CentralNEWS/May 2010

VOLUME 18 NUMBER5

296 Angell Street Providence RI 02906   401-331-1960

From Your Senior Minister

It was one of those afternoons when I was looking forward to putting my feet up and reading a good book.  And the phone rang.  A high school student whom I did not know had left her guitar at the church and desperately needed it for a concert and the church was locked up and she was panic stricken.  “Could I come and unlock the church for her so she could look for the lost guitar?”  I said, ok, cheerfully.  But, you know, I was not very cheerful about having to put aside my book and put on shoes and go back up to church.  In fact, I would say I was quite grumpy about it.  But, I soldiered on up the hill, and there was this sweet young girl with a friend and we looked around and could not find the guitar at first.  I called a few of you to ask if you knew where it was…but you were all out enjoying the afternoon, while I was there grumpily searching for something that someone had misplaced….At any rate, I finally opened yet another door and there was the guitar.

The girls thanked me, I locked up, and headed home – where it was only 20 minutes later with still time to enjoy my book.  But I have to say, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.  One of the boys pointed out that indeed we had left things at places and called to try to rescue them.  This did not cheer me up.  But, the day went on and all was well.  I forgot about the little inconvenience.

Then, the next day, I found this card in my mail box at church….addressed to Minister Rebecca… “Thank you so much for going out of your way yesterday to let me into the church to get my guitar.  I really appreciate the effort you put into opening the church and making phone calls. Your act of kindness saved my concert.  You have my undying gratitude.”

You can probably guess how small I felt!

But you know, I guess I needed yet another lesson.  The other day I thought I would drive down Freeman Parkway to appreciate the gorgeous flowering trees.  So I did…and noticed a car following right behind me….I pulled over so they could pass, but they stayed right behind me.  I was a little irritated…I went home, and felt the presence of the car right in back of me…sure enough; it had followed me right into my driveway. Now I was really puzzled. In the rear view mirror I could see the driver, and I had no idea who it was.  I wondered, what in the world had I done that would provoke someone to follow me home?  Then, from the passenger side, bounced one of you, who had just come back from a doctor’s appointment with a friend driving….They too had driven down the road to enjoy the trees, had recognized my car and wanted just to say hello.

OK two times now, and I thought… maybe the lesson here is that God wants our attention…not just when it is convenient or easy for us…but all the time.  And God will use these small incidents to remind us – always be gracious, always see the face of Christ in the other, always go out of your way to help.

I hope I’ve learned my lesson, and I hope the next time the phone rings or someone else is enjoying a drive that I think more positively — great.  A chance to stop and share beauty…or, an easy way to reach out and help someone.  At least I hope I won’t be grumpy.

Yours, in hopefulness,

Rebecca

Our prayers and sympathy are with…

The family and friends of Anne “Nancy” Littlefield who died on April 17, 2010.

A Memorial Service will be held at Central Congregational Church at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 23.

May God’s comfort surround all those who mourn.

Our thoughts and prayers are with . . .

Perry Buroker, Her father, Steven Goff, died in April.

Gloria Radway, and our friend, Bernie Buonanno: Bernard Buonanno, Sr., Gloria’s brother and Bernie’s grandfather, died in April.

Rob Schmidt. His father, Henry Schmidt, died in April.

Diane Worthen-Hirsch, Her mother, Mildred Worthen, died in April.

Harry “Skip” Meislahn, His wife, Meredith, died on March 8.

Meredith served wonderfully as volunteer leader of our church school just before Cathy Clasper-Torch joined us. We were blessed to have her enthusiasm and love which she graciously shared with all.

Pentecost Sunday, May 23

Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the heads of the Apostles instructing them to go forth into the world and preach the Gospel. Wearing red reminds us of the flames of fire that appeared over them. Remember to wear red to worship on Pentecost Sunday, May 23.

From Claudia

I have been home for about 36 hours now and all the sights and experiences of my trip to the Middle East are rolling around in my head!  And, in my heart…

Everywhere we went on this pilgrimage we were greeted by people who welcomed us.  “Welcome to Lebanon,” they said at the beginning of our trip.  Later, it was “Welcome to Syria…” or to Jordan, or to Israel.  People would see our bus pull up and they would call to us as we stepped off it.  School children passing us on the street would call out their welcomes to us.  It was very moving.

However, it was even more moving to arrive at our final destination—Egypt.  There, we were warmly welcomed again, but instead of greeting us with “Welcome to Egypt,” people simply said, “Welcome home.”  You see, when you live in a country that considers itself the cradle of civilization, there can be no other welcome to a traveler other than simply, “Welcome home.”

In each country people were curious about where we had come from and that was usually one of the first questions we were asked.  I often joked with my fellow pilgrims that “We aren’t in Kansas anymore…”  And, indeed we weren’t.  We were in countries far from home, but where people took pride in their heritage, and in their families, and in their faiths just like we do.  We were in places that seemed “foreign,” but whose inhabitants were our brothers and sisters—part of the vast family of humanity—all of us God’s children.

In some respects we were “home,” even though we were far from our physical homes.  Eleven in our group were from Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  Two were from Cincinnati, two were from Colorado, two were from South Dakota, another was from Washington State, and one was from New Jersey.  Okay, so none of us were from Kansas!  But, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, we had entered a strange, new world.  And, like Dorothy, we found many friends there.  Like Dorothy, we eventually would have to return home, but I know that I, for one, will always carry a piece of each place we visited and each person we met in my heart.

On my return to the States, I was greeted warmly.  “Welcome home,” so many of you said to me.  And, it is good to be home whether home is here in Rhode Island, or in Egypt!

Blessings on the Journey!

Claudia

From Kat

As I began researching Central’s history, one thing was very clear—Central values giving back. No where in the Annual Reports can you avoid the prayerful care for others, and the boxes of minutes and correspondences from church groups like the Women’s Home Missionary Society take up more than their fair share of the space on the shelves of our archives room. Whether through charitable giving, prayer, political action, or volunteerism, Central’s members have kept Christian service at the heart of their ministry for over a century.

I am humbled and awed that the commitment to service has continued to thrive in our current time. I especially want to lift up the dedicated work of our youngest members. Our Sunday School children have been raising money throughout the year for Heifer International, an organization that works to “end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth” through creative, sustainable solutions. This year their donations raised $678 for the program.

The last weekend in April, our middle school youth group, NEOS, took a field trip to Overlook Farms, a Heifer International Learning Center, to learn more about what Heifer is doing to fight hunger around the world. In addition to meeting some awfully cute baby goats, we had a chance to tour their Global Village, which displays life-size replicas of Heifer gardens, pastures, and houses. We had a blast stomping through Peru, marveling at the old-tire gardens of Mexico’s colonias, and snuggling up to the yak-hair yurts in China (Harry DeWitt guessed right that folks in mountainous China sleep under yaks…. kind of). One of the more shocking discoveries was a U.S. Heifer site. We learned that Heifer works with agencies to create urban gardens, and they also do gardening projects in “food deserts” of Appalachia, where grocery stores are few and far between and healthy food is consequently hard to come by.

We paused in Guatemala for lunch. Over an open fire, we boiled water and made bean soup. Our home-made tortillas looked more like thick, gritty pancakes, but the garlic and onions from the garden spiced things up nicely. We even cooked coffee over the fire…thank goodness sugar grows abundantly in Guatemala!

Our high school youth group, WORD, is also participating in service projects right here in Providence. After selling wood to members of the congregation, WORD will deliver the boards to Habitat for Humanity and use them in a local build. WORD has also been raising money throughout the year for their summer mission trip to Philadelphia, PA.

On June 26-July 3, eighteen of our high school students, along with five adult leaders will travel to Pennsylvania for a week of service. We will stay at the UCC’s Mensch Mill Conference and Retreat Center outside the city and commute in for projects with local agencies. In addition to working with a UCC-run food bank and soup kitchen in the city, students will spend a day in rural Pennsylvania doing construction and repair projects in struggling communities. In exchange for considerable discounts on room and board, we will also be giving back to the Retreat Center itself through the gift of our time with young kids who will be visiting over the summer. Please consider participating in this trip through a contribution of money or prayer! Your support helps keep the legacy of Christian service at Central active with our youth!

Kat

CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS

Dear Church School Families;

You astound me with the amount of change you can put in those One Great Hour of Sharing collection boxes!   Thanks to your generosity (and remembering to bring them back!) the Church School raised $150 for OGHS, helping sponsor mission and disaster relief work around the world.
You have also been giving money all year to our weekly Church School Offering which is being given to Heifer Project International.  We are hoping that the NEOS (Junior High Fellowship) kids can bring our offering/gift with them to the Heifer Project Farm, in Rutland, MA, on their visit there next weekend.  Again, thank you for your generous and consistent giving.  For more information on Heifer Project and the awesome things they do, visit: www.heifer.org

We have a wonderful new batch of teachers, as we enter into our last ‘season’ of the church school year.   An enormous thanks to this great crew:

GABRIEL’S GANG (pre-school):

Cheryl Space; Nancy Brant; Gwen Elphick
SHEPHERDS/PROPHETS (K – 1st gr.):  Lorraine Lalli; Kjesten Wiig; Lora Barlow
STARGAZERS (2nd gr.):

Amy Frazer; Kim Berry
DISCIPLES (3rd gr.):  Emma Cotter
PEACEMAKERS (4th – 5th gr.):  Stephanie Mott; Beth Newberry; Kirstin DeShaw
DREAM-MAKERS (6th – 8th gr.):

Cathy Clasper-Torch

Love & peace,

Cathy Clasper-Torch

MUSIC AT CENTRAL

Christmas in May/Be a Recording Star!

On Sunday, May 23, you have a chance to become part of Central’s next coming CD.  Our choir has begun work on producing its second CD which will feature Christmas music, and we want YOU to sing on it!

Among the selections for choir and organ, the CD will also include two or three congregational hymns.  You enjoy singing the great Christmas hymns in church, and now you can help record them live with the congregation.

Following church on May we will sing and record some Christmas hymns with choir and organ and we want a congregation to join us for this live recording of congregational hymns.  Don’t worry, individual voices (we hope!) won’t be heard, just the whole congregation, so come join us and contribute to the joyful noise.

In December you will enjoy hearing our Christmas CD and can take satisfaction knowing you helped make it!

Are you Getting E-news from Central?

Each month we send out an electronic copy of the newsletter to subscribers of or our E-News service (you probably know this as you are reading the electronic version!)  Becoming a subscriber is easy!  You’ll find a subscriber form on the right-hand side of nearly every page of our website www.centralchurch.us.  Just enter your email address and name and click the submit button and you’re subscribed!

If you have any trouble subscribing, just email us at webmaster@centralchurch.us and we’ll help get you set-up.

Already a subscriber, but not getting our newsletter?

Because our emails are sent out automatically to a lot of people at once, your computer may think our messages are junk mail or spam. Check your email program and make sure that that @centralchurch.us is on your safe senders list. If you’re still having problems, let us know.

Do you get too many emails from us?

Besides the newsletter, we also from time to time send out reminders and invitations about events happening in the life of our church. If you ever think we’re sending out too many messages send us an email – or talk to anyone on the church staff.  It’s our intent to be a help, not a hindrance!

Do you have a message of church-wide interest?

If your committee wants something sent out to the church-wide email list follow these easy steps:

• Write an email of exactly what you want to say in the message we will send – also let us know what the subject of the email should be. We usually try to include “Central” in the subject line.
• Let us know what date you want the message sent on.
• All messages need to be coordinated through Marilyn Brown – email her at cccangell@centralchurch.us

Remember, because so many members receive these emails your message should have church-wide appeal and importance.  As more people sign up for our e-news, the Tech Committee will seek to create additional sub-lists such as “Music at Central” or “Art at Central” to make sure that those especially interested in a particular aspect of our community can stay informed.

Remember, getting your newsletter electronically saves the church money and is better for the environment!

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. Our next meeting is at 7pm–24 Fourth St., Providence. If interested, please call Cathy Clasper-Torch at 272-3942 or Claudia Demick at 331-1960.

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.

Retreat into Reading

Monday, May 10

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.

The Face: Jesus in Art

Sunday mornings in May (except on May 16)

9:00 a.m. in the Fireplace Room

Trace the different ways Jesus has been portrayed in art throughout history and around the world.  The Face is an unforgettable tribute to the power of Christ’s image to inspire us all.  The art featured in this series spans the early 3rd century to the present day.  Works by Michelangelo, da Vinci, and Rembrandt are discussed side by side with the art found in the catacombs of Rome, Chartres Cathedral, and the extraordinary icons at the remote 4th century monastery of St. Catherine’s at Mt. Sinai. Amazing and awe-inspiring as well as visually stunning…an adult Sunday School series that shouldn’t be missed!

Food for Thought

Food for Thought will be meeting at Martha Nielsen’s house on May 27 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.  We will be discussing Jodi Picoult’s book, Second Glance.  This great read “asks if truth is always something that can be measured… and if what can be measured is indeed always true.”  Hope to see you there!

Questions?  Call Claudia.

FROM THE DEACON’S BENCH

Christianity is the name of a journey,

a journey not solely of personal contemplation, but one of communal venture that is the Church.

It is a journey open to everyone,

regardless of their condition,

regardless of their past; all that is required is a decision to follow Him.

-UCC Statement of Faith

It’s no coincidence, that for the last four years I have written a Deacons Bench each spring as we would divvy up who would write and when. It’s my favorite time of year, and there’s just no denying that life for all of us miraculously and optimistically starts again, from the flowers and buds that come out of nowhere, to the birds, bees and insects that suddenly reappear. We get both a literal and metaphorical chance to start over, to see the world anew, to grow, to change, and be re-born again.

A few weeks ago, as I wrote a eulogy for my father, I found myself reflecting on how significantly our parents’ influence and personal faith affects how we see and relate to the world around us.

“Don’t worry be happy”

My dad loved that song, and invoked it many times to assure us that no matter what, things would really be all right. And yes, he too was an optimist, and in no small measure responsible for my own outlook as well.

“Don’t worry be happy”

As a husband and a father, my dad did worry though… he worried about my mom and us; our health, our welfare, our wellbeing and he made sure that he was there for us when we needed him throughout his life, listening and being of help when we needed it.

In reflection, our Christianity and faith journey embodies many of those same principles, in that we strive to be a community of God’s people in a way that calls each of us into active discipleship to follow and practice our faith as He would have us do. And this too is something my father believed in as well.

On Easter, as I was composing my thoughts for my father’s eulogy, Rebecca closed her sermon with the remark; “the resurrection reminds us that death is not the end of the story.”  How appropriate and poignant, because in the lives we lead, and the examples we set for our children, and ourselves, our faith and beliefs also continue to live on.

-Rob Schmidt

Rebecca’s Noon Book Group . . .

Meets on Thursday, May 20 to discuss The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Mariel Barbery.

For summer reading, Empire of Liberty by Gordon Wood will be discussed on Thursday, September 30.

Diaper Drive

Today, thousands of Rhode Island families with young children are living in poverty.  For all young children, diapers are a necessity to keep them clean and healthy.  Programs for families living below the poverty line, such as SNAP (Food Stamps) and WIC, do not cover the high cost of diapers, forcing families to choose between purchasing diapers for their children and purchasing food for the family.

Central has joined the second annual Mother’s Day Diaper Drive,  May 9- May 30

We are collecting new disposable diapers, all brands and all sizes, in the portable crib in Chapel Hall.

The Mother’s Day Diaper Drive campaign is supported by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. All diapers will be distributed to Food Bank Member Agency Programs to assist clients in need.

Great Strides Walk

Dear Central Church Family,

Once again it’s time for the Great Strides Walk to Cure Cystic Fibrosis.  Thank you so much for all your support!  This year our walk is Saturday, May 8^th at Roger Williams Park. Registration begins at 8:30, and we will be walking at 9:00.  We’ll have lots of food, fun and a Toe Jam Puppet Band performance in addition to the beautiful walk through the park.  We’ll also have a person affected by CF say a few words to remind us all why we are here.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has just announced a new medication that has shown great potential to affect the basic defect of the disease.  The money that you all have donated has made this progress possible.  Thank you!  The Foundation is committed to finding controls and a cure for cystic fibrosis.  Ninety cents of every dollar still goes directly to research to fund this progress.

Please join our walk team!  We can’t begin to tell you how blessed we feel when we look out over the crowd of walkers and see so many of you.  If you can’t walk and would like to donate to us, that would be great too!  We’ll be in Chapel Hall at Coffee Hour on Sunday.  Come by and sign up to walk or donate.  Also, pledge forms are available in the Church office.

Thanks so much, Greg, Amy, Jane & Will Lupica

What our members are doing. . .

Lorne Adrain was recently awarded the Jefferson Award for his achievements and contributions through public and community service and his ability to inspire and encourage others to get involved. Lorne has devoted his life to volunteering and is the founder of National Neighborhood Day.

Don’t Forget…

PLEDGE ENVELOPES for the coming church year which begins on May 1 are available. Please call the church office if you haven’t picked yours up.

New Members

Please join us in welcoming our newest members into our church family.

Dinah Baker

Providence, RI

Dinah is retired after many years of performing various duties. She enjoys movies, theatre and music, especially live jazz. A friend recommended Central to her.

Jeri-Lee Gottberg

Providence, RI

Jeri-Lee is an admissions coordinator with Fresinus Medical Care and a Boston Bruins hockey fan. She researched on line and after several visits, decided to become a member of our congregation. She will become involved when she is more familiar with Central’s offerings.

Amanda Manjone

E Providence, RI 02914

Amanda enjoys reading, rugby, running and fitness. She looks forward to exploring Central’s many opportunities for volunteering. She has a five year old son, Maximus.

Grayce Moorehead

Warwick, RI 02889

Grayce works at New England Tech and enjoys reading, travel, art, handwork, organic gardening & cooking. She has been attending our services for several years and feels the time is right to join. She will involve herself in Central’s volunteer opportunities as time permits.

Susan Patton

Foxboro, MA 02035

Susan works for The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, MA and is the mother of a 25 year old daughter. She enjoys acrylic and oil painting, tennis, and martial arts. Susan is a past New Orleans mission trip volunteer, has participated in our book groups, and joins her cousin, Barb Silvis, in membership. Her interests include the Gallery Committee and becoming a lay reader.

Want to be a New Member of Central?

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 $399,659 (88.9% 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.

Tickets on Sale Now!

Central Church House and Garden Tour May 22, 12-5PM

All proceeds will go to support our church’s benevolences.  Among the local and global charitable organizations that Central supports are Crossroads Rhode Island (a social service agency, shelters, and jobs training for homeless individuals); Amos House (shelters, a meal site, and jobs training for the homeless), Mount Hope Learning Center (after school enrichment programs), Camp Street Ministries (food pantry, clothing, and ministry), Habitat for Humanity (building houses for home ownership), Sojourner House (a domestic violence shelter for women and their children), The Blessing Way (half-way house after incarceration), as well as our long-standing commitment to Haiti, and others.

All prepaid tickets ($25) are to be picked up at the Diman Place entrance to Central Church on the day of the event. Tickets purchased on the day of the tour are $30.  No children under 12 (except carried infants) will be permitted in the homes, but may visit the gardens. Children must be accompanied by an adult while in the gardens. The cost for children will be $10.

A bag lunch is available at Hamilton House from 11:30 am to 1 pm. Please select tuna, turkey or vegetarian sandwich for $8, by May 14th. This is in addition to the price of admission to the tour. Sorry no food or drink will be allowed in any of the sites.  Hamilton House will be open for a tour.

At 12 noon there will be an organ concert by Patrick Aiken on our newly rebuilt Aeolian Skinner Organ.  A tour and history of the sanctuary including the Duffner and Kimberly(the design studio for Tiffany ) windows and other art will be led by Jim Silverthorn, immediately following the concert.

Some of the houses on the tour include:

• Eugene and Brooke Lee’s House at 271 Angell Street  You will see many of their collections, the gardens, and the studio where Eugene designs the sets for Trinity Rep, Saturday Night Live and many Broadway and road shows.

• Lippitt House & Museum of early Victoriana from the 1860’s to 1930’s, located at the corner of Angell and Hope Streets.  Several members of the Lippitt family were governors and senators from RI.  John Chaffee was a descendent.

• Around the corner at 60 Manning Street is the McCulloch House’s lovely gardens

• Beautiful gardens at the Thomas Lloyd Halsey house, 140 Prospect Street

• 116 and 120 Congdon Street contain two spectacular homes and gardens with views of the State House

• Up at 33 Hazard Street see another lovely garden

• 15 Arnold Street has a beautiful garden

• See beautiful flowers at 79 Prospect Street

• At 72 Waterman Street see the historic Edward Dexter house that was cut in half and rolled across the Brown campus on cannon balls.  See the original of the house in the RISD museum.

• On Benefit Street there are 4 gardens to visit including the RISD Museums gardens

One more place to see is the house at 90 Summit Avenue.  Find out how they pay no electric bills with alternative energy and help save God’s planet.

Questions?? Call Mary Bishop or Norm Leard

Make your check out to Central Congregational Church and mail to

296 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02906, Attn:  House & Garden Tour

Tickets will not be mailed; maps and guides will be distributed the day of the event at the church.

The 20s and 30s are going Rock Climbing!

Join the 20s and 30s group for an evening of climbing at the Rhode Island Rock Gym, Friday, May 14 at 7PM. Meet at Central at 7, and we’ll carpool together. Even if you are not interested in climbing, you are welcome to come. We always need folks to belay (hold the rope at the bottom). All skill levels welcome! $15. No one will be turned away for an inability to pay. Email Kat: kat@centralchurch.us for more details or to RSVP. Kids and friends welcome!

158th Annual Meeting. . .

…of this congregation will be held at 11:45 am Sunday, June 6, 2010. The 2010-2011 budget will be presented for approval, the Nominating Committee will present the slate of candidates to be voted into office, and other items of congregational interest will be presented.

A luncheon will follow in Chapel Hall. Please make luncheon reservations by returning the form included with this newsletter to the church office by Wednesday, June 1. Childcare is available during the meeting, if requested.