Central News

November 2024 |  Vol. 33, No. 3

Join Us for Sunday Worship at 10:30 am!

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A Good Word From Patrick

Hey folks! Christianity is courageous. It is courageous to pursue deep, grounded joy when the norm is cynical and angry. It is courageous to pursue peace when the norm is frenzy, hustle, and anxiety. It is courageous to pursue love when the norm is animosity and hate. It is courageous to pursue compassion when the norm is competition. It is courageous to pursue kindness when we’re taught to see one another as enemies.… [Read More]

Central News

Oct 2024  | Vol. 33, No. 2
Join Us for Sunday Worship at 10:30 am!

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A Good Word From Patrick

Hey folks! As I write this, I have eleven blisters on my hands. After hearing several members at Central talk about how peaceful and quiet the Seekonk River is early in the morning and how much meaningful community exists at the Narragansett Boat Club, I decided to take a class to learn how to row. Folks who are new have to start on a boat called a “barge,” which is wide enough for two rows of rowers to sit side by side, making it particularly stable for newbies to learn how to do a proper rowing stroke without worrying about tipping the boat over.… [Read More]

Central News

Sep 2024  | Vol. 33, No. 1
Join Us Gathering Sunday, Sep. 8, at 10:30 am!

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A Good Word From Patrick

Ours is a communal faith. To be Christian means to honor the simple notion that all of creation knit together forms the body of Christ. Each person is inherently unique and gifted to support the thriving of creation around them. You and I are essential to one another. When we are fully embodied and rooted in the trust that God is doing something through us, we become the Body of Christ.… [Read More]

Central News

August 2024 | Vol. 32, No. 11

Join Us for Summer Worship at 10 am!

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A Good Word From Patrick

Hello, friends! When I got to Central, I was warned that no one attends church over the summer. I was told Providence slows down, the city quiets, and everyone makes their way to the beaches or the mountains. So, I prepared myself for empty pews, streets, and an empty calendar. Well, I’ve been so pleasantly surprised to see so much life for these first several weeks of summer.… [Read More]

Central News

June / July 2024 | Vol. 32, No. 11

Summer Worship Begins June 16 at 10 am!

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A Good Word From Patrick

Hey folks, For the last few months, a thoughtful team of representatives from our Board of Deacons, Prudential Committee, Religious Education Committee, families, and volunteers have been diligently reviewing a broad assortment of candidates to join our staff as the Director of Religious Education. This role is crucial as it will be responsible for organizing and directing our ministries with children, teens, and families.… [Read More]

Central News

May 2024   |   Vol. 32, No. 10

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A Good Word From Patrick

Hey folks, I missed my first worship service at Central on April 21 so I could participate in an endurance race set in the beautiful Masennutten range of mountains on the north end of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. In 22.5 hours, some friends and I traveled 60 miles, navigating between 30 checkpoints hidden deep in the woods – atop stunning ridge lines and along the river’s edge. In order to navigate between checkpoints, we waded through mountain laurel and rhododendron, pushed bikes up steep and rocky trails, and canoed through sections of rapids on the Shenandoah River.… [Read More]

Central News

April 2024  | Vol. 32 | No. 9

Join Us For Sunday Worship at 10:30 am!

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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]