookies, please) and bring the cookies and the recipe to Chapel Hall. We’ll swap cookies so that everyone goes home with a delicious variety of treats! Don’t forget to bring a platter or container to bring your swapped treats home! Questions? Call Claudia.
Making a difference…
It is likely that few of you know me by face and still less by name; nonetheless, it is with much gratitude that I write to you now. I attended services at Central from January 2006 through August 2009, sometimes sporadically, sometimes every week.
When I matriculated to Brown in September 2005, I was eight months removed from the suicide of a close friend. My first months at Brown were difficult. Grappling with my friend’s death, in conjunction with a transition to a new city, a new school, and new friends, proved at times to be incapacitating. A few weeks prior to my return to Providence for my second semester, a return itself in doubt due to my fragile state of mind, my elder sister suffered a life threatening car accident that left her with a broken hip and a traumatic brain injury from which she has now largely, but not entirely recovered. It need not be said that when I did return to Brown in January 2006, I was in desperate need of a place in which I could feel at home, in which I could reflect, meditate and search for peace. I found such a place for an hour every Sunday morning at Central Congregational Church.
In the services, the music, the architecture, the sermons and the people of Central I found what I needed. Members of Central, seeing an unfamiliar face, would on occasion introduce themselves to me and invite me to stay for coffee hour after the service, and even though I never did make it to coffee hour, I felt warmly welcomed and deeply connected to Central. The kind, never pushy invitations let me know that this was a community that embraced me at whatever level of participation I chose.
I think far too often good deeds are done without the doer ever knowing what kindness and what differences they have wrought in the lives of others. Simply by being there, simply by being who you are, the community of Central gave me a place of contemplation and peace when I needed it most and when nothing else could.
This May, my departmental graduation ceremony was held in Central. I was pleased to be able to graduate within the halls of a community that had contributed so fundamentally to making my years at Brown as wonderful and formative as they were.
With gratitude and a sincere wish for the continued well-being of Central Congregational Church,
-David Fristof
Volunteers Needed!
For the past few months we have had just one or two volunteers helping with our monthly newsletter. Since we mail over 400 newsletters each month, the task of folding and inserting takes over 4 hours for our two volunteers.
We assemble the newsletter at the end of each month on Monday or Tuesday mornings and /or afternoons. If you can spare some time, please call the church office. More hands will shorten our task time! If you want to GO GREEN and receive this newsletter by email instead of US mail contact us at cccangell@centralchurch.us and we’ll sign you up or go to www.centralchurch.us and sign yourself up!
We need your help! Thanks.
Tree Trimming at Central
On Sunday, December 13, immediately following the church service, please stay and help us trim Central’s Christmas Tree.
There will be Christmas carols, crafts (stringing popcorn, decorating cookies, and more) and a light lunch. Please bring an ornament, so your family can be represented on the Central family Christmas Tree. Don’t miss what we hope will become an annual holiday tradition! At 2pm, all are invited to go caroling to our shut-ins.
Adopt a Pipe
To support the Organ Restoration Fund / Capital Campaign, the Music Committee invites you to adopt one of the 3,456 pipes that make up our historic Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. When you Adopt a Pipe – priced from $5 to $50 (with special $1 pipes just for kids) – you’ll receive a Christmas ornament – personalized with your name and the name of the pipe – to hang on Central’s Christmas Tree. For $100 donations, we have personalized pipe organ banners that will hang from the balcony behind the tree. To Adopt a Pipe, please visit the Music Committee’s table during coffee hour or call the church office.
Bursting Pomegranate Sale Dates
The Bursting Pomegranate Shop sells Fair Trade gifts and crafts from artisans in developing countries around the world, a mission outreach program of our church.
The Shop will be open in Chapel Hall after church on three Sundays this month:
- December 6 – “Christmas at Central”
- December 13
- December 20
Unusual gifts that do good for the world – come browse and buy!
Smile and Say ‘Central;
Participate in the new Church Photo Directory!
The Membership Committee is coordinating preparation of a new Church photo directory in early 2010 and needs a few volunteers to help with the work. If you would like to participate in this important activity, please contact Paul Barlow (334-8363; paul.barlow23@yahoo.com). Our first meeting will be in early December.
Are you a Greenie?
As Christians, we have an obligation to be good stewards of the gift of the earth and its resources. Do you have a passion for a particular green challenge or experience with a particular solution? If so, we’d like to hear from you and let your experience be our guide. Contact Rebecca, Claudia, or Kat.
Support for Vets
Central will receive the offering for the Christmas fund for veterans of the cross & the emergency fund during our Christmas Eve services.
CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON FOR THE BLIND
Thursday, December 3rd.
Central provides the December activity in cooperation with INSIGHT, an agency which helps visually impaired persons develop skills to make living with limited vision easier. We need volunteers to act as greeters, coatroom attendants, and luncheon servers (9:00am-3:00pm). Sign-up sheets are available in Chapel Hall during Sunday’s Coffee Fellowship and in the church office during the week or you may call Marilyn Edwards, 751-2763.
The Angel Tree
The Angel Tree is up in Chapel Hall! This is our chance to brighten a child’s or teen’s holiday by selecting a tag with the child’s name, age, sex and purchasing a gift for him or her.
Please wrap the gift in traditional Christmas wrap and indicate the contents on the back of the name tag. Attach the name tag SECURELY on the package and deliver it to the church by Sunday, December 13. These gifts will be distributed by Christmas. Please call Cathy Clasper-Torch with questions.
Cub
SCOUT
Christmas
T r e e S a l e
Friday Saturday Sunday
December 4 December 5 December 6
5 pm-9 pm 10 am-6 pm 11:30 am-5:30 pm
ALL SIZES OF BEAUTIFUL TREES
At
CENTRAL
Congregational
CHURCH
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
January 28th, 7:00-8:30 p.m. location TBD
This month Food for Thought will be discussing “The Seven Deadly Sins Sampler”. This collection of short stories by the likes of D.H. Lawrence, Flannery O’Connor, Margaret Atwood, Anton Chekhov, and others offers an interesting way to delve into the foibles of humanity and the moral implications of those foibles. A compelling read…
NEW MEMBERS
Please join us in welcoming our new members into our church family.
Omay & Gwen Elphick
Pawtucket, RI 02860
Omay is a regional sales manager for the alternative energy company, Alteris, and Gwen is a research scientist in immunology and teaches online classes for the State University of New York. They joined Central because the open, welcoming atmosphere supports their exploration and relationship with God. They have two children. Ian is 5 and Jocelyn is 2.
Dawn Hogan
Cranston, RI 02905
Dawn joins with her husband, Joseph Hogan. They are the parents of 3 young sons, Jack, Luke, and Patrick.
David Kim & Diane Hoffman-Kim
Providence, RI 02906
Diane is an associate professor of medical science at Brown and David is an associate professor of religious studies at Connecticut College. They enjoy music, singing, reading and having fun with their sons, Noah & Josiah. Diane is interested in lay reading and mission outreach.
S. Kathryn Townes
24 Diman Place
Providence, RI 02906
Kat is our new associate minister of Youth and Mission. She moved from CA with her husband, Royce, and two wonderful children, Royce and Madison. She is a Bible enthusiast and loves putting sacred texts into dialogue with daily living. She enjoys rock climbing, being outdoors, doing outreach, and working with Central’s youth groups.
Women of CCC
A time away for relaxation and renewal!!
Our annual retreat will take place February 5 – 7, 2010 on the bucolic grounds of St. Benedict Abbey in Still River, MA (just an hour from Providence). The cost is $165 for six meals, your own room and all materials. Our theme for the weekend is KEEPING IN TOUCH—with self, others, and God.
No cooking, planning, appointments, or deadlines for an entire week end! Just come, and find nourishment for the body, mind and soul.
Payment is due Jan. 11th (and fully refundable if you cancel by Jan. 25th). If cost is an issue, there are reduced payment possibilities available. To add your name to the list (or with any questions) contacts Gwen Kangis at gwen.plato@cox.net or 274-5253.
STEWARDSHIP UPDATE
Pledges to date $428,000
Pledge goal $432,000
Thank you to all who pledged your financial support for the work of Central Church. If you haven’t yet contributed, please join in.
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