June ’10 Newsletter
CentralNEWS/June 2010
VOLUME 18 NUMBER 6
296 Angell Street Providence, RI 02906 401-331-1960
From Your Senior Minister
Dear Friends,
Don’t we all have to do lists, and especially for the summer time? Summer brings us such a different pace, and I always make far more lists than I could ever accomplish. I want to get the vegetables planted, and then keep them weeded. Put a net over the blueberries so the birds don’t get them…weed the perennials… move some lilies…and weed some more. But I also hope to have uninterrupted time to read… weeding and reading…hmmm.
I thought it would be fun to share my summer reading list with you all. If you have ideas you would like to add, please feel free to do so. Please read some of my choices along with me if you wish. I would love to share them with you.
Here are my first choices.
Bonhoeffer, Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas.
Many of you are aware of my deep respect for Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This new biography promises new perceptions of how his work and faith intertwined in his life.
Imperfect Birds by Ann Lamott
I love just about anything she writes – from faith to the art of writing to living with teenagers!
Cradle of Gold – Hiram Bingham and the Search for Machu Picchu by Christopher Heaney.
Someday I want to go to Machu Picchu, so at least I will have learned about it a little beforehand.
Christianity, the First 3000 Years by Diarmaid MacCollough
A friend recommended this history to me. It is a thick book, but he assured me well written. We shall see.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
I just liked the reviews for this novel. I think it is a book that you feel that you SHOULD read.
Empire of Liberty by Gordon Wood
I think Jean Edwards suggested this Brown author for our noon book group for the last Thursday of September. Join us!
So there you have it. I have high expectations for my summer reading. I hope I don’t have to write an article for the September newsletter about packing up all these wonderful books, without having read them! And I hope that I can share my thoughts about them with you in the weeks to come!
So I will be reading and weeding this summer. Let’s hope for a good garden without a lot of weeds, and certainly for some good book time. Do share your hopes and dreams with me for your versions of summer reading and weeding.
Our prayers and sympathy are with
…The family and friends of Eunice B. Claflin who died on May 13, 2010.
A Memorial Service was held at Central Congregational Church on May 24, 2010.
May God’s comfort surround all those who mourn.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Adeline Manera who died on May 14.
Don MacIntosh His sister passed away on April 25 in Nova Scotia.
New Member Orientation*
Tuesday, October 26
Faith Exploration*
Wednesday, November 3
New Member Sunday
November 7
*These meetings are held At the home of The Rev. Rebecca Spencer 15 Taber Avenue at 7 p.m.
Stewardship Update
To date, pledges totaling 92% of our goal have been received. We thank those who have pledged and encourage those who have not to please do so as soon as possible.
Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism is an important part of our worship life together. In an effort to uplift our celebration of Baptisms in our community of faith, we will be offering Baptisms during the following Sundays of the church year.
- Children’s Sabbath October 17, 2010
- Sunday after Epiphany January 9, 2011
- Sunday after Easter May 1, 2011
Meetings to prepare parents for Baptism will be 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.
From Kat
Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting is the way. Generosity begets generosity – Luke 6:38
On June 27, a generous group of leaders and students will drop their “nets” and follow Christ to Philadelphia. Our commissioned leaders for the trip will include new member and contractor John Cronin, teacher and mission trip veteran Amy Frazer, recent college graduate Karen Hopkinson, returning trip leader and Deacon Larry Kellam, and outdoor survival pro and returning leader Jack Schemp. These dedicated volunteers will take a week away from work, school, and family and dedicate their bodies, time, finances, (and patience!) to a week of work in service to our community. These five disciples will model Christian service for the church’s future leaders by stepping into the roles of parent, colleague, crew leader, spiritual advisor, and mentor. Our commissioned student volunteers will include Emily Fitts, Ben Frazer, Jordan Grimes, Tori Lee, Janie Lupica, Will Lupica, Tom Rice, Anna Tanalski, Aaron Selzer, Samantha Viall, Emily Welt, and Jia Wessen.
GOD CALLS ALL OF US:
TO BE GENEROUS
God’s own generosity is visible throughout Scripture, particularly in the life and death of Jesus himself. The one miracle apart from the resurrection that appears in all four Gospels is an act of both hospitality and generosity; the feeding of the 5000 (Mt 14, Mk 6, Lk 9, and Jn 6). God also calls us to be generous, and there are so many ways to give! Jesus’ own disciples dropped their nets and followed him. The Good Samaritan selflessly reached out to a neighbor in need. Jesus also lifted up the woman at Bethany who anointed him with expensive perfume and Mary, who sat at his feet and listened to his stories.
BE A MISSION TRIP SPONSOR!
There is still time to sponsor a young person for the 2010 trip! Inspired by the feeding of the 5000? A $100 gift will feed one of our youth for the entire week! Aspiring to be a good Samaritan? A $150 gift will provide a student with a bed and roof over his or her head, welcome accommodations after a hard day’s work. Give $250 or more, and you will not only feed and house a child, but you will also provide transportation for them to and from our work sites.
We also need people to sign up to pray for our team. We are hoping to have at least one person signed up to pray for us each hour we’re working in Philadelphia. Please visit our bulletin board in Chapel Hall and sign up!
In gratitude,
Kat
From Claudia
June is a month full of celebrations of endings and beginnings. For younger children and youth, the ending of one grade level means the anticipation of beginning another level. In addition, all across our cities and towns there is the excitement of older students who are heading out into the world with brand new degrees. Of course, in these days their excitement is tempered by the reality of the current job market.
In my own family our son’s graduation from college is cause for celebration. He has been a student for most of his life. That is now ending as he begins a new life altogether—a life quite different from what he’s known for so long.
In May I had the privilege of being asked to be the presiding clergyperson at Johnson and Wales University’s graduate school commencement. As I wrote the prayers for that milestone of beginning and ending in the lives of those graduates, I thought about the role that our faith—or even our lack of faith—has in the lives of those who encounter such endings and beginnings. Those times are certainly cause for celebration, which almost as certainly is tempered by trepidation! Let’s face it, the world can be an inhospitable place at times and even those who are academically prepared may face immense challenges professionally and personally! Faith plays such an important role in how we approach uncertainty.
I thought about my own faith, and as I did the familiar and comforting words of the Gospel of John came to me. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Christ is there in our beginnings and He is with us in the endings as well. No matter what happens in the in-between times, as Christians we have the hope that comes with knowing that Christ is with us—from beginning to end! Now, THAT is indeed cause for great celebration!!
Yours in celebration and in faith,
Claudia
Everyone is invited to our all church picnic
Our annual picnic will be held on the West lawn after worship on Sunday, June13
Please bring a salad or dessert to share and a few dollars for the grill food provided
CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS
Greetings, Church School families!
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
– Acts of the Apostles, 2:1-4
PENTECOST, our last SEASON of the Church School year, comes as the Great 50 Days of Easter ends. In chapter 2 of the book of “Acts”, we read about the followers of Jesus gathering on a Jewish feast day, called Pentecost, and they “received from God the gift of the Holy Spirit, promised to them by Jesus.” We wear RED to symbolize the “tongues of FIRE” and read the scripture in many languages, to show that God’s Holy Spirit transcends language and barriers of all kinds–Jesus’ teachings are inclusive of all peoples and nations.
We have had a great year up in the Church School wing, and it’s sad to see it wind down, along with kids graduating, teachers heading off to college or new work. We give special RECOGNITION and THANKS to:
–Laura Frazer, for 10 YEARS of loving care amongst our youngest (infants, waddlers and toddlers) on Sunday mornings in the Cherub room! Laura is ‘retiring’ after all these years, and we shall miss her more than words can express!
–Emma Cotter, our wonderful Word Fellowshipper and teacher in Church School for 4 years, is graduating from La Salle Academy and heading to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend Case Western Reserve, where she will study engineering! (Can you figure out how to clone yourself, Emma?!!)
–Thanks to all the children who gave offering each week–we raised $678 for Heifer International!!! (Our biggest gift yet!)
–And THANKS TO ALL THE TEACHERS for whom we could not have a Church School program without their care, creativity, wisdom and commitment. The Religious Education Committee is having their annual Teacher Appreciation Potluck/Grill at the Richardson’s house, June 17th, in Jamestown (save the date!)
Blessings of the Holy Spirit upon you!
Cathy Clasper-Torch
Director of Christian Education
MUSIC AT CENTRAL
Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo
On Sunday, June 13 in our morning worship service, our Children’s Choir presents its annual musical featuring the story of Noah’s Ark! Composer and librettists Michael Flanders and Jospeh Horovitz have written this clever musical which tells the familiar story using toe-tapping tunes you’ll leave the church singing.
Our Children’s Choir has been hard at work learning the music since Easter, and we hope you will join us in learning a few lessons from Noah, his family, and the animals!
Musicians Wanted!
During the summer we like to include singers and instrumentalists to provide special music at worship. If you sing or play an instrument at an intermediate level or better, please consider sharing and offering your talent!
You can sing or play solo either accompanied or not, or you might want to perform with others as a duet or trio, or even a small ensemble. Please contact Patrick to let him know you’re interested!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT BOOK GROUP
SUMMER READING!
June 24, July 29, & August 26
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Remember the days of summer reading for school? Come and read with us, and we promise there will be no book “reports” due! Instead there will be wonderful conversation about a book with church friends and munchies…food for thought (and for our tummies!) If you have any questions please ask Claudia.
June 24 at Hamilton House
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
July 29 at Janet Anderson’s house
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
August 26 at Claudia Demick’s house
Making Rounds with Oscar:The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by Dr. David Dosa
Got Mission?
Save the Date!!
September 24, 2010
All-Church Service Day
SUMMER WORSHIP
June 20 through September 5 Summer Worship Services are at 10 A.M. In Wilson Chapel unless otherwise noted below.
JUNE (Church office closes at 4:00 P.M. this month)
20 Combined Worship Service at Community Church of Providence 372 Wayland Avenue 10:00 A.M.
27 Combined Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
JULY (Church office closes at 3:00 P.M. this month)
4 Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
11 Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
18 Combined Worship Service at Community Church of Providence 372 Wayland Avenue 10:00 A.M.
25 Combined Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:0 0 A.M.
AUGUST (Church office closes at 3:00 P.M. this month)
1 Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
8 Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
15 Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
22 Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
29 Worship Service at Central Congregational Church, UCC 10:00 A.M.
SEPTEMBER
5 Worship Service at Prospect Park 10:00 A.M.
GATHERING SUNDAY September 12 10:30 am worship service The Rev. Rebecca Spencer preaching
BLOOD DRIVE
Sunday, June 13 10 am – 1 pm
Fireplace Room
RI Blood Center
www.ribc.org
We will be updating our membership directory this summer, please let us know by June 30 of any changes to your mailing address, email, or phone #.
CCC Carousel Sunday is back!
Crescent Park Carousel Outing
700 Bullocks Point Avenue
Riverside, RI
Sunday, July 11 at 12:00 noon
Meet at the carousel at 12:00 noon and go for a ride! We had such a good time last year that we agreed that this should be an annual event! The Blount Clam Shack will be open for lunch (cash only) and there are picnic tables to share, as well as the incredible Looff Carousel, a National Historic Landmark!
This carousel was built in 1895 by the famous designer, Charles Looff, as a showcase of his work. Whether you ride or watch, it is a piece of Americana and a wonderful experience for ALL ages!
FAITH, FELLOWSHIP, AND FUN
A Central Church Retreat
for People of All Ages!
Friday through Sunday
September 17, 18, & 19
Looking for a bargain!? Then, look no further. Imagine spending a weekend on Cape Cod with all-inclusive food and lodging PLUS the company of friends from your own church! Imagine all this, with the chance to grow in your faith and experience refreshment and renewal.
Come alone or bring a friend or family member(s). Our Central Congregational Church retreat weekend is reserved at the beautiful Craigville Conference Center. All that is needed to make it complete is—YOU!!
Please let Claudia know if you are planning to attend this special retreat. Space is limited and we need to give the Conference Center a firm number.
Cost: $175 for adults, $135 for youths, children under 6 are free! (Price includes all meals and our lodging.)
Rebecca’s Noon Book Group . . .
For summer reading, Empire of Liberty by Gordon Wood will be discussed on Thursday, September 30.
Retreat into Reading
Monday, June 14
7:00-8:30 p.m. in Hamilton House Parlor
All are welcome to this group that meets on the 2nd Monday of each month! This month we will continue reading and discussing chapters 4, 5, and 6 of When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd. This is an autobiographical account of Monk’s journey through pain, spiritual awakening and ultimately through transformation. Questions? Call Claudia.
NOLA MISSION TRIP MEETING
Organizational Meeting
Monday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m.
It’s time to order our plane tickets for the adult mission trip to New Orleans, which will take place this coming fall from October 10th through the 16th . Come join your friends at Central as we live out our faith by continuing to help our brothers and sisters rebuild their homes and lives after the Katrina floodwaters retreated from their beloved city. Be a part of changing lives—your own, as well as those whom you will help. Questions? Call Claudia (331-1960).
LET’S GO TO THE THEATRE!!
Hello Dolly!!
Sunday, June 27 at 3:00 p.m.
Theatre by the Sea
Matunuck, RI
Join us for our annual jaunt “down” to Matunuck’s Theatre by the Sea. This year we will see Hello Dolly, a wonderful musical suitable for all ages, which stars Tony Award winner Cady Huffman. This “vibrant testament to the human spirit and the joy of life…” follows the indomitable Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi in her quest to match three young men with the perfect spouse!
If you’ve never been to the National Register of Historic Places barn turned Theatre by the Sea you are in for a Rhode Island summertime treat!
Group tickets are $34. Please let Claudia know if you plan to go as the tickets must be purchased in early June. We will arrange carpools from the church to head “all” the way to Matunuck.
Come see Creed and Skillet LIVE in NH
Join WORD High School Fellowship on August 20 for a road trip to see Creed and Skillet in concert. We’ll depart at 2PM on August 20. Please contact Kat ASAP if you plan to go. Show is all-ages. Tickets are $20. Full scholarships available.
The Christian Year and the Lectionary
Advent: Purple
Four weeks preceding Christmas
Christmas: White & Gold
Christmas Day to Epiphany
Season after Epiphany: Green
Epiphany to Shrove Tuesday
Lent: Purple
Forty Days & six Sundays before Easter
Easter: White & Gold
The Great Fifty Days beginning with Easter and ending with Pentecost
Season after Pentecost: Green
Sunday after Pentecost to the Sunday before Advent
The Christian year is a reenactment of the life of Jesus from birth through ministry, death, and resurrection, to the birth of the Church and its witness in the world today.
The way we use our time in daily life is one of the best indications of what is really important to us. The Church also shows what is most important to its life by the way it keeps time. One answer to “What do Christians believe?” could be “Look how we keep time!”
In Advent we prepare for Jesus’ birth and our own renewal. At Christmas we celebrate the joy of Jesus’ birth—of God with us. Through the Season after Epiphany, we read of Jesus’ Baptism, his call of the disciples, and his ministry of teaching and healing. Lent is a season of penitence and preparation—preparation for Easter. It is a time of decision and commitment. The Easter Season or the Great Fifty Days: from Easter to Pentecost, is a season to celebrate the resurrection appearances, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Christian church. We see the power that Jesus embodied, being passed on the disciples. In the Season after Pentecost we look at what it means to be part of the Church-Christ’s body-carrying on his work in our world. We are called to seek justice for all humanity.
As the seasons and their colors change and repeat, we can better understand the rhythm of our lives as the followers of Jesus Christ.
At Central, we celebrate the Sacrament of Communion on the first Sunday of every liturgical season in addition to summertime, World Communion Sunday in October, Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday.
SUMMER VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
August 23-27
Looking for volunteers to teach and lead crafts. Please contact Kat, Claudia, or Cathy for more details.
FROM THE DEACON’S BENCH
Central to Disturbing Times
To almost everyone, these are disturbing times. Earthquakes from China to Haiti, from Haiti to Chile, from Chile to Alaska; volcanoes in Iceland, wars, and rumors of wars including political unrest on the Korean Peninsula and throughout much of the mid-east–to terrorist attacks and trials here in the US. Have you heard of the “suggestion” that has been advanced to place a 13-story mosque on or near the 9.11.01 site in New York City— “to foster better understanding between Islam and the west?”
There is the debt contagion that threatens Greece and much of Europe, one some believe will inevitably flow west to the USA, even as the devastating, incomprehensible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico flows at this very minute, inexorably east, likely around the State of Florida, up the east coast, and perhaps even into the Gulf Stream, toward northern Europe, toxifying for the long-term, estuaries, nesting areas, ocean and land-based animal species of so many kinds.
Then, in this shaky, “jobless recovery,” there are those in our midst who have lost jobs, lost their ability to provide for their families, lost their capacity to pay bills, to plan either for the next month or the next year. And there are those who have lost loved ones—several of whom come immediately to mind in the life of Central Congregational Church. It is a daunting, riveting time.
So in my life it is no small wonder I found myself listening with a certain intrigue to a current folk song by Mary Gouthier, “Mercy, Now,” as I drove up to Central one day, lately:
“We all need a little mercy….now…
I know we don’t deserve it…
But we need it anyhow…
We hang in the balance…
Between Hell and Hallowed Ground…
And every single one of us…
Could use some mercy now…”
Amidst all this and more, I find in recent months life here at Central has afforded me a particularly poignant comfort. The rhythm of the season brings with it not only the end of winter and the beginning of the growing season, but the weekly presence of warm, familiar faces, the rhythmic occasion of monthly committee meetings, the on-going planning for the future of this Church undertaken by so many Centralites, Sunday sermons in the sanctuary, the inspired music from our choir; monthly bulletins and special announcements transmitted by our busy Tech Committee, the work of our devoted Mission Committee, the many prayers that acknowledge so frequently all that is going on at present, mixed with a depth of gratitude for the lives we are fortunate to call our own…
Whether it be the inspired leadership provided by Rebecca, Claudia and Kat, the gallery committee’s exhibits such as the “Greening of Rhode Island,” the steady contribution you make to our new Poet’s Page (see http://www.centralchurch.us/index.php/poets-page headed by our own Poet Laureate, Ilse Kramer – thank you for all those poems and photographs, keep them coming!), or the planning that goes into the many ways Central anticipates participating as a “Global Mission Church,” there is so much to be grateful for even as events of our time swirl around us with what feels like an increasingly dark velocity. These are some of the impressions that touch me as weeks and months roll by.
Rebecca often reminds us to “see the face of Jesus in those about you,” and to move out of our comfort zones to do the work of the Church in the world (my paraphrase), two messages I find continually helpful through each day, I join with others including fellow Deacons in offering a prayer for you that your summer, just ahead, may be rich in possibility, touched with courage, steeped in gratitude and shaped moment-to-moment by the Two Great Commandments that in so many ways define our faith.
-George Delany
